Fascism’s Dangerous Aesthetic Appeal

Youth in Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany were influenced by the same hormonal cocktail which drives the psychology of young men today. In the years of fascist regimes ruling Germany and Italy, there was no spell or hypnosis which rendered the populace into a violent, nationalist rabble bent on the destruction of Jews and national expansion. Germans and Italians had the same human brain as the Rwandans during the genocide of Tutsis and normal individuals all throughout history.

What drives people to accept injustices as extreme as that of the Holocaust is ideology. Abstracted and formalized, the murderous doctrine of the Nazi Party drew legions of supporters and overthrew the Weimar Republic to pursue Hitler’s mad dream of conquest and Lebensraum.

Why did a nation of millions turn in their neighbors? How could the military, industry and citizenship consent to the mass murder of fellow Germans, and carry out inhumane torture and experimentation? To prevent future horrors comparable to the Second World War, it is necessary to examine the appeal of fascist ideology, particularly to young people.

Hypermasculinity

The military outfits, fraternal bond-building organizations, and rigid hierarchy promote a culture of hypermasculinity, perhaps best seen in Mussolini’s attempts at machismo. Standing at 5'7, Mussolini went to great lengths to promote a brawny image in promoting the absolute power of Il Duce.