Modernism and fascism ; The sense of a new beginning under Mussolini and Hitler

Intellectual debates surrounding modernity, modernism, and fascism continue to be active and hotly contested. In this ambitious book, renowned expert on fascism Roger Griffin analyzes Western modernity and the regimes of Mussolini and Hitler and offers a pioneering new interpretation of the links between these apparently contradictory phenomena. Using a wealth of examples, Griffin describes how modernism's roots lay in part in the fundamental human need to perceive a transcendent meaning and purpose to life--and to restore this purpose in times of experienced decay and social breakdown. This sense of revolution and rebirth provided the context in which fascism sought a new world based on the health and strength of the nation or race.Modernism and Fascism is an original and fascinating synthesis of data and ideas which will be of interest to art and intellectual historians, specialists in the study of modernity and modernism, and experts in fascist studies. It also offers stimulating new insights to all those concerned with the many contemporary movements (e.g. Al-Qaeda, Christian fundamentalists) prepared to fight for their belief in the transcendental meaning of life against the inroads of an increasingly globalized materialism. This is a book which promises to have a resonance far beyond the already broad academic parameters of the project, and will inspire a new wave of scholarly interest in modernity. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 10 List of Illustrations......Page 14 Acknowledgements......Page 15 New horizons......Page 18 The quest for a bigger picture......Page 21 Fascism as the offspring of modernism......Page 23 Aufbruch......Page 26 Part One: The Sense of a Beginning in Modernism......Page 30 Revolting against the modern world......Page 32 Fascism and modernism: ‘aporia’ or paradox?......Page 35 Strategies for resolving the aporias of fascist modernism......Page 39 Nazism’s convoluted ‘anti-modernism’......Page 43 A ‘synoptic interpretation’ of fascist modernism?......Page 49 The Babel effect in academia......Page 51 The methodological crisis in the humanities......Page 52 ‘Reflexive humanities’ and the itinerary of this book......Page 53 Julius Evola revisited......Page 56 Modernism’s ‘dialogic’ (dire logic?)......Page 60 The malaise of modernity......Page 62 Modernity as ‘decadence’......Page 66 An ideal type of modernism......Page 71 Nietzsche’s modernist revolt......Page 75 Epiphanic and programmatic modernism......Page 78 The porous membranes of modernisms......Page 81 Exploring the modernism of fascism......Page 83 The rituals of modernity......Page 87 A ‘primordialist’ theory of modernism......Page 89 The need for a ‘sacred canopy’......Page 91 The erosion of our ‘sheltering sky’......Page 93 The search for transcendence......Page 95 The terror of Cronus......Page 97 TMT......Page 102 Temporalization revisited......Page 105 The birth of aesthetic modernism......Page 108 Three case studies in cultural modernism......Page 109 The primordial dynamic of modernist movements......Page 113 The myth of transition......Page 117 The rite of passage......Page 119 The revitalization movement......Page 121 Programmatic modernism revisited......Page 124 Modernity and the liminoid......Page 126 A primordialist definition of modernism......Page 131 Beyond the ‘decay of values’......Page 134 The search for transcendence in modern art......Page 138 A modernist evaluates modernism......Page 143 Past masters......Page 147 Occultist social modernism......Page 149 Modernity’s ‘cultic milieu’......Page 152 Rightist social modernism......Page 154 Modernist body politics......Page 158 Scientistic ‘narratives of change’......Page 163 Warning shadows......Page 168 1914: the beginning of a beginning......Page 170 Creatio ex profundis......Page 177 Homo faber as Promethean modernist......Page 181 Dionysian socialism......Page 184 Marxism as modernism......Page 189 The modernism of organic nationalism......Page 192 Futural reaction......Page 194 Fascism as political modernism......Page 196 The fascist regimes as ‘gardening states’......Page 200 Political modernism and the Gorgon’s gaze......Page 203 Part Two: Fascism’s Modernist State......Page 206 Death in Florence......Page 208 The modernism of the ‘pure act’......Page 210 The palingenetic climate of post-Risorgimento Italy......Page 212 Italianist modernism......Page 216 The maximalist concept of nationalist modernism......Page 218 The search for a mazeway of one political modernist......Page 221 The political modernism of the first ‘Fascists’......Page 223 The birth of Fascism as a revitalization movement......Page 227 A confluence of modernisms......Page 230 Fascism as the Rohrschach test of Italian modernism......Page 233 Fascism’s ‘challenge to Time’......Page 236 Fascism’s technocratic modernism......Page 241 The ‘voracious amoeba’ of Fascist culture......Page 244 Cultural modernism under Fascism......Page 250 The modernist dynamic of Fascism’s social transformation......Page 256 The pursuit of a ‘crystalline modernity’......Page 259 The ‘true face’ of Fascist modernism......Page 262 ...and the ‘look’ of Nazism......Page 266 Joseph: A German destiny......Page 267 Reconnecting forwards......Page 272 Nazism’s alternative modernity......Page 275 Mein Kampf as a modernist manifesto......Page 277 Nazi modernization revisited......Page 282 The Weimar Republic as a ‘stressed’ society......Page 285 The sacralization of politics under Nazism......Page 288 Hitler as a modern propheta......Page 290 Germany’s new beginning......Page 292 Graduating from fin-de-siècle Vienna......Page 296 ‘In the mind of the Führer’......Page 298 The modernism of Nazi art......Page 303 Aesthetic modernism under Nazism......Page 306 A modernist classicism......Page 308 The modernism of Nazi music......Page 312 Racially acceptable literature and dance......Page 317 Through the lens of Nazism......Page 321 The ‘destructive creation’ of Nazi modernism......Page 323 Nazi Lebensfreude......Page 327 The ‘otherness’ of Nazi modernity......Page 332 Converting to Hitler......Page 336 Nazism’s marriage of technology with Being......Page 338 The Nazi cult of technocratic modernism......Page 341 Planning the Third Reich......Page 344 The modernist racial state......Page 346 The ‘ecology’ of genocide......Page 348 Ending without closing......Page 353 Maximalizing modernism......Page 355 A footnote on postmodernity......Page 361 Fascism: neither modern nor anti-modern......Page 364 The modernist causality of generic fascism......Page 366 The role of modernism in abortive fascisms......Page 371 A modernist Iron Guard?......Page 373 Modernist intellectuals and fascism......Page 375 Locating fascisms in ‘something larger’......Page 377 The modernism of humanistic research......Page 379 The greening of Dionysus......Page 382 A different beginning?......Page 384 Appendix: More on Methodology......Page 387 Notes......Page 393 Bibliography......Page 451 Index......Page 478 Cover 1 Contents 10 List of Illustrations 14 Acknowledgements 15 Introduction: Aufbruch 18 New horizons 18 The quest for a bigger picture 21 Fascism as the offspring of modernism 23 Aufbruch 26 Part One: The Sense of a Beginning in Modernism 30 1 The Paradoxes of ‘Fascist Modernism’ 32 Revolting against the modern world 32 Fascism and modernism: ‘aporia’ or paradox? 35 Strategies for resolving the aporias of fascist modernism 39 Nazism’s convoluted ‘anti-modernism’ 43 A ‘synoptic interpretation’ of fascist modernism? 49 The Babel effect in academia 51 The methodological crisis in the humanities 52 ‘Reflexive humanities’ and the itinerary of this book 53 Julius Evola revisited 56 2 Two Modes of Modernism 60 Modernism’s ‘dialogic’ (dire logic?) 60 The malaise of modernity 62 Modernity as ‘decadence’ 66 An ideal type of modernism 71 Nietzsche’s modernist revolt 75 Epiphanic and programmatic modernism 78 The porous membranes of modernisms 81 Exploring the modernism of fascism 83 3 An Archaeology of Modernism 87 The rituals of modernity 87 A ‘primordialist’ theory of modernism 89 The need for a ‘sacred canopy’ 91 The erosion of our ‘sheltering sky’ 93 The search for transcendence 95 The terror of Cronus 97 TMT 102 Temporalization revisited 105 The birth of aesthetic modernism 108 Three case studies in cultural modernism 109 The primordial dynamic of modernist movements 113 4 A Primordialist Definition of Modernism 117 The myth of transition 117 The rite of passage 119 The revitalization movement 121 Programmatic modernism revisited 124 Modernity and the liminoid 126 A primordialist definition of modernism 131 Beyond the ‘decay of values’ 134 The search for transcendence in modern art 138 A modernist evaluates modernism 143 5 Social Modernism in Peace and War 1880–1918 147 Past masters 147 Occultist social modernism 149 Modernity’s ‘cultic milieu’ 152 Rightist social modernism 154 Modernist body politics 158 Scientistic ‘narratives of change’ 163 Warning shadows 168 1914: the beginning of a beginning 170 6 The Rise of Political Modernism 1848–1945 177 Creatio ex profundis 177 Homo faber as Promethean modernist 181 Dionysian socialism 184 Marxism as modernism 189 The modernism of organic nationalism 192 Futural reaction 194 Fascism as political modernism 196 The fascist regimes as ‘gardening states’ 200 Political modernism and the Gorgon’s gaze 203 Part Two: Fascism’s Modernist State 206 7 The Birth of Fascism from Modernism 208 Death in Florence 208 The modernism of the ‘pure act’ 210 The palingenetic climate of post-Risorgimento Italy 212 Italianist modernism 216 The maximalist concept of nationalist modernism 218 The search for a mazeway of one political modernist 221 The political modernism of the first ‘Fascists’ 223 The birth of Fascism as a revitalization movement 227 A confluence of modernisms 230 Fascism as the Rohrschach test of Italian modernism 233 8 The Fascist Regime as a Modernist State 236 Fascism’s ‘challenge to Time’ 236 Fascism’s technocratic modernism 241 The ‘voracious amoeba’ of Fascist culture 244 Cultural modernism under Fascism 250 The modernist dynamic of Fascism’s social transformation 256 The pursuit of a ‘crystalline modernity’ 259 The ‘true face’ of Fascist modernism 262 ...and the ‘look’ of Nazism 266 9 Nazism as a Revitalization Movement 267 Joseph: A German destiny 267 Reconnecting forwards 272 Nazism’s alternative modernity 275 Mein Kampf as a modernist manifesto 277 Nazi modernization revisited 282 The Weimar Republic as a ‘stressed’ society 285 The sacralization of politics under Nazism 288 Hitler as a modern propheta 290 Germany’s new beginning 292 10 The Modernism of Nazi culture 296 Graduating from fin-de-siècle Vienna 296 ‘In the mind of the Führer’ 298 The modernism of Nazi art 303 Aesthetic modernism under Nazism 306 A modernist classicism 308 The modernism of Nazi music 312 Racially acceptable literature and dance 317 Through the lens of Nazism 321 The ‘destructive creation’ of Nazi modernism 323 11 The Third Reich’s Biopolitical Modernism 327 Nazi Lebensfreude 327 The ‘otherness’ of Nazi modernity 332 Converting to Hitler 336 Nazism’s marriage of technology with Being 338 The Nazi cult of technocratic modernism 341 Planning the Third Reich 344 The modernist racial state 346 The ‘ecology’ of genocide 348 12 Casting Off 353 Ending without closing 353 Maximalizing modernism 355 A footnote on postmodernity 361 Fascism: neither modern nor anti-modern 364 The modernist causality of generic fascism 366 The role of modernism in abortive fascisms 371 A modernist Iron Guard? 373 Modernist intellectuals and fascism 375 Locating fascisms in ‘something larger’ 377 The modernism of humanistic research 379 Postscript: A Different Beginning 382 The greening of Dionysus 382 A different beginning? 384 Appendix: More on Methodology 387 Notes 393 Bibliography 451 Index 478 Intellectual debates surrounding modernity, modernism and fascism continue to be active and hotly contested. In this ambitious book, renowned expert on fascism Roger Griffin analyzes Western modernity and the regimes of Mussolini and Hitler and offers a pioneering new interpretation of the links between these apparently contradictory phenomena. Intellectual debates surrounding modernity, modernism and fascism continue to be active and hotly contested. In this ambitious book, renowned expert on fascism Roger Griffin analyzes Western modernity and the regimes of Mussolini and Hitler and offers a pioneering new interpretation of the links between these apparently contradictory phenomena "It has been widely assumed that fascism was anti-modern, the sworn enemy of genuine culture: thus the Third Reich barbarically destroyed modernism, while fascism cynically harnessed the creativity of the artistic avant-garde and technocratic elite to reactionary ends. In contrast, Roger Griffin's Modernism and Fascism convincingly portrays fascism as a 'total' form of modernism in its own right. Like a modernist painting itself, this ambitious book transforms our understanding of the art, technology, social ethos, and politics of the first half of the twentieth century."--Jacket