[PEN-L:30616] Re: Moussolini's Corporation

["Michael Hoover" <hooverm@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>>> lisa.stolarski@xxxxxxxxxxx 09/27/02 00:15 AM >>>
government policy, every economic activity in the country was
put under a government-appointed panel, called a corporation.
Representatives of management and labor, in each industry served on these
panels. All profits under the corporate state went to the government. The
Parliament became nothing more than a instrument for the corporations.
It seems that Moussolini's "corporation" was one that was created by the
state.
Lisa S.
<<<>>>

Italian fascist idea combined 'corporatism'
and 'syndicalism...  catholicism's organicist
and corporatist features provided receptive intellectual climate for corporatism...
meanwhile, syndicalism was admired for (among
other things) being anti-parliamentary...
Alfredo Rocco (Mussolini's right-hand man),
held that social development led naturally
to nationalization of syndicates under
state control for national interest...
in theiry, only parliamentary structure
to remain would be assembly of economic
producers operating without fetters of
political parties...

italisn fascist state created about 20
corporations in late 20s ostensibly
integating employers, workers, government,
with each having role to play in
overseeing major industries...

several years later, mussolini government
established national council 'incorporating'
above into three-tiered structure comprised
of economic associations, state bureaucracy,
and central committee of government
ministers, heads of employers and workers
associations, top level civil servants (all
supposedly under watchful eye of el duce)...

corporate state reached zenith (well, sort of)
in late 30s when fascist chamber was created
to replace what remained of italian
parliament...

of course, in practice, italian fascist
corporatism smashed working class
organizations and intimidated certain
factions of capital in attempt to control
major economic interests...

Supposed national interests were to take
precedence over narrower sectional ones...
as giovanni gentile had said: everything
for the state, nothing against the state,
nothing outside the state (or something
like that)...

as for Mussolini, he claimed corporatism
was 'third way' between capitalism and
socialism...

corporatism was less important among
nazis who tended (in theory, if one
can call it such) towards kind of
medievalism...   michael hoover