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Online a : h ps:// esea ch endsjou nal.com ISSN No: 2584-282X
Indexed Jou nal Pee Re iewed Jou nal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRENDS IN EMERGING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Volume 3; Issue 4; 2025; Page No. 134-137
Recei ed: 01-05-2025
Accep ed: 07-06-2025
Fascis Ideology in he Twen ie h Cen u y: Media, Economics, and
Li e a y Rep esen a ion
Ishaan Teo ia
Resea ch Schola , GGS Ind ap as ha Uni e si y, Delhi, India
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17162135
Co esponding Au ho : Ishaan Teo ia
Abs ac
The s udy o ascism, o e he yea s, has e ol ed conside ably since he mid- wen ie h cen u y. I has mo ed beyond his o ical analysis o
encompass in e disciplina y app oaches ha examine i s ideological ounda ions, communica ion mechanisms, and cul u al mani es a ions
ac oss ime and space. This pape explo es how ascism is bo h a poli ical phenomenon and a cul u al cons uc . I analyzes how ascis
ideology ope a es h ough he ne wo k o na ionalism, au ho i a ian communica ion, and li e a y ep esen a ion. D awing upon c i ical
heo e ical amewo ks, pa icula ly hose de eloped by he F ank u School and con empo a y schola s like Ch is ian Fuchs, his pape
examines ascism no me ely as a his o ical abe a ion bu a he as a sys ema ic o m o au ho i a ian capi alism ha employs speci ic
cul u al communica i e s a egies o main ain powe .
Keywo ds: Capi alism, Cul u e, Fascism, Ideology, Na ionalism
In oduc ion
Fascism ep esen s a sophis ica ed ideological sys em ha
anscends he simple poli ical ca ego iza ion and s udies. I
unc ions as wha F anz Neumann e med he "Behemo h"
o a o m o au ho i a ian capi alism ha hollows he
democ a ic ins i u ions while main aining and s eng hening
capi alis economic s uc u es. Th ough an analysis o
na ionalism as poli ical e ishism, he pape seeks o
highligh he ole o communica ion echnologies in ascis
p opaganda, and he in e sec ion o li e a u e wi h
o ali a ian ideology. I also demons a es how ascis
mo emen s exploi cul u al anxie ies ac oss ime and space
o cons uc ic i e e hnic communi ies ha se e capi alis
class in e es s.
Theo e ical Founda ions: Unde s anding Fascism as
Au ho i a ian Capi alism
The F ank u School's analysis o ascism p o ides a
c ucial heo e ical g oundwo k o unde s anding he
ideological mechanisms o ascism. Theodo Ado no and
his colleagues om F ank u School o hough , iden i ied
au ho i a ianism as a pe sonali y s uc u e cha ac e ized by
sadomasochis ic endencies, whe e indi iduals
simul aneously submi o au ho i y while domina ing hose
pe cei ed as weake adi ionally. (Ado no e al., 1950) [1]
The Au ho i a ian Pe sonali y). This psychological
amewo k highligh s how ascis ideology appeals o
indi iduals expe iencing social displacemen o economic
anxie y, o e ing hem a ake sense o supe io i y h ough
iden i ica ion wi h he na ion-s a e.
F anz Neumann's concep o he "Behemo h" p o es
pa icula ly ele an and impo an o he con empo a y
analysis o ascism. Neumann a gued ha a ascis socie y
ep esen s " he open dic a o ship o capi al" ha esul s in
"subo dina ion o all emaining social classes unde he
execu i e" (Fuchs 251). This unde s anding challenges he
adi ional in e p e a ions ha iew ascism as solely an i-
capi alis , i e eals ins ead how ascis mo emen s se e
capi alis in e es s di ec ly o indi ec ly by channeling he
class con lic in o na ionalis and acis di ec ions.
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Na ionalism as Poli ical Fe ishism
Con empo a y schola Ch is ian Fuchs ex ends he Ma xis
analysis o ascism by iden i ying na ionalism as a o m o
poli ical e ishism ha " e ishises he na ion and he eby
dis ac s he o dina y ci izen om he class s uc u es"
(243). This heo e ical amewo k illumina es how ascis
mo emen s cons uc wha É ienne Baliba e ms as he
" ic i e e hnici y". I is an a i icial communi y based on
imagined biological o cul u al commonali ies ha se e o
obscu e and cons ue he economic exploi a ion.
The concep o ic i e e hnici y ope a es h ough wo le els
o p ima y mechanisms. A he i s le el, linguis ic
na ionalism, which cons uc s na ional communi ies h ough
sha ed language and educa ion. A he second le el,
biological na ionalism, which elies solely on he acialized
concep s o blood and soil (Fuchs 242). Bo h o ms se e
he same ideological unc ion, i.e, de lec ing he a en ion
om capi alis class s uc u es by c ea ing a sense o
a i icial uni y be ween exploi a ion and exploi ed classes
unde he banne o na ional iden i y.
The Communica ion o Fascis Ideology
The ela ionship be ween communica ion echnologies and
ascis ideology ep esen s a key a ea o in es iga ion.
Fascis mo emen s ha e his o ically demons a ed
ema kable adap abili y in exploi ing new media o ms o
dissemina e hei message. F om Hi le 's use o adio
b oadcas ing o con empo a y a - igh mo emen s'
exploi a ion o social media pla o ms, ascis
communica ion s a egies howe e e eal consis en pa e ns
despi e echnological changes.
Fuchs's ypology o communica ion media p o ides a use ul
amewo k o analyzing ascis p opaganda s a egies ha
ha e been employed o e he yea s. P ima y media i.e,
di ec human communica ion enables ascis mo emen s o
c ea e an in ima e bond be ween leade s and hei ollowe s
h ough allies and speeches. Seconda y media i.e, p in and
isual ma e ials allows o he mass dis ibu ion o he
na ionalis symbols and na a i es. Te ia y and qua e na y
media o he eco ded and b oadcas con en , ex ends ascis
messaging h ough en e ainmen and news p og amming.
Finally, quina y media o example, social media and use -
gene a ed con en , enables he i al sp ead o ascis
ideology h ough seemingly o ganic pee - o-pee
communica ion.
The F iend/Enemy Dis inc ion
Ca l Schmi 's concep o he iend/enemy dis inc ion,
while no explici ly ascis , has been la gely app op ia ed by
ascis mo emen s o s uc u e hei ideological wo ld iews.
This dualis ic amewo k o iend and enemy, cons uc s
socie y as pe pe ually h ea ened by a se ies o in e nal and
ex e nal enemies, jus i ying au ho i a ian measu es and
iolen supp ession o he opposi ion. The enemy se es
mul iple ideological unc ions, scapegoa ing social
p oblems, c ea ing a i icial uni y among di e se class
in e es s, and p o iding psychological sa is ac ion h ough a
se ies o channeled agg ession.
The cons uc ion o enemies, howe e , ollows p edic able
pa e ns ac oss ascis mo emen s. In e nal enemies
ypically include immig an s, e hnic mino i ies, le is
poli ical o ganiza ions, and in ellec uals g oups ha can be
easily blamed o he economic p oblems wi hou
challenging capi alis s uc u es. Ex e nal enemies on he
o he hand encompass o eign na ions, in e na ional
o ganiza ions, and global economic o ces, allowing ascis
mo emen s o channel an i-capi alis sen imen in o
na ionalis di ec ions while p ese ing domes ic capi alis
ela ions.
Li e a y Rep esen a ion and Fascis Aes he ics
Li e a u e plays a complex and i al ole wi hin ascis
cul u al sys ems, se ing bo h as a ehicle o ideological
ansmission and a si e o po en ial esis ance
simul aneously. Fascis mo emen s ac oss cul u es ypically
p omo e li e a u e ha ein o ces na ionalis my hology,
glo i ies iolence and sac i ice, and p esen s a simpli ied
mo al uni e se whe e good and e il a e clea ly dema ca ed.
Howe e , li e a u e's inhe en complexi y and ambigui y can
also p o ide ample space o c i ique and sub e sion o
ascis ideology.
The case o Geo ge O well p o ides a pa icula ly
ins uc i e example o li e a u e's ela ionship o ascis
ideology. O well's expe iences in he Spanish Ci il Wa
shaped his unde s anding o o ali a ianism, leading o
li e a y wo ks ha expose he mechanisms o au ho i a ian
con ol (Fo example, Hope Lies in he P oles). O well's
1984 and Animal Fa m also demons a es li e a u e's
capaci y o illumina e o ali a ian logic while a oiding di ec
poli ical con on a ion ha migh esul in censo ship.
Aes he ic Poli ics and he Fascis Spec acle
Wal e Benjamin's concep o he "aes he iciza ion o
poli ics" emains c ucial o unde s anding ascis cul u al
p oduc ion. Fascis mo emen s ans o m poli ical ac ion
in o an aes he ic spec acle, using i ual, symbolism, and
mass cho eog aphy o c ea e emo ional iden i ica ions wi h
he egime. This aes he ic dimension o e he yea s, se es
mul iple unc ions. I p o ides psychological sa is ac ion o
he pa icipan s, c ea es he imp ession o mass suppo , and
ans o ms a a ional poli ical discou se in o an emo ional
expe ience.
The ascis spec acle ope a es h ough wha Susan Son ag
iden i ied as a dis inc i e " ascis aes he ics" cha ac e ized
by monumen ali y, uni o mi y, and he glo i ica ion o
dea h. These aes he ic elemen s appea no only in o icial
ascis a and a chi ec u e bu also in popula cul u e,
c ea ing a b oade aes he ic en i onmen ha no malizes
au ho i a ian alues and hie a chical social ela ions.
Indus ial Ex e mina ion as Fascis Culmina ion
The Holocaus ep esen s he logical culmina ion o ascis
ideology a he han as an abe an excess. Moishe Pos one's
analysis o ascism, e eals Auschwi z as "a ac o y o
'des oy alue'". I is a sys ema ic applica ion o indus ial
a ionali y o he p ojec o human ex e mina ion. This
unde s anding o ascism challenges in e p e a ions ha
iew he Holocaus solely as an i a ional ou b eak o
p imi i e ba ba ism. I e eals ins ead i s deep connec ion o
mode n capi alis a ionali y.
The Holocaus 's signi icance ex ends beyond i s immedia e
his o ical con ex o illumina e ascism's ela ionship o
mode ni y and capi alism. The same o ganiza ional
p inciples ha enabled mass indus ial p oduc ions we e
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applied o mass ex e mina ion, e ealing he po en ial o
a ional sys ems o se e undamen ally i a ional ends
easily. This analysis has p o ound implica ions o
unde s anding he con empo a y au ho i a ian mo emen s
ha simila ly exploi he mode n communica ion and
o ganiza ional echnologies o an i-democ a ic pu poses.
An i-Semi ism as Pseudo-C i ique o Capi alism
Fascis an i-Semi ism unc ions as wha Pos one e ms a
"sho -ci cui ed pseudo-c i ique o capi alism." Ra he han
challenging capi alis ela ions di ec ly, ascis ideology
displaces an i-capi alis sen imen on o Jewish people o he
mino i y, who a e iden i ied wi h he inance capi al while
indus ial capi al is p esen ed as au hen ically na ional,
some hing which should be p o ec ed. This ideological
maneu e allows ascis mo emen s o channel a ional
g ie ances agains capi alism in o di ec ions ha ul ima ely
se e capi alis in e es s di ec ly.
The pe sis ence o he an i-Semi ic conspi acy heo ies in
con empo a y poli ical discou se e eals a con inued
ele ance o his analysis ac oss ime and space. F om
QAnon na a i es abou global inancial conspi acies o
populis a acks on he cosmopoli an eli es, con empo a y
au ho i a ian mo emen s con inue o e ec i ely employ
an i-Semi ic opes o de lec a en ion om he co e
sys emic capi alis p oblems.
Con empo a y Rele ance and Digi al Fascism
The eme gence o social media pla o ms, o e he yea s,
has c ea ed new oppo uni ies o he ascis communica ion
ha equi ed upda ed heo e ical analysis. Unlike he
adi ional mass media, which equi es signi ican esou ces
o access, social media pla o ms enable ascis mo emen s
o bypass he adi ional ga ekeepe s and communica e
di ec ly wi h po en ial suppo e s. The algo i hmic s uc u e
o hese pla o ms allows easy ampli ica ion o ex eme
con en , c ea ing echo chambe s ha ein o ce ascis wo ld
iews.
Con empo a y ascis mo emen s ha e p o en pa icula ly
adep a exploi ing social media's a o dances. They use
memes and humo o make ascis ideas appea ha mless,
play ul and i onic, employing i ony poisoning o g adually
no malize ex eme posi ions, and coo dina e he ha assmen
campaigns agains opponen s. These s a egies e eal how
ascis communica ion adap s quickly o new echnological
en i onmen s while main aining co e ideological
commi men s.
Au ho i a ian Capi alism in he Digi al Age
The concep o au ho i a ian capi alism is pa icula ly
ele an o unde s anding con empo a y poli ical
de elopmen s. F om Xi Jinping's China o Vik o O bán's
Hunga y, one can obse e examples o poli ical sys ems ha
main ain capi alis economic s uc u es while
simul aneously disman ling democ a ic poli ical ins i u ions.
These egimes demons a e how au ho i a ian me hods can
se e capi alis accumula ion, challenging libe al
assump ions abou he necessa y connec ion be ween
capi alism and democ acy.
Digi al echnologies play a c ucial ole in con empo a y
au ho i a ian capi alism, enabling unp eceden ed le els o
su eillance and social con ol. The same pla o ms ha
ascis mo emen s use o communica ion also a he same
ime p o ide s a es wi h de ailed in o ma ion abou ci izens'
poli ical belie s and associa ions. This dual cha ac e o
digi al echnology is simul aneously democ a izing and
au ho i a ian. Requi es ca e ul analysis o unde s and i s
poli ical implica ions.
Cul u al Resis ance o Fascis Ideology
Li e a u e and cul u al p oduc ion p o ide impo an si es
o an i- ascis esis ance. The adi ion o an i- ascis
w i ing, om O well and B ech o con empo a y au ho s
like Toni Mo ison and Robe o Bolaño, demons a es how
li e a y ex s can expose ascis logicS and p o ide
al e na i e isions o social o ganiza ion. Howe e , cul u al
esis ance alone IS insu icien wi hou b oade poli ical
o ganiza ion.
The concep o "an i- ascis p axis" sugges s he need o an
in eg a ed app oach ha combines cul u al c i ique wi h
poli ical ac ion. This migh include suppo ing independen
media o ganiza ions, c ea ing al e na i e educa ional
ins i u ions, and building solida i y ne wo ks ha can esis
ascis a emp s o di ide opp essed communi ies. Li e a u e
and cul u e play an impo an ole in his b oade p ojec by
p o iding imagina i e esou ces o en isioning pos -
capi alis al e na i es.
The Necessi y o Socialis Al e na i es
The analysis p esen ed he e sugges s ha e ec i e an i-
ascis esis ance equi es socialis al e na i es o he
capi alis social o ganiza ion. Since ascism ep esen s a
pa icula o m o capi alis c isis esponse, de ea ing
ascism equi es add essing i s unde lying causes in
capi alis social ela ions. This howe e does no mean ha
sho - e m de ensi e measu es a e unnecessa y, bu a he
ha las ing ic o y o e ascism equi es undamen al social
ans o ma ion.
Socialis al e na i es mus add ess bo h he ma e ial
condi ions ha c ea e ascis cons i uencies and he cul u al
na a i es ha make ascis ideology appealing. This
includes de elopmen o economic policies ha p o ide
secu i y and digni y o wo king people, cul u al p og ams
ha celeb a e human di e si y a he han na ionalis
my hology, and poli ical ins i u ions ha enable genuine
democ a ic pa icipa ion.
Conclusion
Fascism ep esen s a sophis ica ed ideological sys em ha
se es capi alis class in e es s h ough na ionalis
my hology and au ho i a ian poli ical o ganiza ion. By
examining ascism's communica i e mechanisms, cul u al
mani es a ions, and con empo a y ele ance, one can be e
and easily unde s and bo h i s his o ical signi icance and i s
con inued h ea .
The li e a y dimension o ascis ideology is pa icula ly
impo an because li e a u e p o ides bo h a ehicle and si e
o esis ance o ascis p opaganda. Unde s anding how
ascis na a i es ope a e in he cul u al con ex s enables he
de elopmen o mo e e ec i e coun e -na a i es ha can
challenge ascis common sense.
Pe haps mos impo an ly, de ea ing ascism equi es mo e
han de ensi e measu es agains pa icula mo emen s o
leade s. Ins ead, i equi es a undamen al ans o ma ion o
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he capi alis social ela ions ha c ea e he condi ions o
ascis eme gence. Li e a u e and cul u al p oduc ion can
play impo an oles in his b oade ans o ma i e p ojec
by p o iding imagina i e esou ces o en isioning and
c ea ing mo e jus social a angemen s.
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