• CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    I just heard the other day that Mussolini supposedly said “Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power”, but this is apparently not something that can be found that he has said. Still, it’s not really wrong.

    From duck.ai:

    The Disputed Quote

    The quote “Fascism should be called corporatism” is most likely an unconfirmed internet attribution that cannot be definitively traced to Mussolini’s actual writings or speeches. Specifically:

    Verification Status: Unconfirmed
        According to sources like SourceWatch, the quote is considered an "internet hoax"
        Researchers like Chip Berlet (noted as Cberlet) have stated that no one can find an actual citation for this specific quote
    
    Conceptual Context
        While Mussolini did develop theories about the relationship between state and corporate power, this exact phrasing appears to be a modern paraphrase rather than a direct quote
        The concept of corporatism was indeed central to fascist ideology, which emphasized a tight integration between state power and economic institutions
    

    Historical Interpretation

    The misattributed quote reflects a genuine historical insight about fascist political philosophy:

    Fascism, particularly in Mussolini's Italy, promoted a model where:
        The state had extensive control over economic institutions
        Corporations were seen as extensions of state power
        Economic entities were organized into state-controlled syndicates or associations
    

    Modern Scholarly Perspective

    Contemporary scholars like David Graeber have noted that the structural similarities between different political systems (social democracy, fascism, state communism) are more complex than traditional narratives suggest. The quote, while likely apocryphal, captures a kernel of truth about how power can be distributed between state and corporate entities. Conclusion

    The specific quote is an unverified attribution. While it captures something meaningful about fascist ideology, it should not be presented as a direct Mussolini quote without rigorous historical verification.