It is true that the most famous example of fascism, Germany's Nazi party, was also known as National Socialism. Many conservatives make much of this, apparently ignorant of the fact that when the National Socialists were young they were engaged in violent street battles with the communists and that after the National Socialists took full power, the German socialists were imprisoned. In such circumstances, equating fascist ideology with that of socialism or communism makes about as much sense as equating war with peace or night with day.
In Germany as in other nations, the fascists didn't take power - a misconception held by many. No, the fascists were given power. By leftists? No, they were given power by conservative and traditional elites who saw in the fascists an antidote to leftism and socialism. Fascist parties incorporated certain ideas which motivated socialists and left-leaning movements, but they are also very authoritarian in a manner that appealed to elites. (It is worth noting that even in modern-day German, fascists come from the right politically rather than from the left.)
Thus elites have long sought to co-opt the fascist parties in the belief that such a mass movement could provide a popular bulwark against the mass movements which threaten their own power. In the end, though, it is the fascists who co-opt the conservatives. Through a combination of ruthlessness and audacity, the fascists are able to assume far more power than the conservatives originally intend; ultimately they too can be swept away in the fascist revolution if they are not careful.
This where we are again faced with the contradictory nature of fascism: it's no friend of liberalism, but it's hardly a stalwart ally of the right, either. Fascism lives in its own political universe where neither right nor left has the same meaning as it does for the rest of us. The reason is that fascism isn't about politics in the rationalized, modern sense of the concept.
Instead, fascism is more like a religion than it is like a political movement. Fascism isn't motivated by rational conclusions about economics, political philosophy, or social policy. Fascism is instead motivated by feeling, redemption, power, purification, honor, and the desire to find some form of mythical transcendence through the traditional political institutions (which will have to be transformed if they are to fulfill that goal).
Fascism: A Very Short Introduction
Passmore explores the ways in which fascist movements not only in Italy and Germany, but also Romania, Hungary, and Spain have exemplified these various features. Passmore's account shows how both tradition and conservatism become compromised in the fascist pursuit of power and domination. If you are interested in learning more about what makes fascism "tick," this is a great place to start.
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