The Study of Fascism

Russell Haggar

Site Owner

The Study of Fascism: A Checklist

 

We can organise our study of fascism under the following headings. You will see that some knowledge of the history of fascism will be necessary but obviously we shall be concentrating mainly on the ideology of fascism and connecting these materials closely to the consideration of past examination questions.

 

Part One

 

  • Introduction: the meaning of fascism
  • Listing the core elements of fascist ideology
  • Origins of fascist ideology
  • World War 1, the Russian Revolution, inter-war political instability and the rise of fascism
  • Brief historical overviews of Mussolini and Italian Fascism and Hitler and German Nazism

 

Part Two:  The Core Elements of Fascist Ideology

 

  • Fascism and Human nature: rationalism, irrationalism and the Enlightenment
  • Fascist criticism of existing societies
  • Anti-liberalism, anti-conservatism and anti- radical socialism.
  • Ultra-nationalism, colonialism, imperialism, racialism and anti-Semitism
  • Elite Theories
  • Social struggle, violence and war
  • Fascism, mass mobilisation and radical social change
  • National reconstruction and the “new fascist man”
  • Fascism and Totalitarianism
  • Corporatism and the Third Way
  • Fascism, modernity and tradition
  • Fascism, class, gender and youth
  • Comparing Italian Fascism and German Nazism.

 

Part Three

 

  • Fascism and other ideologies
  • Conclusions

 

Assuming we cover two or three topics per week we should finish Fascism quite comfortably in a couple of months!