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AN ANALYSIS OF 20TH CENTURY
FASCISM - (2)
Brainwashing
Techniques of Fascism
There was one particularly egregious
feature of Italian fascism and Nazi Germany: its attempt to brainwash
its citizens. This program was founded on two basic components, education
and propaganda.
In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote, "Propaganda
is a means and must therefore be judged with regard to its end... Propaganda
in the War was a means to an end, and the end was the struggle for the
existence of the German people; consequently, propaganda could only
be considered in accordance with the principles that were valid for
this struggle. In this case the most cruel weapons were humane if they
brought about a quicker victory... All propaganda must be popular and
its intellectual level must be adjusted to the most limited intelligence
among those it is addressed to. Consequently, the greater the mass it
is intended to reach, the lower is purely intellectual level will have
to be."35
Hitler was certainly effective in his
use of propaganda. For instance, the well-known director Leni Riefenstahl
was requested to produce a Nazi propaganda film, Olympia. In Triumph
of Will, another film by Riefenstahl, Hitler was shown as an almost
divine being. Pagan Nazi ideology was praised in all these films, and
ultimately imposed upon society. Olympia was one of the old centers
of ancient Greek pagan culture. The city, with its famous statue of
the Greek god Zeus, was a fitting symbol of the pagan ideology of Nazism.
All fascist regimes, not just Hitler's,
used propaganda in a most effective way in order to impose their will
on the public. Mussolini openly stated this:
For me the masses are nothing but a herd
of sheep as long as they are unorganized... The Roman greeting, songs
and formulas...all are essential to fan the flames of the enthusiasm
that keeps a movement in being...Everything turns upon one's ability
to control the masses like an artist.36
The Use of PressureTo
Eliminate Opposed Ideas
One interesting example of fascism's
efforts to brainwash society were the book burning ceremonies in Nazi
Germany.
The first of these took place on May
10, 1933. Students from German universities, which had previously been
recognized as the best in the world, gathered in Berlin and other German
cities, and burned books which contained "un-German" ideas. Thousands
of books were burned, to the accompaniment of Nazi salutes, songs and
military music.
In Berlin, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph
Goebbels gave a speech to the students stating:
The breakthrough of the German revolution
has again cleared the way on the German path... The future German man
will not just be a man of books, but a man of character. It is to this
end that we want to educate you. As a young person, to already have
the courage to face the pitiless glare, to overcome the fear of death,
and to regain respect for death-this is the task of this young generation.
And thus you do well in this midnight hour to commit to the flames the
evil spirit of the past. This is a strong. great and symbolic deed-a
deed which should document the following for a world to know-Here the
intellectual foundation of the November (Democratic) Republic is sinking
to the ground, but from this wreckage the phoenix of a new spirit will
triumphantly rise...37
The fascist state permits only its own
ideology to be taught. Outside of that, nobody must be allowed to think
anything else, or else, he will be punished, have his books burned,
or be silenced in some other way. Each individual is seen as a tool
at the service of the ideology of the state. Those who do not agree
with the ideology are intimidated into doing so.
Therefore, the educational system was
rendered to the complete service of the fascist state. The complete
transformation of the educational system was outlined in the 20th article
of the basic principles of National Socialism. Right from primary school,
children were raised without any ethical values or human feeling, and
in a way devoid of affection or compassion. They were educated under
the principle that the strong are most right, and that it is essential
to employ force to achieve one's aims. The organization created for
German children between the ages of 10-18 was known as the Hitlerjugend,
or Hitler Youth. All those who joined the Hitler Youth were warned that
they must be highly vigilant in their daily lives, and should spy on
all those opposed to the Nazis. Some of them even denounced their own
parents. The Hitler Youth grew steadily, and by 1935, 60 percent of
youth were enrolled in it.
Another tactic used by all fascist regimes
has been to conceal the true history from society, and in its place,
to teach a fictitious version, written by themselves. The purpose to
this has been to build a culture in which the fascists' ideals could
thrive, enabling them to become both more popular and more firmly rooted
in society. The understanding of history, as well as philosophy, throughout
the educational process were entirely monitored by the fascist state.
As they were educated by the system, people were entirely unaware that
they were being brainwashed in fascist ideology, and that all other
ideas were completely censored.
The Idols of Fascism:
The Sacred Leader
The most important element of fascism
is the leader, whose name is given prominence in every aspect of society.
The Hitler, Mussolini and Franco regimes were clear examples of this.
The titles used by these dictators, "Der F�hrer," "Il Duce" or "El Caudillo"
all signify the same thing- "The all-knowing leader." And, indeed, the
three ran their respective states totally according to their own desires,
while their closest colleagues and most senior officers were left out
of the decision-making process.
Fascism ascribes an almost sacred power
to the leader, in order that he can maintain his appeal and increase
his acceptance among the people. The leader is the ruler of the whole
country and of its people, portrayed as being part of him. A Nationalist
Socialist leader, Herr Spaniol, speaking at Saarbruecken in January,
1935, said:
I do not believe that the Churches will
continue to exist in their present form. In the future religion will
be called National Socialism. Its prophet, its pope, its Jesus Christ,
will be called Adolf Hitler.38
In a similar way, Mussolini was seen
in Italy as someone with special abilities, a superior being, chosen
and formed especially for the task in hand. The commandments and pronouncements
issued by Mussolini were called the "Fascist Decalogue," and the eighth
of these, "The Duce is always right," became a slogan that was heard
all over Italy in the 1920s and 30s.39 By 1935, membership of the fascist
youth organization, the Opera Nationale Balilla, became compulsory for
all Italian youth. Young Italians who became a member of Balilla swore
to "...believe in Rome the eternal... in the genius of Mussolini, in
our Holy Father Fascism."40
Another method employed to portray the
fascist leader as sacred was the putting up of his picture and statues
all over the country. This had a profound psychological effect on the
public, who constantly felt themselves within the leader's power and
under his control, and even, that he was always watching them. Mussolini's
official propaganda service used to advise the press how, when and which
of his pictures was to be printed, on which page, in what arrangement,
and in what size. In these photographs, "Il Duce" appeared before his
people in pompous poses: brandishing a sword, stressing economic development
in a harvest area, addressing young fascists, as a tireless worker or
sportsman.
In each case, Mussolini was presented
as the hero of the people. Newspaper pages were adorned with pictures
of him flying planes, jumping hurdles on horseback, swimming, skiing
in the Alps, fencing, in parachutist costume etc.
So effective was this propaganda that
even his oldest friends used to stand to attention whenever they saw
him. Thus Mussolini was able to satisfy his enormous ego, not even allowing
his oldest friends to sit down, but keeping them on their feet for hours.
The methods employed to portray the fascist
leader as superhuman, during the eras of Hitler and Mussolini, are also
used by modern fascists in our own time. The fascist dictator in Iraq,
Saddam Hussein, is such an example. For years, the streets of fascist
Iraq have been covered with huge pictures of him. And, in them, he is
shown in different roles as leader of the people: as a farmer in the
country, a worker in a factory, as a soldier in the barracks. He makes
his presence felt everywhere, in an attempt to give the impression of
being "one who sees and knows all," in other words, a sacred being.
Fascist Romanticism
However, fascism certainly does not
consist merely of the leader and the fascist party around him. In both
Nazi Germany and Italy, there was tremendous popular support for the
regime. This was produced in a number of ways. Fascist regimes are not
simply "authoritarian," crushing their people into silence; they are
also "totalitarian."
The particular feature that attracts
people to a fascist ideology in a totalitarian system is "extreme romanticism."
People who have irrational and romantic or emotional attachments to
ideals and movements in their own time or in history are easily led
and manipulated, and can even be provoked to commit crimes. If such
people can be convinced that the cruelties required of them are carried
out for a sacred cause, such as the "superiority of their own race,"
there is no limit to the injustices they can be deluded into committing.
Fascist regimes recognize this, and do their utmost to keep their people
in a state of irrational emotional exuberance and agitation. They present
what appear to be sacred values to the people and encourage them in
self-sacrifice for the sake of the state, to despise other nations or
races, and even to torture and kill.
For this reason, fascist regimes have
always tended to attach great importance to mass rallies, marches, meetings
and ceremonies. Their aim is to form a sheep-like sense of unity in
the people. The people are first diverted from religion with symbols,
statues, days of remembrance, flags, torches, and uniforms. Grand moving
ceremonies are designed to replace the experience of religious ones.
These indoctrinated crowds conform to the fascist ideals, in false joy
and excitement, as if carrying out an act of divine worship. The frequent
repetition of written and shouted slogans, cries, martial music and
salutes are a vital part of fascist ceremonies.
These fascist crowds are devoid of any
kind of intelligent thought or behavior. All that remains is a group
of people whipped up by slogans, songs and poems, but deaf to all reason.
These masses, who identify themselves and their leaders with heroes
from mythology or legends from the past, carry out their atrocities
with an artificially induced sense of "heroism." If the day comes when
they are called to account for their actions, they say they did it for
the nation, and that they are actually its heroes. Those who followed
Hitler and Mussolini did so under the effects of such hypnosis, perpetrating
their atrocities in this state of false excitement.
Under fascism, a person's natural love
for his people and country is turned into a dangerous sentimentality
and a mindless loss of self-control, whereby whole societies are driven
to kill by exploiting these emotions. (see Romanticism: A Weapon
of Satan, Harun Yahya)
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