Making of the Modern World: Fascism How do you recognize fascism? The ‘content’: Fascist Ideology? The ‘action’: Fascist Practice? A historical approach: What was Fascism? Fascist Movements and Fascist States

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascist Movements I: Italy World War One and the first Italian Fascists The Biennio Rosso: Social Crisis and the Rise of Fascism The Fascist March on Rome, October 1922

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascist Movements II: Germany The Post-War Crisis and the emergence of Nazism (NSDAP = National Socialist German Workers Party) The Rise of Nazism at the End of the Weimar Republic The Nazi take-over of power, January 1933

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascist Movements II: Germany The Post-War Crisis and the emergence of Nazism (NSDAP = National Socialist German Workers Party) The Rise of Nazism at the End of the Weimar Republic The Nazi take-over of power, January 1933

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascist Regimes Fascist Dictatorships? The Leadership Principle Forming a National Community, from above and from below Anti-Semitism and Racism The Regime as a Movement: Constant Mobilization

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascism and War Fascist Imperialism (Ethiopia, Mediterranean) and Nazi Expansion in the East (Space for Living) The Enslavement of the Slavic Population The Murder of European Jewry

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascist Ideology Anti-isms: Anti-Marxism, anti- liberalism, anti-Semitism, etc. The Fascist vision of a new society: a purified and rejuvenated nation that would overcome class struggle Visions of heroic individualism Anti-rationalism and the belief in myths

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascist Practice Central role of violence, above all against their opponents (Communists, Socialists, Jews) Violence as a means to create a (masculine) community Ideology and Practice: The glorification of violence and the fascist will to action

Making of the Modern World: Fascism Fascism and Youth Fascism as a youth movement? Youth and its ability to build a ‘new society’ played a key role in Fascist ideology. A generation of fascists? Many fascists, especially Nazis in Germany, had been too young to fight in World War One. They longed to become ‘heroes’ and to create something radically new.