Benito Mussolini The Doctrine Of Fascism

The aftermath of the first world war left the participating nations in a terrible state. The economy was failing, the devastation served as constant reminders of the events in that period, and many countries continued to harbor resentment towards their former enemies. Negotiations towards the end of the war left much to be desired, so it was no surprise that the hatred and hopes for a better future in the affected countries played large roles in shaping the politics of several countries, as the resulting ideologies contributed to growing possibilities of another war. The Soviet Union began this process earlier than the other nations with the Russian Revolution in early 1917. The Bolsheviks, under their leader, Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the

As a nation that also harbored a grudge against the Big Three for not granting them the territory they promised, a revolution of some sort was imminent. Mussolini, in “The Doctrine of Fascism”, condemns liberalism and democracy repetitively, and emphasizes ideologies that are nearly identical to those of Nazism and Soviet Communism, such as the priority of the State above the individual and extreme nationalism, in addition to a different approach to the economy as it was also in a terrible state after World War. War and expansionism is also mentioned, and encouraged by Mussolini as a goal the citizens must work towards. Even more direct is his stance on peace; he states that it represents weakness and does not believe in it. This recurring theme of resentment and desperation leading to nationalism and totalitarianism proves to be a toxic formula, as these nations toss away the methods of discussion and negotiation because of their nationalistic endeavors. War is favored in these regimes, and it is so prominent that it is almost pitiful how Chamberlain believed in the possibility of a “universal aversion from

Japan gained power quickly as they imitated Western politics and military tactics, and as they continued to improve their nation, they began to look outside their country for resources, also imitating the tendency of the European nations to conquer weaker territories. Like Hitler and Mussolini, they wanted power in the form of land and resources, and this lead to their role in the coming war. Okuma Shigenobu, a noble in Japan, briefly explains the Japanese attitude towards not only the Western Powers, but also their views of their Asian neighbors in “Illusions of the White Race”. The Japanese, after their attendance at the peace conferences after World War I, proposed a racial equality clause that was denied by the Big Three, as it would invalidate imperialism. This made the Japanese unhappy, and as a power in Asia, they felt responsible for improving the conditions of other Asiatic countries to get rid of the notion of white supremacy. They may have believed that they were carrying out a noble cause, but this stems more from the same greed displayed by Hitler and Mussolini. Hatred strikes again as it leads Japan to ruthlessly acquire territory and justify its causes through battle, and it almost appears as if peace was never an option in the minds of the