[News Terms] The Global Spread of 'Soft Fascism'

Soft Fascism Distinct from Nazi Fascism
Superficially Free but Based on State-Centered Nationalism
Emerges as an Alternative to War, Energy Crisis, and Refugee Issues

Renowned philosopher Slavoj ?i?ek (75) warned of the risk of the end of liberal democracy in an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 26th of last month, stating that simply advocating pacifism is not enough to maintain peace in order to stop the 'soft fascism' sweeping the world. He argued that a clear stance and strong deterrence, including military power, are necessary to halt the two ongoing wars: the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war.

Soft Fascism refers to a political ideology or system in which the ruling power exercises arbitrary control based on state-centered and nationalist ideologies while maintaining a relatively free society on the surface.

Slavoj ?i?ek giving a lecture at Kyung Hee University
Photo by Akyung DB

?i?ek referred to the situation in Europe, where far-right parties are emerging, as well as authoritarian countries like China and Russia, as 'soft fascism,' which differs from the 'Nazism fascism.' He diagnosed, "What I call fascism, the 'identity of the state,' is a traditional ideology trying to control modernization," adding, "Recently, China has been drawing on Confucian traditions far more often than communism, and Russia promotes conservative and fundamentalist religions."

Fascism is a political ideology and system that emerged in Europe, especially Italy and Germany, after World War I in the early 20th century. It advocates extreme and exclusive nationalism and dictatorial politics based on mass mobilization of civilians to gain popular political support and policy backing. Fascism rose amid the economic and social turmoil in Europe caused by the damages of World War I and the Great Depression of the 1920s. It was applied to German Nazism and later came to refer to various dictatorial political, economic, and social ideologies in multiple countries.

Elements constituting a fascist system include a powerful charismatic leader and the state embodied by that leader, a single dictatorial party mobilizing the masses, and organizations in economic sectors cooperating with and supporting the party. To maintain the system, fascist states used various media to produce extensive symbolic manipulation and images, imprinting fascism on the public through various rituals and ceremonies. After seizing power, they committed atrocities such as the Holocaust under the pretext of eliminating enemies of the national community through totalitarian thinking that disregarded individual autonomy.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump campaigning in North Carolina
[Photo by AP News]

Even after the end of World War II, fascism has been revived in various parts of the world. Although fascism in Germany and Italy ended as a result of defeat, the ideology remains. A variant called soft fascism has emerged, exemplified by the recent rightward shift in Europe. In the European Parliament elections held in June, hard-right parties made significant gains. Among the 720 seats in the European Parliament, the combined seats of the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) political groups totaled 131, an increase of 13 seats from before.

The rise of the right wing is seen as a response to various issues such as the prolonged Ukraine-Russia war, energy crisis, migration, refugee, and environmental problems, which are perceived as alternatives to solving these challenges. This has raised concerns within Europe that the foundation of the collective security system known as 'One Europe' could be shaken.

This trend is also evident in the U.S. presidential election. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, emphasizes America First nationalism. In particular, he targets anti-immigrant sentiment within the U.S. He declared, "On my first day in office, I will begin the largest deportation of immigrants in American history and save every city and town that has been invaded." He also likened immigrants to 'pests' and said, "Immigrants are contaminating America's blood," drawing criticism for similarities to Nazi regime rhetoric.