Communism Vs Fascism Analysis

The landscape that Europe was met with after the cataclysmic events of World War I was essential in both formulating emerging ideological movements and restructuring past ideas. Fascism would emerge as a tool, especially in ensuing international conflicts in the 1940s, to assist leaders in manipulating domestic nationalist bases to spread homogenous ideas to minority groups through militant and authoritarian tactics. Communism during this period would only vaguely echo the mid-19th century ideals of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, with the Lenin-caused split in the ideology dropping calls for equality and open means of production for all in favor of political action and national self-determination. Even at the core of their ideologies, fascism …show more content…
Political scientist Karl Dietrich Bracher has hypothesized the goal of the national fascist state is “to embody people’s awakened political consciousness” under the idea of “self-determination for all nations”. This idea is seen in the deep connection between fascist movements and nationalism. The end goal of fascist governments, setting aside authoritarian political takeover and socio-economic control, is for a unified nationalist body that can effectively spread homogenous culture abroad. These movements call for a “nationalization an socialization of the masses …a clearly visible comprehensive alternative to the international socialism of the Marxists…” . While Marxist ideologies can spread between common people through promises of economic equality and stability, fascists rely on nationalist “us versus them” mentalities, in addition to inherently corporatist doctrines, “bonding different classes together in service of the nation” , in an attempt to match domestic production to international growth. While these ideas may be effective in a singular nation state, the longevity of these governments is doomed in that two prominent fascist governments will be eventually be unable to coexist, plagued by differing nationalist identities and a struggle to assert dominance over the other. For example, as shown by the end of World War II, in the span of a half-decade two of the strongest fascist governments in history were unable to cooperate, with “Italian civil and military authorities in France being convinced that the Germans had no intention of granting the Italian’s territorial demands…the German’s sole aim was to ‘harm Italian prestige and status’” and Mussolini himself admitting in 1941 that “Axis victory would…relegate Italy to the role of a German province”