Pressure Groups in Italy and Germany

Abstract

In Fascist Italy every productive citizen is by law required to be a member his professional syndicate, that is, an employers' organization or a workers' trade union. Every syndicate has exclusive representation all persons engaged in that particular economic activity in the district concerned, but according to the law only persons of good moral and political standing are permitted to have an influence on the policies their organization. The philosophy Fascism and the Corporate State excludes the conception the class struggle. Class collaboration in favor uninterrupted national production, or, in other words, in favor the State or the Nation, is advocated and enforced. In the Fascist conception, the State is the tangible expression the Nation. The Nation, on the other hand, is the continuous incarnation all Italian citizens past, present, and future generations. To the Fascist philosophy, as well as to the machinery Fascism, this conception the State is fundamental. So far as the peaceful collaboration social classes is concerned, it results in the complete legal prohibition strikes. Instead, a machinery for compulsory arbitration has been set up, and the Government has rep atedly declared its task to be the insurance social justice between classes. Such justice, course, under Fascism must be based on an open acceptance the unequal division wealth and income among the people, with no view towards change in this economic relationship. Ten years the working the Corporate State have clearly demonstrated that the relative importance and power the various classes has changed under Fascism. As a matter fact, we need only consider two classes, workers and employers, for under the structure Fascist Italy, professionals and artists are included in the working class.