Political Science and International Relations

Fascism displays an ambivalent stance towards parliamentary democracy. Explain. UPSC 2023 Paper 1A Qn 3a Fascism displays an ambivalent stance towards parliamentary democracy, marked by both outright rejection and strategic engagement. This duality reflects the opportunistic nature of fascist movements, which exploit democratic systems to gain power while simultaneously denouncing democratic principles as weak and ineffective. 1. Rejection of Democratic Ideals -  Fascism fundamentally opposes the core values of parliamentary democracy, such as pluralism, equality, and individual liberty. Thinkers like Giovanni Gentile, the chief ideologue of Italian Fascism, and leaders such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, dismissed democracy as a flawed system that prioritized debate over decisive action. Critique of Liberalism: Fascists viewed democracy as overly individualistic, fragmented, and incapable of uniting society. Instead, they promoted the idea of a unified, hierarchical s...

"Nothing against the State, Nothing over it, nothing beyond it." - Mussolini UPSC 2018 Paper 1A Qn 1e Mussolini’s declaration, "Nothing against the state, nothing over it, nothing beyond it," encapsulates the core philosophy of fascism, a political ideology he both championed and symbolized as the leader of Fascist Italy. The statement reflects the centrality of the state in fascist ideology, subordinating all aspects of society—individuals, institutions, and religion—to the authority and interests of the state.  1. State as the Supreme Entity Mussolini’s words emphasize the totalitarian nature of the fascist state, wherein all individual rights and freedoms are subservient to the state. Fascism rejects the liberal conception of the state as a protector of individual liberties. Instead, the state is portrayed as an all-encompassing entity that embodies the collective will of the nation. The idea of “nothing against the state” signifies the suppression of disse...

Examine the conception of the state in the ideologies of Marxism and Fascism. UPSC 2014 Paper 1A Qn 3b A state is a political entity with a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. The state is the primary unit of political organization in the modern world. State according to Marxian perspective - Marxist theory of state emerged as a reaction against liberalism.  According to Marxists, the state is the product of class society i.e., of the economically dominant class. So, the state is considered a partisan and a class institution. Being a partisan institution, it serves as an instrument of exploitation. The type of society explains the type of state i.e., society provided the base on which the state stood as the superstructure. Establishment of a communist state according to Marx - The dictatorship of the proletariat is considered the abolition of the opposing antagonistic classes and not the...