This epic four hour doumentary explores the "ingredients" that contributed to the rise of fascism, focusing on Germany and Italy. It argues that fascism wasn't a simple anomaly but emerged from a complex mix of historical, social, and psychological factors.
Key ingredients discussed include:
Spiritualizing Violence: The glorification of war and struggle, as exemplified by Ernst Junger's writings on World War I (0:47).
Anti-Rationalism and Anti-Enlightenment: A rejection of abstract thought, intellectualism, and parliamentary debate in favor of action, emotion, and concrete deeds (20:07, 31:35).
Romanticism and Völkisch Thought: A German idea emphasizing deep connection to land, community, tradition, and a spiritual bond among people (21:19, 23:42).
Social Darwinism: The application of "survival of the fittest" to human society and races, leading to ideas of struggle, purity, and the elimination of "impure" elements (50:10, 53:25).
Anti-Semitism: A pervasive European phenomenon, which was reinterpreted with pseudoscientific and sociological justifications, portraying Jews as "rootless wanderers" and an "enemy within" (40:51, 1:07:01).
Crisis of Capitalism and Liberalism: Economic instability and a perceived decadence of bourgeois life led many to seek radical alternatives (1:08:19).
Paramilitarism and World War I: The war created a generation familiar with violence and camaraderie, forming groups like Italy's squadristi who brought wartime tactics to domestic politics (2:55:08).
Myth and Heroism: The use of powerful national stories, symbols, and charismatic leaders (like Mussolini and figures who inspired Hitler) to mobilize masses, as theorized by Georges Sorel (1:19:46, 2:21:50).
Establishment Support: While not the sole cause, financial and political backing from existing powers also played a role (3:44:26).
The film concludes by defining fascism as a "palingenetic (rebirth) form of populist ultra-nationalism," driven by a spiritualization of violence and a fear of chaos, promising order and glory through heroic action.
Highlights:
It mentions a tension where nationalists and leftists could be the same thing in this period, and that nationalism could be seen as a progressive cause (1:33:07).
It mentions the 1919 uprising in Berlin where communist leaders Carl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg were murdered, and a regional civil war where at least a thousand were killed (1:58:17).
It states that Hitler "hated Marxists as much as he hated Jews" (13:58).
After the Reichstag fire, the Nazis and police arrested, beat, and tortured communists and trade unionists, smashing their offices and ultimately banning the communist party entirely (3:38:09).
Hitler's revolution was a "cultural revolution" aimed at creating a new German identity, defined "most of all against the Jew who could be both a greedy capitalist and an international Bolshevik at the same time" (3:20:46). This shows the Nazi opposition to both perceived capitalist and communist elements.
Regarding "democratic socialism," the video does not present Nazism as democratic socialism. Instead, it explicitly states that the Nazis took apart democracy:
It highlights that the Nazis "effectively abolishing parliament" through the enabling act (3:40:18).
The film emphasizes that the Nazi movement was a "bottom-up real thoughtful self-justifying movement" that was not about conforming to democratic norms, but rather a "counter to the rationalist, materialist and liberal models of the enlightenment" (1:34:24, 3:46:32).
In summary, the video shows the Nazis actively suppressed and killed socialists and communists, and dismantled democratic institutions.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction: How to Make a Fascist
08:50 - Chapter One: Fertile Soil
18:28 - Chapter Two: The Pure of the Earth
47:08 - Chapter Three: The Science of Struggle
01:05:31 - Chapter Four: Enemies of the Volk
01:14:04 - Chapter Five: Syndicalism, Socialists, and their Discontents
01:36:44 - Chapter Six: The Cult of the Violent
02:00:56 - Chapter Seven: When Things Fall Apart
02:20:22 - Chapter Eight: Heroes and Villains; Villains and Heroes
02:34:04 - Chapter Nine: An Idea of Fascism: Bundles and Sticks
02:52:01 - Chapter Ten: Fascism Developed
03:11:52 - Chapter Eleven: German Copycats
03:29:25 - Chapter Twelve: Conservatives, Crisis, and Power
03:40:42 - Chapter Thirteen: The Soul of Fascism
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