"Nothing against the State, nothing over it, nothing beyond it." - Mussolini. (UPSC CSE Mains 2018 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1)
The statement was the philosophy behind Italy’s Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini.
- Fascism stands for a doctrine, ideology or a set of principles underlying the movement founded in Italy in 1919. For this purpose, Mussolini combined his fasci of workers i.e. the small groups organized to bring about revolutionary changes in the political structure of Italy, into the Fascist.
- The doctrine of fascism arose as a reaction to democracy, socialism and communism. While democracy and communism represented progressive forces of the modern age, fascism sought to promote a movement in the reverse direction, in support of the former outmoded, repressive, social and political conditions and policy.
- As against the liberal-democratic cult of reason, fascism relies on faith and emotion as the motive force of human actions. Instead of regarding individual as an end and the state as a means, fascism exalts the state as an end and reduces individual to the means. It establishes the monopoly of the nation-state in all internal and external matters. It does not tolerate any human association or organization within the state to compete with the state for the loyalty of individual. Thus, it rejects the pluralistic cult of liberal-democracy. In the international sphere, it does not support international organization for settlement of disputes, and relies upon military solutions.
- Fascism tends to project an image of a unified nation with an indivisible interest to repudiate the theory of class-conflict. It even refuses to rely on reason for arriving at truth. Instead, it eulogizes the creative power of the myth to muster the support of all classes in society.
- Fascism, besides its retrograde class character, symbolizes a sick mental and political attitude. It fosters anti-human, anti-progressive forces, seeks to curb liberty and equality and distorts justice.
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