Populismus und Faschismus

By drawing on theories of fascism and populism, this issue of Totalitarismus und Demokratie explores the differences, similarities and interconnections between fascism and populism in two ways : by referring to historic fascism and National Socialism on the one hand, and to current cases of right - wing populism on the other. In her contribution “Populism and Fascism in Europe – Elective Affinity or Mésalliance”, the sociologist Karin Priester analyzes the interconnections and contradictions of fascism and populism as socio - political phenomena. In doing so, Priester also refers to historical material and addresses Italian Fascism and German National Socialism with respect to the above – mentioned questions about the relation between fascism and populism. The historians Stefano Cavazza and Andrea D’Onofrio choose the opposite approach. Starting out from the historical material, they explore the populist components of fascism or the ways in which it is distinguished from populism. “Was Fascism populist” ? asks Cavazza, while referring to Benito Mussolini’s discourses and stagings. In fact, Mussolini used many populist elements in his political communication, both before and after having established his power. But Cavazza demonstrates that the ambivalent nature of populism was increasingly domesticated in order to hang onto power and ensure the popular legitimation of the leader. In his contribution “National Socialism and Populism” ( Nationalsozialismus und Populismus, D’Onofrio discusses the völkisch aspect of National Socialism in its early phase and reassesses this in terms of the populist idealization of the people. Hisfocus on the Völkisch wing of the National Socialist movement and party brings to light most of all the differences between National Socialism and populism, such as the “claim to totality”, the “massive use of violence” or the racist conception of the “people” or Volk The final contributions in this issue address current right - wing populism.Giorgia Bulli analyzes the discourse and mobilization practices of Lega Nord inItaly. Bulli, who specialises in political science and communications studies, reconstructs the development of the party, and shows how Lega Nord, by constructing a homogeneous identity of the people, presents itself as an oppositionto the Italian government. Lega Nord experienced different phases and switched several times between the poles of fascist ideology and populist rhetoric, without ever keeping them completely apart. It becomes clear that the fascist or populist nature of the party is determined by its degree of intensity. Finally, the linguist Martin Reisigl discusses the rhetoric of right - wing populism in Austria and of National Socialism in Germany. This diachronous comparison reveals not only differences and similarities between the discourses of the FPÖ and the NSDAP, but also the discursive borrowings of right - wing populists from National Socialist ideology. All contributions show how complex and diverse the relations between fascism and populism were and still are. ( quotation from the Editorial)