Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Elitism, Amartya Sen, Social Darwinism
19 Sep 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Fascism
Fascism: Why Should We Care?
- “Fascism was the major political innovation of the 20th century, and the source of much of its pain.” -
Robert Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism
The Origins of Fascism
Early twentieth century in Italy
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Milan, spring 1919: violence, murder
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Attack on socialism and the rule of law: in the name of the nation
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Features of Fascism
“Fasces”: a symbol of social unity under political leadership
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Totalitarian
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Reactionary
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Cult of leadership
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Mass mobilization through a monopolistic political party
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Destruction of all intermediate organizations (such as trade unions)
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Abolition of privacy
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Rule of law is replaced by arbitrary violence
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Background Ideas of Fascism
Counter-Enlightenment
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Nationalism
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Elitism
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Irrationalism
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Mussolini’s Fascism
National Unity above all else
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Liberalism ‘no’, Obedience ‘yes’
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Celebration of war and violence
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Individual sacrifice and state worship
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Hitler’s Nazism: 1
The novelist Thomas Mann’s evaluation of the rise of Hitler
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Two explanations for Hitler’s rise to power
Economic
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Charismatic
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Hitler’s Nazism: 2
Resentment about the end of World War 1
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German people (‘Volk”) must defeat Jews, Communists, and Liberal who promote ideas of
universal brotherhood
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Need a strong, dominant leader (‘Fuhrerprinzip’)
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Hitler’s Nazism: 3
Nationalism
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Lebensraum (living space)
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Social Darwinism
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Racism and anti-Semitism
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Fascism: Key Themes 1 (Robert Paxton)
Sense of crisis needing radical solution
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Subordination of individuals to the group
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One’s group is a victim whose enemies must be attacked
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Fascism: Key Themes: 2 (Robert Paxton)
Fear of liberalism, class conflict, and other alien forces
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Promote community integration by violence if necessary
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Need for authority by natural (male) leaders embodying group’s destiny
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Fascism: Key Themes: 3 (Robert Paxton)
Superiority of leader’s instincts over abstract and universal reason
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Celebration of violence and will, when devoted to the group’s success
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Right of the chosen people to dominate others without restraint
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Feminism
Feminism
Eliminating the subordination of women
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Against patriarchy or rule by men
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Sex and Gender: biology distinguished from culture
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Redefining the Political
Traditional view is that politics is public; the family and personal relationships are private
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‘ Public man’ dominates the state, education, and the economy; ‘Private woman; restricted to home
and family
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Feminist claim that politics exists wherever there is power: state, economy, family
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Sexual Inequality in History
Aristophanes’ Lysistrata (411 B.C.): asserting women’s power
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Women’s Rights Convention, Seneca Falls, New York, 1848: Household tyranny; denial of civil,
political and economic rights (to university education, to vote, to earn a living); destruction of self-
respect
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Continuing Injustice (Amartya Sen)
100 million women are missing
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Denial of necessary nutrition and health care
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44 million women ‘missing’ in China, 36 million in India
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Mary Wollstonecraft’s Feminism: 1
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
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Enlightenment commitment to reason and equality
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Women and Men are equal in possessing the capacity to reason
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Mary Wollstonecraft’s Feminism: 2
Women are oppressed by social institutions, including education
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Differences between men and women are artificial, not natural
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Changing institution ( ex. marriage, education) will end inequality
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Liberal Feminism
Overcome overt discrimination
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Change laws and institutions
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Goal: equalize opportunities for women and men
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Radical Feminism: 1
Overcome sexist attitudes and beliefs
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Women are subject to their own internalized harmful attitudes and false beliefs
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Emphasize women’s difference
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Radical Feminism: 2
Male bias in setting the terms of the debate
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The air we breathe: “the structure and values of American society” (Catherine MacKinnon)
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Women had no role in creating the rules of the game
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The Justice-Care Debate
Is justice a gendered concept?
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Women value connectedness
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Men value separation and abstraction
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Carol Gilligan’s In a Different Voice
Justice (male type of moral thinking)
Seeking abstract rules
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Moral mathematics
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Care (female type of moral thinking)
Consider particularities
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Case-by-case moral reasoning
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Narrative of relationships
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Justice and Care: Some Issues
Different voices do not systematically match men and women
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Need justice as a background virtue
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Need universal moral principles
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W11L$Fascism$and$Feminism
Friday,)December) 15,)2017
12:37)AM
Document Summary
Fascism was the major political innovation of the 20th century, and the source of much of its pain. - Attack on socialism and the rule of law: in the name of the nation. Fasces : a symbol of social unity under political leadership. Destruction of all intermediate organizations (such as trade unions) Rule of law is replaced by arbitrary violence. The novelist thomas mann"s evaluation of the rise of hitler. Resentment about the end of world war 1. German people ( volk ) must defeat jews, communists, and liberal who promote ideas of universal brotherhood. One"s group is a victim whose enemies must be attacked. Fear of liberalism, class conflict, and other alien forces. Need for authority by natural (male) leaders embodying group"s destiny. Superiority of leader"s instincts over abstract and universal reason. Celebration of violence and will, when devoted to the group"s success. Right of the chosen people to dominate others without restraint.
