The psychologic structure of fascism

Abstract

Marxism, after having asserted that ultimately the infrastructure of a society determines or conditions the superstructure, has not attempted any general elucidation of the modalities proper to the formation of religious and political society. He also admitted the possibility of superstructure reactions, but still he did not move from assertion to scientific analysis. This article presents, with regard to fascism, an attempt at a rigorous (if not complete) representation of the social superstructure and its relations with the economic infrastructure. It is, however, only a fragment pertaining to a relatively important set, which explains a large number of gaps, above all the absence of any consideration about the method*; it was even necessary here to refrain from giving a general justification from a new point of view and limit oneself to exposing the facts. However, the mere exposition of the structure of fascism required, as an introduction, an overall description of the social structure. It goes without saying that the analysis of the superstructure presupposes the prior development of that of the infrastructure, studied by Marxism. Herein lies the main defect of this exhibition, which will not fail to amaze and shock people who are not familiar with either French sociology, or modern German philosophy (phenomenology), or psychoanalysis. As an indication, however, it may be insisted on the fact that the following descriptions refer to lived states and that the psychological method adopted excludes any recourse to abstraction.