Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy
By 1935, Germany had been completely become nazified. Hitler was quick to Nazify all institutions by the process of Gleichhaltung – a Nazi German word for coordination to destroy existing institutions, create new institutions, and Nazify existing institutions. A terroristic network was immediately installed, concentration caps were set up and the political opposition, mostly communists, became the first inmates. The visible instruments of terror were the SS and the Gestapo. Although relatively small in number, their uniforms were designed to inspire fear and their methods and techniques were know to the general populace.
For example, they would beat up people in the street. The less visible instruments of terror, that being the police, the courts, the lawyers, were quickly coordinated and the institutions were Nazified. Special laws were necessary to prosecute the Jewish people and the police, lawyers, and judges were willing accomplices in the system by their lack of resistance.
By contrast, Italy, down the very end became a terroristic state in theory only. By the end of the regime in 1943 only a few people had been executed. No concentration camps had been set up. Mussolini was not a terrorist at heart and therefore no political opposition was necessary to oppose him. Italians were grateful to Mussolini for improving their economy and giving them a stable government, but when the price became too high, e.g., WAR – the people turned against him. Italians didn’t really care much about political rights, they cared more about personal rights and Mussolini did not infringe upon these so he was “allowed” to rule. Italians did not “mind” Mussolini in power after all of the unstable governments of the past – it was just one yo-yo replacing another. The Italian shrug perhaps says it all – Who cares? At least the fascists got things done for a while.
The fascist regime of Italy was terrorist in theory only because there were books containing the new fascist terroristic laws, however, it seems institutions such as legal and educational were strongly established and never took fascist indoctrination too seriously. Also, one must look at the personality of a People. The Italians are carefree, love good food and wine – all the good things in life. The Germans seemed to possess a “habit of subordination to authority” within their personality. I’m generalizing of course, but how else can one form an opinion? This habit can be seen in the relative easy nazification process of society and institutions.
I also believe that fascism was whatever Mussolini thought it was when he got up in the morning. He was full of contradictions and double talk and trying to be all things to all people. There seemed to be no hardcore established fascist theory in Italy.
In contrast, Nazi ideology was based on the theory of race and ideas that were founded in the 19th century, ideology such as distorted Darwinism, racial purity, Aryan ideals and anti-Semitism. These were theories solidly established in German society and to which Germans could look towards. A scapegoat was found for the Germans on which to blame their troubles.
I believe the proposition to be true, Italy was terrorist in theory only because the invisible instruments of terror – The Terrorized themselves did not exist in Italy. However, the invisible instruments of terror existed in Germany – people denounced each other, lovers, parents, friends – to the Nazi authorities and in this way, they collaborated with the regime by their willing complicity in the terror. In Nazi Germany, people would disappear, their deaths became anonymous and when this happens, the person becomes a non-person, it is death dehumanized. This was not the sort of thing that would happen in fascist Italy. I think this is the most compelling example of a terroristic regime, whereby the terrorized become accomplices in the terror.
