Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-09-11
The Failure

raSClSH was an experiment. A
backward glance at it's origins pro-
vides a clue as to why it failed. Its
aim was "to replace the parliament
tary regime existing in Italy since
attaining unity in 187o' with a "cor-
porate" or guild" system of govern
ment. When the Black Shirts seized
power in October, 1922, they had not
developed the theology" of their
new" political movement in detail.
AS late as 1926 Mussolini found it
necessary to assure his own ,imme-,
date followers that he had "a doc
trine, or, if you will, a particular
philosophy with regard to all the
questions which beset the human
mind today"
Perhaps the best exposition of the
Fascist theory is that OF Alfredo
Rocco, Minister of Justice, whose
Interpretation II Duce Endorsed
throughout. AS translated for the
Carnegie Endowment for Interna-
tional Peace, the text of his dis
cussion includes the admission that
there are men, cultured or uncul-
tured, as the case may be, and very
numerous everywhere, who can dis
Germ in this political innovation
nothing except its local and personal
aspects, and who know Fascism only
as the manner of behavior of
this or that well-known Fascist"
Rocco then readily comedies: ut
is true that Fascism is, above all,
action and sentiment" and "only
because it is feeling and sentiment.
only because it is the unconscious
reawakening of our profound racial
instinct, has it the force to stir the
soul of the people and to set free an
irresistible current of national will"
But he" insists: "Fascism is thought
as well and it has theory" opposed
in essence to the liberal" belief
that "the best manner to secure the
welfare OF the citizens as individuals
is to interfere as little as possible
with the free development of their
activities" The basic tenet of
Fascism in contradiction to Liberal
ism" he sets forth in the words:
The inequalities brought about both
by nature and by social organizations
are so numerous and so serious that,
for the greater part, individuals aban-
doned to themselves not only would
fail to attain happiness, but would
also contribute to their perpetuation
OF their condition of misery and
detection
Under Fascism individuals" there
fore, would not be "abandoned' to
the management of their own
destiny. Instead, the people, sep
arately and collectively, would be
"subordinated." Rocco says:
For Fascism, society has historical
and imminent ends of preservation,
expansion, improvement, quite distinct
from those of the individuals which at
a given moment compose it; so dis
tinct, in fact, that they may even be
in opposition. Hence the necessity
- of sacrifice even up to the total
immolation of individuals, in behalf
OF society. For Fascism, society
is the end, individuals the means.
But that dogma is not new. On the
contrary it is as old as the proverbial
hills. The answer to Rocco and to
Mussolini and to all other experiment
talists who would degrade humanity
! for its own alleged benefit was given
by Jesus of Nazareth in the gospel
of Saint Mark: THE sabbath was
made for man, and not man for the
sabbath"
What has failed in Italy is the
ancient notion that tyranny is to be
preferred to freedom.