Is Fascism A Left or Right Wing Phenomenon?

Here is a passage on Mussolini from the book Modern Times:

He produced a resounding totalitarian formula, much quoted, admired and excoriated then and since: ‘Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.’ A whole series of ‘fascist laws’ were drawn up, some constitutional, some punitive, some positive, the last being the Leggi di riforma sociale, which purported to bring the Corporate State into existence.

-Historian Paul Johnson in


Most social commentators associate fascism with right wing politics. Right wing enthusiasts point out that fascist regimes have more in common with left wing tyrannies. The key words in yellow above are where the true emphasis lies in a fascist movement. The state is the life-blood of the nation. No institutions are free from its control. It may pursue a combination of liberal and conservative policies, but it pursues its own interests, period.