Socialism And Fascism Essay Sample

Pope Leo XIII’s motives and inspiration for writing the Rerum Novarum came from the society being a mess in terms of industrialization and discoveries in science, master and workman relationship, income inequality among rich and poor, rise of labor unions in working class, and the continued moral degeneracy.
Socialism, which is mainly about a community of goods or communal property, is condemned by Leo XIII as it creates chaos against the natural order of things. Socialists argue that to remedy the poor man’s envy for the rich, private property should be abolished and substituted with a property that is common to all. This can create immense mess as the rightful owners of properties get robbed of their possessions and state functions are scrambled. Aside from this, the society in general would feel a great confusion as to why things have changed. By removing the desire for having private property (a trait that is inherently of human and not of animal), the working class will lose all hope of improving their lives. Pope Leo also argued that socialists destroy whatever things a child learns in home where the State is the one responsible for the supervision of the child. He asserts that the socialists destroy the natural order of things and is surely to fail. He stated that people have different skillsets and capabilities, which clearly is not supported in a one wealth system offered by socialism.
According to Leo XIII, the family is the basic unit of the community where a child grows into a man with all aspects covered. At most, the state can only have equal rights to a child or to a person, where most of the responsibility is from the family. Pope Leo stressed that by removing the intimate and highly personal authority a family has to its member, a great distress will happen as basic functions such as counselling, supervision, and support are removed. The socialist system destroys the concept of family and gives 100% rights of citizens to the State.

Leo in his statement #20 outlined all the duties that an employee should do with regards to his employer:

“Fully and faithfully to perform the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon; never to injure the property, nor to outrage the person, of an employer; never to resort to violence in defending their own cause, nor to engage in riot or disorder; and to have nothing to do with men of evil principles, who work upon the people with artful promises of great results, and excite foolish hopes which usually end in useless regrets and grievous loss” (Statement 20; Rerum novarum, 1891).

Pope Leo, meanwhile gave a simple dialogue for the employers:

“Not to look upon their work people as their bondsmen, but to respect in every man his dignity as a person ennobled by Christian character.” (Statement 20; Rerum novarum, 1891).
His statements are rather short but are focused on giving the employee the fair compensation for his labor, just taxation, and work that is fit for the person’s sex and capability.
Employees and employers are not naturally at conflict in contrary to what socialists insist. According to Leo XIII, they should have mutual agreement in which one needs the other, and that capital needs labor and vice versa. Preventive measures via intermediary roles can be brought about by the Church. In the case of inevitable conflict between the two parties, it is the law of the State that offers protection for both but mostly for the employees.
According to Mussolini, war is the ultimate test of man’s nobility. Whenever a man is stressed to the maximum, he becomes courageous and gets to know himself better. He stressed that other tests are merely substitutes and does not make a man better. The concept of peace, which is realistically non-existent, won’t do us good as people become laggards.
The concept of democracy is opposed by Mussolini’s philosophy because it puts the power of the entire nation into the masses, where quality is sacrificed and majority is followed. He stressed that democracy will be in its purest form if everything is taken from the point of view of quality and not quantity. Fascism is also opposed to socialism since the latter does not identify the extent of unity in a society. Socialism amalgamates the society into a single working class but fascism considers various classes where individuals’ interests and competencies are not destroyed.
The State is an anti-individualistic entity that expresses only its common interests with individuals. The State is conscientious and universal, believing that the will of man is based on history. Fascism is a totalitarian State that believes in liberty of the State and of individuals, and is all embracing such that outside it no spiritual or human values can exist. Therefore, the State assumes all responsibilities of a man as long as they believe in one common goal.
The concept of war is lucrative to some people because with it comes the preparedness and nobility that we can only dream of in peace. War or its inevitability gives us the reason to be alert and do whatever is best of our capabilities. Without war, people become laggards dragging down the State’s economy. Indeed democracy is full of weaknesses if we are to observe countries having such government. Wrong people get to rule the masses due to poor voting choices, resulting to a cycle of hate. Because the government is focused on the quantity, quality is surely sacrificed. A lot of resources are allotted for the poor who don’t give importance to themselves and strive for success. War or the concept of constant vigilance is important in making everyone improve in most aspects in their lives. Authoritarian leadership is nothing new, and it can be traced back in history where nobles rule over the State. Workers are given tasks depending on their competencies. The authoritarian leadership also protects the citizens and provides the necessary needs of the State.

References

Leo XIII. “Rerum novarum”. The Tablet 77, 2663(5). 1891. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Mussolini, Benito. “Doctrine of Fascism”. 1932. The History Guide: Lectures on Twentieth Century Europe. Historyguide.org. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.