Fascism can be defined as a totalitarian form of government that calls for the state to control all aspects of its citizen’s lives. It has been described as being between capitalism and communism on the political spectrum.
Fascism Under Mussolini
Fascism flourished in Italy under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. When he came to power in 1925, Mussolini created public works programs as he believed government supervision was needed for the economy to operate effectively. He established the Cooperative State where economic decisions would be made by groups composed of workers and employers representing various trades and forms of industry. Mussolini gained control of worker’s wages and dictated prices businesses could charge for their goods and services. Banks also came under government control and public works programs were created to counteract increasing unemployment.
When Franklin Roosevelt was elected president of the United States in 1932, the country was in the Great Depression. Being that he admired the fascist regime in Italy, Roosevelt implemented some of these ideals in the formation of the New Deal.
Aspects of the New Deal
The first phrase of the New Deal took place from 1933 to 1934 where a number of programs were established. The National Recovery Administration would enact regulations on industry to fix prices, set hours of work and worker’s wages. Employees would permitted to bargain collectively and could not be forced or denied union membership as a condition of employment.
The Agricultural Administration sought to control the farming industry by giving financial incentives to farmers for limiting the planting of staple crops and encouraging the planting of soil conserving crops. The Civilian Conservation Corp established camps across the nation for unemployed young men where they could work and obtain vocational training. The men worked to conserve and develop the country’s natural resources. By 1935, there were over 500,000 men in more than 2600 camps. Congress ended the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1942 despite the protests of President Roosevelt.
The Public Works Administration was developed to complete the construction of public building projects. This entity also made financial loans to individual states for similar projects. The Securities and Exchange Commission was responsible for enacting a number of laws designed to protect investors and regulate the sale of securities and stocks. The Federal Communication Commission was established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications. Their goal was to protect the public interest by controlling broadcasting in all forms of media.
The Fair Labor Standard Act was formed in 1938 to regulate working conditions and wages. The Social Security Act was passed in 1935 to help the unemployed and those who had reached retirement age.
Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard as Mussolini had previously done in Italy. Americans who had invested in gold certificates could no longer redeem these certificates for gold. Because of this action, they received paper currency.
The effectiveness of the New Deal in ending the Great Depression may be debated. However, one cannot deny the intrusion of the federal government into industry and lives of individuals created by the legislation of the New Deal. We may speculate what direction the United States would have taken had World War II not occurred.
Sources:
- Hitler, Mussolini, Roosevelt, What FDR had in common with the other charismatic collectivists of the 30s, David Boaz, Reason Magazine, October 2007
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