But the plot must also come from the inside: Jews are usually the best target because they have the advantage of being at the same time inside and outside. . 1. Let me finish with a poem by Franco Fortini: Select individual parts for the bookbuilder. http://www.openculture.com/2016/11/umberto-eco-makes-a-list-of-the-14-co. 1. Action is beautiful in itself, thinking a form of emasculation. In 1995, Italian novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco wrote a piece for The New York Review of Books on fascism. New research . Eco's principal thesis is that Fascism is not a unique ideology that has come and gone but a recurring phenomenon rooted in human psyche and emotions: a disease, a parasite, a sickness in the heart of man. An Exploration of Umberto Eco's 14 Features of Fascism with an Explanation of each point in order to answer the question What is Fascism?Discord : https://di. We must keep alert, so that the sense of these words will not be forgotten again. By contrast, the Ur-Fascist hero craves heroic death, advertised as the best reward for a heroic life. Umberto Eco OMRI (1932 - 2016) was an Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor. In his impatience, it should be noted, he usually manages to make others die in his place., Since both permanent war and heroism are difficult games to play, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power onto sexual questions. This is the origin of. Take away imperialism from fascism and you still have Franco and Salazar. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 . The cult of tradition, the idea that a revealed truth at some earlier historical moment has been spelled out once and for all, and we can only keep interpreting its obscure message. The quasi-Quranic preachings of the so-called caliphate in the self-described Islamic State are an obvious contemporary case in point. We can see it on the rise, clearly enough, in Poland, Greece, France, The Netherlands, Britain, and other European countries. This is the origin of nationalism. The Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. This reinforces the sense of mass elitism. The fact that you can't diagnose a fascist government from a list of characteristic didn't stop philosopher and semiotician Umberto Eco from compiling his own list. The followers must feel besieged. A game can be either competitive or not, it can require some special skill or none, it can or cannot involve money. The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies. HOW TO SPOT A FASCIST is a selection of three thought-provoking essays on freedom and fascism, censorship and tolerance - including Eco's iconic essay 'Ur-Fascism', which lists the fourteen essential characteristics of fascism, and draws on his own personal experiences growing up in the shadow of Mussolini. Ur-Fascism can only advocate a popular elitism. Contrary to common opinion, fascism in Italy had no special philosophy. All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning. Ionesco once said that only words count and the rest is mere chattering. Linguistic habits are frequently important symptoms of underlying feelings. This is the origin of nationalism. At the root of Fascist psychology lies the obsession with conspiracies, and the easiest way to construct a conspiracy is to appeal to xenophobia. The great Italian author Umberto Eco wrote an essay in 1995 reflecting on his youth in fascist Italy. "Ur-Fascism" is a 1995 essay by the great Italian author Umberto Eco, who was born under Mussolini's regime in 1932. The followers must feel besieged, said Eco. Ecofascism poses a real threat even today. And, yes, in somewhat more subtle forms fascism can be found on the campaign trail in the U.S. of A. This revelation, according to the traditionalist mystique, had remained for a long time concealed under the veil of forgotten languages in Egyptian hieroglyphs, in the Celtic runes, in the scrolls of the little known religions of Asia. As Umberto Eco so brilliantly and succintly put it: Fascism became an all-purpose term because one can eliminate from a fascist regime one or more features, and it will still be recognizable as fascist. That is why one of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups. Thus it is worth asking why not only the Resistance but the Second World War was generally defined throughout the world as a struggle against fascism. Here is why . Every citizen belongs to the best people of the world, the members of the party are the best among the citizens, every citizen can (or ought to) become a member of the party. The second fascist cult if the cult of heroes and death. Franchi became my hero. Jews are rich and help each other through a secret web of mutual assistance. To people who feel deprived of a clear social identity, Ur-Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common one, to be born in the same country. A former maresciallo of the Carabinieri, Mimo joined the supporters of General Badoglio, Mussolinis successor, and lost a leg during one of the first clashes with Mussolinis remaining forces. Definition of FASCISM. Are they marked by their irrationalism and anti-intellectualism, their hatred of things foreign, their desire to be seen as heroes and their gun-toting machismo? Ur-Fascism derives from individual or social frustration. Politics/Governance In his 1995 essay "Ur-Fascism" cultural theorist Umberto Eco lists fourteen general properties of fascist ideology. In the US, a prominent instance of the plot obsession is to be found in Pat Robertsons The New World Order, but, as we have recently seen, there are many others. Notice that three is also similar to one (they have in common the feature c). Peace gave me a curious sensation. The contradictory picture I describe was not the result of tolerance but of political and ideological discombobulation. He wrote: the term fascism fits everything because it is possible to eliminate one or more aspects from a Fascist regime and it will always be recognisably Fascist. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death. If the Nazi architect was Albert Speer, there was no more room for Mies van der Rohe. And don't count on the courts if Trump returns to power. 07 Nov 2022 15:16:15 Sticking close to the radio, I spent my nights the windows closed, the blackout making the small space around the set a lone luminous halo listening to the messages sent by the Voice of London to the partisans. One of the first sentences uttered by Mussolini in the Italian parliament was I could have transformed this deaf and gloomy place into a bivouac for my maniples maniples being a subdivision of the traditional Roman legion. Ci mancher il suo sguardo sul mondo", "Umberto Eco, Italian author of 'The Name of the Rose,' dies at 84", "Italian author Umberto Eco dies aged 84", "Umberto Eco, 84, Best-Selling Academic Who Navigated Two Worlds, Dies", "Umberto Eco, The Art of Fiction No. Fascism springs from individual or social frustration, which is why one of the characteristics of typical historic Fascist movements was the appeal to the frustrated middle classes, disquieted by economic crisis or political humiliation and frightened by social pressure from below. Fourteen Points of Fascism. Newspeak was invented by Orwell, in 1984, as the official language of Ingsoc, English Socialism. One of the officers (Major or Captain Muddy) was a guest in the villa of a family whose two daughters were my schoolmates. These clubs became a sort of intellectual melting pot where new ideas circulated without any real ideological control. Comparison and Definition. For Ur-Fascism, however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. This, however, brings about an Armageddon complex. "In this sense," Eco wrote, "Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism. Since both permanent war and heroism are difficult games to play, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters. By contrast, the Ur-Fascist hero craves heroic death, advertised as the best reward for a heroic life. Italian fascism was certainly a dictatorship, but it was not totally totalitarian, not because of its mildness but rather because of the philosophical weakness of its ideology. (Look at ISIS and the Internet). The national poet was DAnnunzio, a dandy who in Germany or in Russia would have been sent to the firing squad. However, owing to the uninterrupted series of decreasing similarities between one and four, there remains, by a sort of illusory transitivity, a family resemblance between four and one. Consider the following sequence: Suppose there is a series of political groups in which group one is characterized by the features abc, group two by the features bcd, and so on. They were cryptic and poetic at the same time (The sun also rises, The roses will bloom) and most of them were messaggi per la Franchi. Somebody whispered to me that Franchi was the leader of the most powerful clandestine network in northwestern Italy, a man of legendary courage. Fascism is a call against intruders and is therefore racist by definition. On the contrary, fascism had no quintessence. 10. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights If by totalitarianism one means a regime that subordinates every act of the individual to the state and to its ideology, then both Nazism and Stalinism were true totalitarian regimes. In my country today there are those who are saying that the myth of the Resistance was a Communist lie. This is the origin of nationalism. All that is on the line tomorrow. There was also Nazi Germany and Franco's dictatorship in Spain. Traditionalism is of course much older than fascism. "The diminishing of the world population is the only thing that would guarantee the survival of our . Who cares? A page will be devoted to cafe society in grateful acknowledgement of many happy hours of writing around the world. Umberto Eco, the Italian novelist, and critic, summarized 14 basic features of fascism in his article Ur-Fascism in 1995. It wasn't until 1943 when Fascism began to crumble in Italy that Eco became aware of any other political views. That is why one of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups. In Fascist ideology heroism is the norm, and the cult of heroism is closely connected to the cult of death. At its beginning fascism was republican. The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Therefore culture is suspect insofar as it is identified with critical attitudes. Political Leaning. The first feature of Ur-Fascism is the cult of tradition. No, here in Europe, by various namesas Fascism, Nazism, Stalinismit was the living, vibrant, vicious force that led directly to the most horrific global war in history. Nov 29, 2016. Dissent is also a sign of diversity. Oh, hell yeah. In our time, when the old proletarians are becoming petty bourgeois (and the lumpen are largely excluded from the political scene), the fascism of tomorrow will find its audience in this new majority. These regimes had something in common: they were all based on oppressive and authoritarian mentalities, and are radical and nationalist political movements. But in spite of this fuzziness, I think it is possible to outline a list of features that are typical of what I would like to call Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism. 6. Since even sex is a difficult game to play, the Ur-Fascist hero tends to play with weapons doing so becomes an ersatz phallic exercise. Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology, insofar as it is fundamentally aristocratic, and aristocratic and militaristic elitism cruelly implies contempt for the weak. If reconciliation means compassion and respect for all those who fought their own war in good faith, to forgive does not mean to forget. In the Mediterranean basin people of different religions began to dream of a revelation received at the dawn of history. However, the followers must be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies. A game can be either competitive or not, it can require some special skill or none, it can or cannot involve money. In my country today there are people who are wondering if the Resistance had a real military impact on the course of the war. Traditionalism implies the rejection of modernity. In Umberto Eco's Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt, Eco contemplates on what fascism is. Robert didn't go into But we must be ready to identify other kinds of Newspeak, even if they take the apparently innocent form of a popular talk show.. Fascism is based on a 'qualitative populism'. In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge. It is not, as it was when Bernie Sanders was young, a term tossed around by left-wing activists to describe anyone opposed to progressive ideas, whether presidents or parents. Since even sex is a difficult game to play, the Ur-Fascist hero tends to play with weapons doing so becomes an ersatz phallic exercise. I had been told that permanent warfare was the normal condition for a young Italian. Having lost their power of delegation, citizens do not act; they are only called on to play the role of the People. Because of its qualitative populism Ur-Fascism must be against rotten parliamentary governments. He went back inside. One might think it would have been considered an instance of entartete Kunst, along with Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death. In May we heard that the war was over. For Ur-Fascism, disagreement is treason. At the same time, as Eco put it, The followers must be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies. Eco's grandparents instilled in young Umberto a love for books. The followers must feel besieged. If we still think of the totalitarian governments that ruled Europe before the Second World War we can easily say that it would be difficult for them to reappear in the same form in different historical circumstances. It is bad because life is permanent warfare. Add to the Italian fascism a radical anti-capitalism (which never much fascinated Mussolini) and you have Ezra Pound. Fascism is racist by definition, and that is a mainstay of fascist political parties. Do they play on atavistic fears and resentments, frustrations and humiliations? The mood of the Ermetici poets was exactly the reverse of the fascist cult of optimism and heroism. I met him in their garden where some ladies, surrounding Captain Muddy, talked in tentative French. Since no large quantity of human beings can have a common will, the Leader pretends to be their interpreter. But Verdrngung causes neurosis. Truth has been already spelled out once and for all, and we can only keep interpreting its obscure message. For that, see Umberto Ecco's essay popularly known as "Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt.". The Premio Cremona was controlled by a fanatical and uncultivated Fascist, Roberto Farinacci, who encouraged art as propaganda. In this sense Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism. The obsession with a plot. In June of 1995 he published an article in the New York Review of Books about fascism, a subject he knew well. In the Mediterranean basin, people of different religions (most of them indulgently accepted by the Roman Pantheon) started dreaming of a revelation received at the dawn of human history. Take Futurism. It was a moment of joy. Howl of the Day: Nov 30, 2016 There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People. In seinem Essay Urfaschismus von 1995 listet der Kulturtheoretiker Umberto Eco vierzehn allgemeine Eigenschaften der faschistischen Ideologie auf. Thus pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. Moreover, after seeing the headlines, I realized that each newspaper said different things. But the early Italian Futurists were nationalist; they favored Italian participation in the First World War for aesthetic reasons; they celebrated speed, violence, and risk, all of which somehow seemed to connect with the fascist cult of youth. LRB 6 October 1983", "The Irrepressible Lightness of Umberto Eco", "The Philosophy of Umberto Eco | Philosophy | SIU", "Honorary Doctors of the University of Tartu", "Honorary Fellow Umberto Eco dies | Kellogg College", "Umberto Eco stroncato da un tumore al pancreas. Each of the original messages contains a silver of wisdom, and whenever they seem to say different or incompatible things it is only because all are alluding, allegorically, to the same primeval truth. To those with no social identity at all, Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common privilege of all, that of being born in the same country. Stanley Payne: Historical Fascism and the Radical Right. No fascist leader has ever succeeded in solving this predicament. A professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, Eco's brilliant fiction is known for its playful use of language and symbols, its astonishing array of allusions and references, and clever use of puzzles and narrative inventions. The rejection of modernism is not the same as a rejection of technology. In the same vein, even though I am much concerned about the various Nazi-like movements that have arisen here and there in Europe, including Russia, I do not think that Nazism, in its original form, is about to reappear as a nationwide movement. I shall be updating my research interests and outputs regularly. 13. This is not because fascism contained in itself, so to speak in their quintessential state, all the elements of any later form of totalitarianism. Fascism is based on a qualitative populism. In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but the citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a quantitative point of view one follows the decisions of the majority. In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but the citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a quantitative point of view one follows the decisions of the majority. But the fascist game can be played in many forms, and the name of the game does not change. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death., Part of this picture is machismo. A cult of traditionalism. The Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. Britt's entire essay is without any value in terms of defining fascism. I saw the first photographs of the Holocaust, thus understanding the meaning before knowing the word. This new culture had to be syncretistic. Ur-Fascism is based upon a selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say. Nevertheless, historical priority does not seem to me a sufficient reason to explain why the word fascism became a synecdoche, that is, a word that could be used for different totalitarian movements. 7. Alex ander Motyl, considering fascism to be a "popular fully authoritarian political system with a person alistic dictator and a cult of the leader . A link to Social Theory & Health, an international journal I co-edit, is available, as is access to tweets and blogs.