by the present writer as "an organised, centralised, authoritarian
Democracy."


8. Against Liberal Doctrines.

As regards the Liberal doctrines, the attitude of Fascism is one of
absolute opposition both in the political and in the economical field.
There is no need to exaggerate the importance of Liberalism in the
last century--simply for the sake of present-day polemics--and to
transform one of the numerous doctrines unfolded in that last century
into a religion of humanity for all times, present and future.
Liberalism did not flourish for more than a period of fifteen years.
It was born in 1830 from the reaction to the Holy Alliance which
attempted to set Europe back to the period which preceeded '89 and had
its years of splendour in 1848, when also Pius IX was a Liberal. Its
decadence began immediately afterwards. If 1848 was a year of light
and poesy, 1849 was a year of weakness and tragedy. The Roman Republic
was killed by another Republic, the French Republic. In the same year
Marx issued his famous manifesto of Communism. In 1851 Napoleon III
made his anti-Liberal _coup d'état_ and reigned over France until
1870. He was overthrown by a popular movement, following one of the
greatest defeats registered in history. The victor was Bismarck, who
always ignored the religion of liberty and its prophets. It is
symptomatic that a people of high civilisation like the Germans
completely ignored the religion of liberty throughout the whole
Nineteenth Century--with but one parenthesis, represented by that
which was called "the ridiculous parliament of Frankfurt" which lasted
one season. Germany realised its national unity outside of Liberalism,
against Liberalism--a doctrine which seemed alien to the German spirit