State Legitimacy: Rousseau's Contract vs. Fascist Ideology

Rousseau on Nature, Society, and Contract

According to Rousseau, men are naturally free and equal, possessing mercy, kindness, simplicity of life, and enjoy easy coexistence due to an abundance of goods. If men are seen in a state of struggle and inequality, it is attributed to society and its institutions, particularly private property. (Rousseau believed man is naturally good, but society corrupts him).

The only legitimate state operates under the rule of law, protecting all people and their property equally through a social contract. This contract ensures:

• Since all individuals surrender their rights equally, it prevents the creation of differences.
• It ensures no loss of personal freedom, maintaining equality.
• It guarantees the conditions necessary for a just society.

Sovereignty resides in the general will of the people (an abstract concept representing the collective democratic spirit).

Fascism: A Totalitarian State Critique

Fascism and Communism represent alternative views on the State-Citizen relationship, often blurring or removing the distinction between public and private interests.

Critique of Liberalism

The Fascist Solution proposes a totalitarian state to address perceived problems in liberal states. Two main criticisms of liberalism are:

• Liberalism presents the state as born from a constitutional pact among free and equal citizens. Fascism argues this is a fiction; individuals are actually born into a historical community defined by specific goals: the nation.
• Liberalism's exaltation of individual liberty leads to societal infighting, where individuals lack the capacity for self-sacrifice for the common good.

The Totalitarian State Solution

The proposed solution is the totalitarian state, characterized by:

• The political community is the historically constituted nation. Its spokesman is the Leader (e.g., Duce, Führer), who embodies the spirit of the people – the people personified. The Leader lives for the people, and the people live for the Leader.
• It eliminates the independence of the judiciary, which must submit to the Leader's (Caudillo's) guidelines. There are no legal safeguards against the Leader's directives; whatever the Leader does is considered just.
• Rule by the Leader replaces voting with acclamation, debate with propaganda, collaboration with submission, and critique with homage.
• The state exercises absolute power.
• Absolute control extends over all aspects of society, including intellectual life.
• It upholds an aristocratic and elitist view of society and history.
• It utilizes repression and dismantles opposing movements, such as labor unions, communist groups, and anarchist groups.