This is my notes and recap of Fascism: The Total Society by H.R. Morgan. He labels this book Codex Fascismo parts 2 and 3. This post covers the Letter to the Publisher, Morgan’s intro, and then Codex 2, which contains excerpts from various Fascist writers. Codex 3 I’ll cover in a different post.
I don’t know what happened to Codex 1. Either it never got published, or it’s just not available. There are 8 total (if there’s a part one). These first two cover what exactly is meant by Totalitarian, or total society.
In most instances, I’ve simply taken notes on what they said. Since the term Fascist is thrown about by the left (as is socialist, by the right), and I personally didn’t really know too much about what Fascists actually believe, I thought I’d get to the meat of the matter by reading up, just as I have for the Marxists.
I’m nearly done with Codex 3 and I believe I’m starting to get a handle on where they’re coming from.
I have a few notes in this post, but I’m saving most of my commentary until I review part 3.
Letter to the Publisher
The author spent time among National Socialist and Marxian socialist groups- there is a real difference between actualized and doctrinal Fascism. Totalitarianism was a term coined by the Fascists to describe their all-encompassing ideology. It describes a benevolent government that puts its own people first.
The actual goals of fascism are:
1. Creation of a ‘corporate state’ where workers, managers, finance, and consumers would create unions that would create a national government having the direct participation of the people.
2. Total restructuring of the import and export industries, the exclusion of foreign products when nationally manufactured options exist, to ensure employment of citizens.
3. Development of domestic resources
4. Restoration of natural environment
5. Combat international global speculative finance capitalism and industrial import/export monopolies.
Fascism has been tied to racism through Nazi Germany, but it is not inherently so. The main thrust is national autarchy- self-sufficiency.
Introduction
1. From Zeev Sternhell in Neither Right nor Left:
All Fascist movements abhor the liberal democracies and bourgeois society. They refuse to accept the conclusions inherent in materialism. The basic ideas are a synthesis of organic nationalism and anti-Marxist socialism, a rejection of liberalism, Marxism, and democracy. Fascism aims to bring about a total spiritual revolution. Fascism favors a state that represents all classes of society.
2. The essence of fascism is a national economic and social system based upon ideology stamped from the native soul of the people of that society. Fascism puts no premium on race, but rather on national cooperation and social-political syndicalism in addressing societal problems.
The bonding of social cultural identity with environmental and national policy is the prime factor at the base of fascism. Because fascism is specific to the culture and country, it can’t be exported to another culture and country. Each country must define its own. But a driving force in fascism is modernism; fascists are futurists.
3. Origins of Fascism. The French syndicalists had a large part in the ideological development of fascism. Paul Derouldede formed his League of Patriots, which called for:
a) ultranationalism, b) contempt for liberal democracy, c) populist in that it was directed towards the masses, d) sought to harmonize classes, e) a central motif of national vengeance, f) militarism, g) mystique of discipline and death rooted in the national soil and popular culture.
Maurice Barres brought in ideas about hero worship, traditionalism, and national collectivism.
Mussolini in Italy was the first to have a working government called fascist.
4. Fascism is always clothed in militant dress. Uniforms create uniformity and unity of purpose, and serve as an important tool to eliminate social classes and create unity on a national level.
Dave notes:
Morgan claims fascism is usually not an ideology which interferes with other countries, but that doesn’t seem to be true. Pressing the greatness of the nation almost always leads to expansionism. Greatness is necessarily a comparative term. If our country is great, it’s natural to ask, compared to what? Other nations. And if our greatness, in comparison to other countries, is pushed as part of a national symbol, then sooner or later, that national sentiment grows into superiority, and naturally from there into expansion. Morgan claims Italian war in Ethiopia was purely to protect Italian citizens, but this excuse has been made by tyrants all over the world. Putin is using it now in Ukraine. Morgan also claims fascism is primarily about social development of the nation, but unfortunately, the symbols of national greatness too often lead to superiority and then expansion.
5. Given communisms terrorizing of people in Italy, many Italians hated the communists. Even though Italy had no love for Germany, Nazi Germany was 1) the European power that was willing and able to stand up to Russia, and 2) there was some alignment in totalitarian doctrines. The difference was that Germany was committed to racial consciousness, while Italy was committed to national consciousness. Only later in Nazi occupied Europe did racial round-ups in Italy begin occurring.
6. Cornelius Codreanu’s Legion of Archangel Michael in Romania was both violently anti-communist, as well as national syndicalist or social collectivist nationalist. Tired of the influx of foreigners and communist infiltration, they were a more ethnic nationalist.
7. Fascism and national Socialism do align on many things, eugenics is not one. Social programs and fascists agendas generally make it easy for minority ethnics to assimilate. But in countries with large minorities from different nations that refuse to assimilate and even insist in bringing in the same cultural elements that caused them to flee their home countries, will undoubtedly bring friction. While the author says that the vast majority of American national socialists are indeed racists, fascism itself has nothing to do with racism.
8. Fascism should in no way interfere with the legitimate practice of religion. In fact, the Christian notion of ethics and fair play is one of the prime motivating factors in the development of social doctrine, and fascism was supposed to resemble the social structure of the earliest Christian communities. Morgan uses Brazil’s Açao Integralista Brasileira as an example. They see the development of history as humanity’s struggle of materialism against spiritualism. In other words, the laws of nature and the pursuit of life’s necessities on one side interfering with man’s striving towards his own higher sense of self and conformity to God’s will. Fascism advocates overthrowing the desires of the individual in order to engender a real concern for the welfare of others- meaning the national community: ideals of self-sacrifice, compassion, and a passion for the social well-being of fellow citizen/brothers.
9. Morgan gives due to some excerpts from “The Coming Insurrection”, by a group called the Invisible Committee.
10. Society and science hurtles forward at an unbelievable pace. Fascism means to reintroduce the historical and biological infrastructure of human communities. This is the only kind of synthesis strong enough to resolve the enormous antagonism created by industrial development between the new realm of economic power and the old world of human relationships.
11. From Giovanni Gentile: The ethical conception of the state as an autonomous personality (being ethical that has its own value and its own ends; subordinating to itself every social/economic interest, existence, and every individual interest; they have their own values – not to suffocate them, but to recognize them only as realizations of the personality of the State, as conscience, and as will.
Codex Fascismo: Volume 2
What follows are excerpts from various fascist writings.
From The Coming Insurrection by the Invisible Committee
It’s tough to summarize what exactly the authors are saying, since it seems extremely esoteric. There a lots of statements that are hard to understand, but feel like they would make sense to the severely disaffected. Such as:
“There is no gap between what we are; what we do; and what we are becoming.”
“Intelligence does not mean knowing how to adapt. Or if that is a form of intelligence, it is the intelligence of slaves.”
“To whom do the children of the era belong, to the television or to the parents? The truth is that we have been torn from any sense of belonging, we are no longer from anywhere, and the result is an undeniable suffering.”
“We aren’t cynical, we are just unwilling to be deceived.”
“Exploitation of individual and collective labor power through the private or social approbation of surface value; participation in a common effort through the relation linking those who cooperate in the universe of production. These two dimensions are perversely confused in the notion of work, which explains workers’ indifference at the end of the day, to both Marxist rhetoric, which denies the dimension of participation- and managerial rhetoric, which denies the dimension of exploitation.”
“A school, a hospital, or a media center are all variations on the same theme; transparency, neutrality, and uniformity. These massive fluid, buildings are conceived without any need to know what they will house.”
“We have to see that the economy is not ‘in crisis’, the economy is itself the crisis.”
Dave’s note:
The entire tone of the excerpts are an emotional appeal to disaffected people who aren’t finding fulfillment. But I believe it’s because they are somehow expecting fulfillment from the political system. They seem to have started from the Marxist view that man can find his fulfillment in political participation, working towards something ‘greater’, which is his participation in the thing that is bigger than himself- the community, or the state. That’s why Marxism and fascism are both politically totalitarian- they have a total view of remaking humanity through a political social system that will provide meaning and fulfillment through participation.
There is a following section critiquing western, post-modern, nothing-is-true attitude.
The Origins and Doctrine of Fascism by Giovanni Gentile
Gentile explains that fascism isn’t constrained to present fact, but must continually transform itself. It is essentially anti-materialistic. Anti-materialistic here means that life is not what it is, but what it ought to be, which requires duties and difficulties and abnegation. The fascist state is ‘idea’ that actuates itself. It isn’t imposed on the citizen, but rather invests the citizen and informs his conscience.
As ‘idea’, it transcends every present and contingent material form.
Fascism is a party of action. This means a militia of action groups.
It is totalitarian in nature, concerning itself not only with politics, but with will, thought, and sentiment.
Intellectualism is thought divorced from action, which fascism opposes. Fascists don’t deny science of philosophy, but those things find synthesis in thought that is action.
Likewise state and individual are an inseparable necessary synthesis.
The fascist state is an entirely spiritual creation; it realizes itself through the consciousness and will of the individual rather than being imposed from on high. It is populist and truly democratic. Its anti-individualistic nature affirms a spiritual reality that is universal- the ideal of life is that individuals are meant to be lived in communion and service to each other. Fascism rejects license, which isn’t liberty at all. True liberty is living according to your purpose, which is found in working towards the good of the community.
From Interpretations of Fascism by A James Gregor
Fascism is committed to industrial and economic growth. Development is necessary for securing and maintaining sovereign independence and enabling social aspirations. Fascism calls for a spiritual rebirth, but by spiritual, fascists mean the men live for the community. They understand materialism to be individualism, living for self. They believe fascism to be the embodiment of the will of the masses.
Industrialization
There are a series of excerpts all essentially declaring that fascism’s focus on development provides an attractive investment climate, but it can’t be ruled by international finance capital. It isn’t elitist, it is populist. Fascism attempts to modernize and industrialize the economic system, while maintaining the social structure.
“Fascists come to control the economy more extensively than could any liberal or capitalist government.”
Freedom from Dr ER Fields
“Free men are not equal and equal men are not free.”
“Planning by consent means the state distributes the products of industry to the people, and finance is subordinated to this principle aim.”
From Oswald Mosley
Protectionist economic policies to ensure domestic employment and guard against capitalist fluctuations.
from Fascism and War by Maj. General J.F.C. Fuller
In Fascism, life is looked at as a means to an end, not as an end itself. Individuals are mortal, the State, not only the mass of individuals, but the ideal, is immortal and greater. Fascism wants peace, but doesn’t fear war; the only thing it fears is inert living.
“Live dangerously is a better motto than safety first, which only breeds de-spiritualized eunuchs.”
Poverty not only creates want, but a sense of injustice. If the state is seen to empower injustice, the suffering and thinking man is right to want to overthrow it. Poverty and revolution are created by maldistribution of wealth, by a rotten system of finance, wage cuts, rising prices, and a general lowering of the standard of living.
Dave’s notes:
It seems to me that poverty can only create a sense of injustice if those in poverty see some that aren’t in poverty. If everyone is poor, then there is no sense of injustice. It isn’t poverty per se, but inequality. But before, they had seemed to call this idea stupid by saying equal men aren’t free. So are the fascists promising slavery?
The other sleight of hand her is the “maldistribution of wealth”. Who in society is “distributing” … “the wealth”? Money doesn’t rain down freely and then get distributed by our leaders, it is earned and produced.
The Total Society
From the Manifesto of Guanabara by the Frente Integralista Brasileira
Integralism (Fascism) intends to build a new society in accordance with natural laws governing reality to create a transcendent destiny. It is a civil/political movement which aims for establishing the total happiness and well-being of the people. This will require a new kind of man, and so we preach inner revolution.
The person created by God has an immortal spirit and is given intelligence and will, and finds in the national state the means to better fulfill their duties according to their transcendent nature. Humans who can practice virtue should be judged for their civic, ethical, and moral virtues done for the common good.
Humans have integrity, dignity, inviolability and freedom, and are respected by the State to: have liberty when used for community benefit. The right to associate in order to protect the interests of their members and strengthen the common good; the right to property within the limits imposed by consideration of the common good, or the right to ownership exercised fairly for the benefit of the entire society.
Enlightenment on a moral/ethical and legal level is characterized by the belief that the State is the sole and exclusive source of morality, ethics, and justice.
The right to property must be exercised fairly for the benefit of everyone.
“The full national synthesis is an ethical state both anti-authoritarian and anti-individualist, which is a means- a tool in service of humanity, propelled by an ethical ideal.
From Politics and the Land by Jorian Jenks
Clear evidence of democracy’s degeneracy is the apathy of citizens.
From The Problem of Decadence by A.K. Chesterton
Decadence is a collective disease and can only have a collective remedy. The populace becomes acquiescent. It asks for liberty without ever understanding to what use liberty is being put. It asks for tolerance of things that should be intolerable. Individuals escape into a world of fantasy, attempting to evade reality, which creates a mass neurosis, acting like a cancer on society.
Huge amounts of energy are used to keep us from reality so elites can continue to make money and exercise power. Citizens are barred from trying to solve these problems corporately. Realities are driven underground.
Fascism confronts this by bringing people back to reality. First legislating for man to work out his personal difficulties through contact with the social difficulties of his time. Humans are meant to serve a social purpose. In a real sense, man lives only so far as he is related to others- that his own special knowledge may serve society. While Fascism theoretically limits individuals, it in fact extends their power limitlessly by concentrating it where man is able to act as an expert- in his own field of study.
From Can Private Enterprise Survive? by James Larratt
Fascism is protectionist, excluding goods that can be manufactured at home, from being imported. This increases home-market purchasing power through higher wages, in turn raising production and consumption together. This is aided by the control of distribution and selling prices.
Efficiency and quality in production must be preserved, because they advance civilization. But excessive profits and concentration of excess capital must be regulated.
Once free of the materialist grasp of international finance, the nation will be free once again to assert the spiritual values and move forward in unity, prosperity, and peace.