Totalitarianism Is Charming and Simple

One hundred years ago Vladimir Soloviev expressed this thought: “In order to overcome the lie of communism, it is necessary to recognize its truth.” Since I don’t want to play the role of devil’s advocate, I will nevertheless follow the example of the Russian philosopher and try to find out if there is anything positive in the fascist movements of our time. If there is---then it will be impossible to overcome the lie of fascism without recognizing and accepting its truth. Of course, I understand these words can appear to some as blasphemous, but, nevertheless. I think that Soloviev was absolutely right.

I am not afraid to express one more time a blasphemous thought: To the large majority of its followers on the spiritual level fascism gives meaning to life, without which, just as without bread, a man cannot survive on earth.

The fascist movement gives its participants the possibility to fight to bring order to a hopelessly chaotic world. Fascism appears like a struggle of the cosmos against chaos. Meaning, order is introduced into life by a daring and courageous will of people united by a unique nonpersonal goal. The victory of fascism anywhere on earth is always the triumph of will. No matter how this “new order” to which fascism aspires appears to us---and we very well know based on historic experience what this “order” is like---nevertheless it is impossible not to admit that those phenomena such as the existence of a nonpersonal aim which gives meaning to human life on earth, unity with other people in aspiration to realize that goal, the struggle against evil---I will again put aside the fact thet what is for a fascist movement evil, a draught toward wholeness of life (that is where the idea of totalitarianism, with which Mussolini defined the character of a fascist state) all these are by no means negative spiritual realities. The truth of totalitarian movements of our time is also the fact that that life is a struggle, a deathly struggle of a human soul, and by no means a happy vacation in a health resort or a pleasant dream. Also, there is truth in the realization of the constant proximity of death. For not only members of the SS had symbols of death on their uniforms---a skull with a crossbones---but the monastic orders of all churches constantly woke up human consciousness easily falling asleep by a reminder of the fast end to life. “Memento Mori”---“remember death.” It is also important to mention that the majority of Nazi fanatics, for instance, were ready not only to murder but also to die for the cause they served.

Of course, the disintegration of the state and society, a crisis in the economy, and all other ills preceding the progress of fascist movements only increased endlessly the number of people who were cast out from a normal, often dull course of life and against everything woke them up from the dream. And people awakened are looking not only for their daily bread but also for the answer to what is the purpose of life. And that is when they receive the answer from the totalitarian fascist movements. And the future classless society and “the thousand years of the Reich and of the pure Aryan German race” and the more operetic “new Roman empire” of Mussolini---all that as a personal value does not stand any criticism. Understandably, whatever higher values are the means for their achievement are the same: annihilation of class, race, and national enemies, first of all. And still we can say that communists, fascists, the Nazi movements are the wrong answer but to a very real question. And, what is most important, humanity does not for now have a real answer to that spiritual, existential and not only political-social-economic question. And until the time there is such an answer, I am afraid that we have to fight again and again the bloody war with fascism.

They often talk about the irrationality of totalitarian movements. As if there exist good answers instead of wrong answers, which are put out by fascist movements. However, the problem is exactly in the fact that the contemporary world does not have any less irrational answers to those existential questions of man. Neither democratic social institutions, nor the market economy, or awesome scientific-technological progress, not even preservation of the environment are, and cannot be, the reason for human life on earth. They are only the means, not the ends. The purpose of life cannot be only a legal democratic system, income, physical health, augmentation and accumulation of knowledge about the universe and the order of the physical world.

And now we are approaching another paradox: It turns out that fascism gave meaning to life, also to the millions fighting against it. In spite of everything all those who during the Second World War were ready to die in the struggle with the Nazis were acquiring a meaning to life. Exactly because in their lives appeared a nonpersonal aim---annihilation of fascism, for which they sacrificed themselves. Communism and fascism, and all totalitarian movements of recent times, as has long been noticed already, are pseudo-religious phenomena. Religion means “connection.” The connection between the inner and outer worlds, the soul of man and the Creator. Any other union---based on nation, class, race, Church, etc.---is pseudo-religious. By the way, just like the activity of the communist parties compromised the ideas of socialism, the activity of the historic Church has distorted a lot of the understanding of religion, the human soul, sin, temptation, and the Creator.

I think that the variety of post-communist fascism is especially dangerous. Nationalism as a last stage of communism (Yugoslavia is the best example of this) is also connected with the Church and, as paradoxical as it seems, with the remnants of bolshevism. Already Dostoevsky, the most ardent nationalist, while he was not writing his artistic works, revealed in “The Demons” that nationalism is at the same time atheism. “I will believe in God”---says Shatov, the prototype of a Russian nationalist.

To put it briefly, it is impossible to fight pseudo-religiosity with non-religiosity. Against an evil spirit only true spirit can fight successfully, not a lack of spirit which is flooding the present-day world. When on our planet there is no Francis of Assisi and Sergey of Radonezh, who among average people can resist the “sacredness” of Pavel Korchagin and Che Guevara, or even the well-known Nazi hero Horst Wessel?

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Based on materials of the International Forum “Fascism in Totalitarian and Post-Totalitarian Society: Basic Ideas, Social Basis, Political Activity.”

Moscow, January 20-22, 1995

Independent Publishing House PIK

Moscow 1996