TDF
Consider yourself lucky if you have heard the term fascism before. It means that you probably studied or read about it enough to know that it should NOT be making any kind of comeback today or in the foreseeable future. Fascism is a nationalist political philosophy and a form of government headed by a charismatic dictator or tyrant that holds absolute authority and controls all aspects of industry, governance, culture, and society. Fascist leaders have zero tolerance for any form of criticism and dissent and allow violence to control the population.
In the 25+ years between the end of the First World War and the start of the second, three European countries, Germany, Italy and Spain, would become Fascist states, significantly affecting human history. This film takes you back to the early 20th century where you can follow step by step and see how fascism quickly rose to power with devastating consequences.
Discover the political and socio-economic context and situation for these three countries immediately after World War I. The Great War was grueling, with loss of life in the scale never before seen in history. Many people were angry, scared and upset due to a mix of the shame from losing the war, having ineffective governments and a lousy economy. These factors made it easy for charismatic leaders like Hitler and Mussolini to manipulate and finesse an angry populace, desperate for real social change, to vote them into power legally.
Once legally elected these leaders then grabbed more power unconstitutionally and justified these acts as the only way to prevent threats to the country and their “superior” way of life. Individuality, personal freedoms and choice soon fell by the wayside and worse; it led to genocide and another, even bigger World War.
Fascism is still around in the 21st century, though maybe not in the scale as back then. But it is good to learn from past mistakes, and this film is a great way to help discover more about it, to think critically and identify the signs of any potential re-emergence in fascist beliefs.
