Episode 157: What is Fascism?

Episode 157: What is Fascism?

Author: Reflecting History April 28, 2025 Duration: 47:14

This podcast provides an overview of fascism as both an ideology and a political tactic. In what ways was Nazi Germany a typical fascist state? This episode is one small part of my larger podcast series called "Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart." 

How does something like the rise of Nazi Germany happen? Why? Who's responsible? What is fascism? What did it mean to be a Nazi? What role did the average person have in the development of the Nazi state? How responsible is the ordinary person in the development of great evil? How did nazism infect schools, institutions, and bureaucracy? Just how racist was the average person in Germany at the time? Why did the Holocaust happen? Who were the killers and why did they do it? Did anyone stand up to all of this evil?

This series is an attempt to answer all of these questions in the specific context of Nazi Germany, and to show that as William Faulkner once said, "the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself." It's based on an audio course I made several years ago called "Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart," with some brand new added content, remastered audio, and a new introduction and conclusion. Thanks for listening. 

Check out "Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart" at https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory.

-Consider Supporting the Podcast!-

Leave a rating or review on apple podcasts or spotify!

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory

Check out my podcast series on Aftersun, Piranesi, Arcane, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart here: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory

Try my podcast series "Piranesi: Exploring the Infinite Halls of a Literary Masterpiece"-- This podcast series is a deep analysis of Susanna Clark's literary masterpiece "Piranesi." Whether you are someone who is reading the novel for academic purposes, or you simply want to enjoy an incredible story for it's own sake, this podcast series goes chapter by chapter into the plot, characters, and themes of the book..."The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; it's kindness infinite." Piranesi lives in an infinite house, with no long-term memory and only a loose sense of identity. As the secrets of the House deepen and the mystery of his life becomes more sinister, Piranesi must discover who he is and how this brings him closer to the "Great and Secret Knowledge" that the House contains. Touching on themes of memory, identity, mental health, knowledge, reason, experience, meaning, reflection, ideals, and more…Piranesi will be remembered as one of the great books of the 21st century. Hope you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed making it. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory.

Subscribe to my newsletter! A free, low stress, monthly-quarterly email offering historical perspective on modern day issues, behind the scenes content on my latest podcast episodes, and historical lessons/takeaways from the world of history, psychology, and philosophy: https://www.reflectinghistory.com/newsletter.

 


Podcast Episodes
BONUS: Staying Behind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:52
In a dystopian future, humanity is faced with a choice: upload your consciousness into a machine and live forever in paradise, or stay behind and continue being human as we've come to know it. In his short story "Staying…
Episode 124: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Wounded World with Chad Williams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:17
In this episode I spoke with historian Chad Williams about his latest book-"The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the First World War" We discussed the legacy of Du Bois; his views on identity and double consciousness; W…
Episode 123: Piranesi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:19
"The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; it's kindness infinite." Piranesi lives in an infinite house, with no long-term memory and only a loose sense of identity. As the secrets of the House deepen and the mystery of h…
Episode 122: Story of Your Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:48
What if it was possible to "remember" the future? What if our typical conceptions of cause and effect didn't tell the whole story? If the story of your life was laid out in front of you, how would that change you as a pe…
Episode 121: Ikiru [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:44
What is the meaning of life? What does it mean to really live? What is the nature of bureaucracy and how does this seep into our everyday lives and relationships? These questions and more are analyzed in Akira Kurosawa's…
Episode 120: The Memory Police [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:32
Yoko Ogawa's 1994 masterpiece "The Memory Police" is much more than a dystopian novel. It delves into the ways that memory connects with everything-from our deepest sense of self, to our friendships and relationships, to…
Episode 119: The Buried Giant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:10
It's been said that you are what you remember. What is the role and function of memory on a personal level and how does this connect to collective memory and history? Does collective memory fuel cycles of violence? What…
BONUS: Dreams and the Supersensorium [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:28
Why do we dream? What is the difference between dreaming and being awake? Is the modern world around us merely an "artificial dream"-with it's constant barrage of sensory input, screens to look at, and narratives to dive…
Episode 118: What Remains Part IV-Generational Grief [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:04
By the end of the Taiping Civil War, millions in China felt the grief of being caught in limbo between remembering and forgetting, personal and state, past and future. Ultimately the more intimate, personal grief felt by…
Episode 117: What Remains Part III-Bodies and Burials [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:08
As the deaths piled up during the Taiping Civil War, the grim but pressing reality of how to deal with and commemorate all of the dead bodies lends insight into historical questions of identity and ritual, but also quest…