Charisma and Fascism (Totalitarianism Movements and Political Religions)

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Fascism remains a topicxA0;that fascinates both academic and general audiences.xA0;This is the first book toxA0;look systematicallyxA0;at the leaders of fascism and related movements in the inter-war era. It shows how fascist leadersxA0;came to personify their movements and why the FxFC;hreprinzip was applied in all fascist organizations. It also explains how fascist leadership was of a very particular kind: It was almost unlimited in political discipline and required complete subordination. The legitimacy was based on a very vague notion of 'the organic unity of the state and the people', giving the leaders competence to rule without accountability to a party organization or state bodies. Thus, we can observe in all fascist parties/movements a practical form of leadership where policies of 'split and rule' were common in absence of principles of representation and opposition feedbacks. The fascist fxFC;hrer was the leader, the party, the ideology - and when in power: the state itself. This book was previously published as a special issue of Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions.