“Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the state” is the description of all totalitarisms. Totalitarian systems are based on the conformity of the whole society, mass mobilization, the submission of all classes to a dominant political group and attacks on the "enemies" of the system and their ideology. The totalitarian regime is tutelary in nature, purporting to incarnate the true and necessary values to give meaning to the lives of its citizens. Such regimes emerged during a crisis of traditional and religious values and of organizations founded on common interest. The aim of the regime is the creation of a new company through technological controls. The purpose of individuals, groups and society are subordinate to those of the state, that the state or ruling group monopolizes decision-making, that all opposition is prohibited, that there is no independent expression of public opinion, that there is no constitutional form of self- government and that there are no few or no limits on the rulers. The State, to which all corporate bodies were subject, defines all the objectives and the protection of individual rights against official action has virtually disappeared. Politics during the regime lacks any freedom or choice and claims to create definitive social conditions and, in its need, to control both social life and individual conscience, it aims to create a new type of man. The distinctiveness of totalitarianism arises in the effort to control thoughts and emotions as well as actions. Its novelty is in the more efficient technological devices, the mass media, the skilled personnel, and the mass support available for coercion, manipulation and indoctrination of whole population to implement the perceived truth. In Italy Fascism was officially born on March 23, 1919, when a small group of about 120 ex-combatants, interventionists, daring and intellectuals gathered who founded the Italian Combatant Fasci. Fascism at its origins had specific and defined characteristics, including: the systematic use of violence against political opponents - socialists, popular Catholics - the undisputed cult of the leader, the systematic use of physical violence, extreme nationalism and a political culture marked by authoritarian tendencies. Transformed into the National Fascist Party (PNF) on 10 November 1921, Fascism was established, without being elected, as the only form of government following the March on Rome (28 October 1922) led by Mussolini himself and other exponents of the Italian nationalist right. Proclaimed Prime Minister, recognised as such by the king, Vittorio Emanuele III, Mussolini initiated a series of 'reforms' - also known as the 'Leggi fascistissime' passed in the second half of the 1920s. These laws stipulated that:
police confinement for anti-fascists, by Royal Decree No. 1848/1926 Testo Unico delle Leggi di Pubblica Sicurezza;
From the moment he came to power, Mussolini organised and segmented Italian society into the most diverse associations that would have the task of homologating and bending the Italian people to the logic of the PNF. Young people, above all, were the favourite actors at whom the regime looked with constant attention throughout the twenty years of fascism: the youth experienced a radical fascisation in a militaristic perspective that would lead to the formation of a citizen-soldier ready to sacrifice his life in defence of the values of Fascist Italy and its wars. These associations include the Opera Nazionale Balilla for the care and physical and moral education of young people (known by its acronym ONB) established in 1926 and later merged into the Gioventù Italiana del Littorio (GIL) in 1937. Fascism was nationalist, elitist and antiliberal. It was militarist, and whenever the country it occupied was sufficiently strong, it advocated imperialism and territorial expansion. Although Fascism was a dark period in Italian history, unless we take stoke of our past mistakes, we are bound to repeat them. Fascism could be thought of as a thing of the past. Unfortunately, it is still a phenomenon in many parts of the world. Fascist ideology is still ingrained in the minds of many people and it is good to talk about it to prevent it from happening again. How to prevent it from happening again? Certainly investing in education from an early age can be a good way to prevent it. As Oriana Fallaci said:” Along with oppression and bloodshed, vulgarity and bad taste, the main characteristic of a fascist dictatorship is ignorance, contempt for culture, illiteracy. " Bibliography
-Totalitarianism by Michael Curtis -The Politics of Everyday Life in Fascist Italy: Outside the State? By Joshua Arthurs, Michael Ebner, Kate Ferris -Enzo Collotti, Fascismo, fascismi, Firenze, 1997 -Renzo De Felice, Breve storia del fascismo, 2002 -Emilio Gentile, Il fascismo in tre capitoli, 2004
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