Introduction
In history, there are many systems of ruling introduced by different leaders like Nazism by Hitler, Fascism by Benito Mussolini, Communism by Karl Max and plenty of others. All these systems were introduced by leaders of various countries, and every one of them supported different ideologies and beliefs. For example, Nazism was supported by the idea of Adolf Hilter that Aryans were superior to others and Jews were inferior to everyone else. Nazism was introduced by Adolf Hitler in Germany during the time of the Second world war, while Communism and Fascism in Germany (popular in Russia) and Italy, respectively.
Why do you think these three ruling systems adopted by different leaders are taken into comparison when there are numerous systems in world history? This can be because all of those systems were adopted by different dictators, and since they represent the ideologies, these leaders took into consideration while ruling a rustic. Comparisons help the readers to grasp the first differences between two or more components. Here, two systems of rule, which are Communism and Fascism, are going to be compared and supported by different parameters.
Communism vs Fascism
These two systems of rule, Communism and Fascism, were introduced and practised by two leaders who were Karl Max and Benito Mussolini. Communism was first founded in the 19th century, while Fascism spread in Europe after
]primary warfare. Karl Max, referred to as the father of communism, was a German Philosopher, while Benito Mussolini was a former journalist who later declared himself the dictator of Italy. He later founded the Fascist Party and adopted Fascism as his system of rule. Mussolini first coined the term' fascism' to explain his movement to make an influential fascist state.
In simple words, communism could be a system based on a theory which argues and advocates for a classless society with equal rights for all. Communism argues that each citizen should have an equal right to own land and property. On the other hand, Fascism was a system established by the powerful dictator Mussolini to determine national unity through a radical, authoritarian and oppressive rule. The ideology behind Fascism included both pro-capitalist and anti-capitalist elements.
Fascism in simple words, is that the society is organized in much the way that a government is controlled by a strong dictator. During this system, the dictator can control the lives of the citizens, and there's no scope for disagreement between them in any matter. On the opposite hand, communism advocated for the equal rights of citizens to own land, and it worked to eradicate social classes through social ownership of production.
Difference Between Communism and Fascism in Tabular Form
| Parameters of Comparison | Communism | Fascism |
| Founder | Karl Max | Benito Mussolini |
| Country | Germany | Italy |
| Introduced year | 19th Century | After First World War |
| Party | Communist Party | Fascist Party |
| To create a classless society | To create a powerful fascist state | All class distinctions are abolished for equality |
| Advocated for | Equal rights for citizens | Government under one dictator |
| Social Structure | “ownership” of the property was abolished and was replaced by “usership”. | The strict Class distinction between preventing chaos |
| Ownership of Property | An individual was considered useless and meaningless to the government. | Permitted if rewarded by the government for national service or obedience. |
| Religion | Were allowed and considered vital for the smooth administration of the government. | Allowed only state-approved religions like Roman Orthodox. |
| Votes and individual choices | Fascist regimes worldwide, including NSDAP in Germany and some others | an individual was considered useless and meaningless to the government. |
| Reactions to the government’s decisions. | One can rally or oppose the decisions if one feels that it is not correct | Citizens were expected to obey all decisions of the dictator without arguments. |
| Gender Equality | Nominally permitted if one has done exceptional service to the country and state. | traditional roles of each gender to be uplifted and sometimes even exaggerated. |
| Discrimination | In theory, everyone was equal in society. | One group was superior to each other in society. |
| Opinion of war | It should be avoided as much as possible. | Wars are encouraged and are considered beneficial for the state and the economy. |
| Did it have any influence worldwide? | International parties include CPM (Communist Party (Marxist)) in India and numerous others. | Traditional roles of each gender are to be uplifted and sometimes even exaggerated. |
| Views about world rule | Communists believe strongly in world rule and are even encouraged to follow it. Communists encourage the concept of international law. | Fascists don’t believe in world rule and discourage the concept of international law. |
What is Communism?
Communism is an international movement which was first founded by German philosopher Karl Max in the 19th century. It spread in Europe at a fast pace because of its ideologies which rewarded equal rights to the citizens. This system was used widely during the Russian Revolution in the later 18th and early 19th centuries. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, took hold of power and destroyed the monarchy in the state. The Bolsheviks would later form the Communist Party in the Soviet Union.
One of the commonly asked questions is, why was communism accepted freely by the people even though there were numerous other systems of rule introduced by other revolutionaries at that time? The primary reason was that in communism, the citizens were considered important, and their opinions were also to be taken into account when the government took decisions. The ideologies were new and fresh during that time when monarchy and dictatorship were common, and individuals were considered useless and worthless. This system which contained a charm of change, fascinated the people.
Some other ideologies and beliefs that communism had which were uncommon in the society of that time were:
- People's opinion was valued.
- People were allowed to rebel against the government's decisions if they found that they were wrong or harmful to their livelihood.
- People were equal and were not divided into social classes.
- Citizens were allowed to own properties.
- The government was not ruled by any individual. (for example, a dictator like Hitler from Germany and Augusto Pinochet Ugarte from Chile)
- Its goal was to create a society with no social classes.
- Unlike some other regimes, communism discouraged and avoided war as much as possible. (for example, Nazism encouraged war in the state and encouraged men to be violent and steel-hearted as much as possible.)
- The term "ownerships" was replaced by "userships" to prevent any discrimination between the rich and poor in society.
- Different from almost all other regimes, communism upholds the rule that the community should hold the production. In many other regimes, the dictator or the person in power owned the produce and the citizens had no right to the same.
- The communists always think on an international level and encouraged the vision of international law and the concept of world rule.
These principles may seem very common and basic nowadays, but in the period when communism was first discovered, the citizens lived under an oppressive rule under a monarch or a dictator. At those times, promises or principles like these created interest among the people. They saw a ray of hope to get a life where their opinions and interests mattered to the government. This was the major reason why communism received great support from the citizens of different countries.
What is Fascism?
Fascism was a system of rule which was introduced and implemented by Italian dictator and former journalist Benito Mussolini. Fascism aimed to create a powerful and influential fascist state. In this system of rule, individuals and their opinions were considered useless, and a single, powerful dictator ruled the government, Benito Mussolini himself.
The people did not well accept this system as it was an oppressive rule by a single individual, and it did not give any scope for citizens to rebel or oppose the decisions taken by the government or the dictator himself. One of the reasons why fascism was condemned by the people was because it did not give any rights to the people and because the citizens' lives were to be controlled fully by the dictator. Mussolini founded the Fascist Party and started exerting full power as the dictator of Italy.
Fascism was introduced was the first world war, at a time when people were sick and tired of oppressive and ruthless rule by monarchs and dictators. This system was implemented in Italy, and it restricted and controlled the lives of its citizens quite a lot. Some of the ideologies that fascists follow include:
- The government is ruled by a dictator. (for example, The whole of the Italian government was ruled by the dictator Benito Mussolini.
- There is no gender equality. The traditional roles assigned by ancestors to males and females are upheld and sometimes even exaggerated.
- The dictator has complete authority to make decisions without the opinions of anyone and without considering the citizens' opinions.
- The people can follow the religions acknowledged and approved by the government.
- War was encouraged and was considered beneficial for the state, and it was considered useful for national unity.
- The ideologies of fascism are always considered at the national level and never at the international level.
- The opposite of communism, in fascism, was that society was divided into various social classes, and people were classified as superior and inferior on the basis of different factors.
- People were allowed to own property only through obedience to the government or service to the country.
These ideologies seem ridiculous to us because we are not used to such imposing and oppressive rules. However, these rules were quite common during the early 19th century when fascism was first introduced, but people were quite annoyed by the fact that their opinions and feelings had to value in the country. Hence, fascism was not that well received by the people. Even though many people resisted it, some accepted it because of the fear of being prosecuted. The system of ruling, fascism, was popular and spread in the whole of Europe from the first world war, that is, from 1919 to 1945.
Difference Between Communism and Fascism in Points
Communism:
- Founder: Karl Marx
- Aim: To create a classless society
- Principle: All individuals are equal in a classless society
- Scope for opinions and votes
- Individuals are considered useful and beneficial for the state
- Production is owned and managed by the community
- Religions are banned to prevent chaos
- Popular in Russia and many other countries
Fascism:
- Founder: Benito Mussolini
- Aim: To create a powerful fascist society
- Principle: The state is considered superior and placed above everything
- People are divided into superior and inferior categories
- No scope for opinions and votes
- Individuals and their opinions are considered useless
- The dictator and government own the production
- Only state-approved religions are followed
- Popular in Italy and some other countries.
Conclusion
Both Fascism and Communism spread in Europe and the rest of the world in almost the same period. However, communism later evolved into different political parties and is still ruling in some countries. The oppressive nature of fascism annoyed the people and made it almost extinct in the current political scenario. The equality and classless society that the communist aimed is existing nowadays.
As far as history and politics are concerned, both the systems, fascism and communism, created large influence and changes in the society of Europe and the rest of the world. However, it is quite clear that fascism lost its popularity after its initial hype due to its oppressive nature and ideologies dividing people into various classes. Communism, in simple words, stands for a classless society where everyone is equal and has equal rights as well. Fascism is basically a system where a dictator controls the lives of all citizens.
Fascism is a system rarely used nowadays; on the other hand, communism is widely practised in the political sector. The Communist Party of India follows the ideologies of an equal society, and this party also rules some states of the country.
