Aim: Why did Fascism have greater appeal in Western Europe than Communism?

Communism:
1. Classless society
2. Wanted to create workers state
3. Command economy
4. No private property
5. No private enterprise & free market
6. No religion
7. Collective goods more important than individual
8. State controlled arts and culture
9. State controlled education
10. State controlled mass media
11. Spreading world and revolution and communism
12. State dependent on military
13. Appealed to the peasants and workers
Fascism:
1. Social classes continued
2. Created a strong nation
3. Mixed economy/ indirect state control
4. Private property allowed
5. Free market and free enterprise allowed
6. Limited religion permitted
7. Collective goods are more important than individuals
8. State controlled arts and culture
9. State controlled education
10. State controlled mass media
11. Make nation strongest
12. State dependent on military
13. Appealed to nobility, wealthy, bourgeoisie, military, peasants
II. Communism:

a. Marxism:
1. History is based on class struggle
2. History takes place in pre-destined stages:
-Feudalism
-Capitalism
-Dictatorship of the Proletariat
-Communism
3. Capitalism will exploit the proletariat (workers) which will lead to revolution.
4. The proletariat will form a temporary dictatorship to transform society to Communism
(Marxist Socialism).
5. The final stage will be a Communist state which all workers sharing work and profit
equally.
B. Leninism:
1. Lenin believed that the Communist Party had to create the Dictatorship of the
Proletariat.
2. World revolution was needed to complete the transition to Communism. Capitalists
and reactionary counter revolutionaries will undermine efforts to create Communism.
3. The Communist Party had to sometimes take action that may seem repressive in order
to make progress (One step backward, two steps forward).
4. Any opposition had to be crushed. Anyone who opposes the Communist Party is a
counter- revolutionary.
III. Fascism:
A. Benito Mussolini:
1. History is based on physical struggle (Darwinism)
2. Stronger nations will dominate weaker ones (Social Darwinism)
3. War is good as it makes a nation stronger and seeds out the weak.
4. The Fascists must lead the government because they are more qualified
B. Adolf Hitler:
1. Breeding of strong and pure Aryans (Ancient Indo-Europeans) make Germans
stronger and more superior (Fascists wrongly taught that blonde-haired, blue-eyed
Germanic peoples were pure Aryans).
2. Inferior races should be wiped out or enslaved to serve the master race and prevent
contamination with pure Aryans or Germans.
IV. Conclusions:

A. While both systems were totalitarian and destructive, Fascism appeared to be the
lesser of two evils.
1. Did not appear to threaten status quo (the way things are). Religion, private property,
free enterprise and most classes.
2. Due to a century of nationalism and imperialism, the nationalistic ideas of the Fascists
were much more familiar to most people.
3. The repression and genocide under the Soviets in Russia discredited Communism for
most groups. Fascism appealed to many as an alternative if not salvation to Communism.
4. While workers were still attracted to Communism, most other classes were frightened
by it.
5. The seeming failure of Democracy and Capitalism due to the economic collapse and
political instability created the unfair war settlement made Communism or Fascism
appeared to be the only real choices for many.