Is Warmongering a Trait of Fascist Leaders?
Warmongering — the promotion or incitement of war — is a recurring pattern among history's most authoritarian regimes. But is it just a coincidence that fascist leaders seem to have an insatiable appetite for conflict? The short answer: No.
Warmongering isn’t just an unfortunate byproduct of fascist rule — it’s a deliberate and essential strategy. From Hitler’s blitzkrieg to Mussolini’s campaigns in Africa, and Imperial Japan’s invasions in Asia, fascist movements have consistently relied on warfare as both a tool of expansion and a weapon of domestic control.
Let’s explore why warmongering is so central to fascist ideology and governance.
1. Fascism Glorifies Violence and War
At the heart of fascism is the idealization of violence. War is not viewed as a tragedy, but as a means of achieving national rebirth and heroic greatness.
Benito Mussolini 🇮🇹, the founder of fascism, claimed that war was “to the man what maternity is to the woman.”
Adolf Hitler 🇩🇪 argued in Mein Kampf that only through struggle could a nation rise to dominance.
Imperial Japan 🇯🇵 educated children to believe that dying in battle for the Emperor was the highest honor.
In fascist ideology, violence purifies and war proves worth. These regimes are obsessed with myths of heroism, sacrifice, and the supposed cleansing nature of battle.
2. Nationalism and Expansionism Feed the War Machine
Fascist regimes are deeply nationalistic. But it’s not the kind of nationalism that simply celebrates culture — it’s an aggressive, exclusive nationalism that sees others as threats or inferiors.
To fascists, war is a rightful means to:
Reclaim lost territory ("revanchism")
Expand the homeland into “rightful” or “sacred” space
Destroy foreign or domestic threats to the purity of the nation
Nazi Germany 🇩🇪 pursued Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe, justifying genocide and colonization in the name of German destiny.
Fascist Italy 🇮🇹 invaded Ethiopia 🇪🇹 to restore what Mussolini saw as the glory of the Roman Empire.
Imperial Japan 🇯🇵 launched brutal invasions into China 🇨🇳, Korea 🇰🇷, and Southeast Asia 🌏 as part of its imperial ambition.
War, then, isn’t a last resort — it’s a natural consequence of fascist ideology.
3. War as a Political Tool to Silence Dissent
Fascist regimes thrive on internal unity — not diversity or disagreement. But how do you unite a population under authoritarian rule?
By manufacturing external threats.
Warmongering creates a climate of fear and urgency that allows fascist leaders to:
Crack down on political opponents
Control media and speech
Justify censorship and surveillance
Mobilize mass support around militarism
In Hitler’s Germany 🇩🇪, Jews, communists, and Slavs were portrayed as existential threats.
In Mussolini’s Italy 🇮🇹, “decadent” Western democracies and “barbarian” African peoples were vilified.
In Francoist Spain 🇪🇸, dissenters were executed or imprisoned as “enemies of the nation.”
A perpetual state of conflict helps fascists stay in power by rallying the people under a single banner of fear and hate.
4. Propaganda Turns War Into a Sacred Duty
Fascist regimes use propaganda to deify war and demonize peace. Through films, posters, speeches, and education, war becomes mythologized:
Soldiers are martyrs.
Conquest is liberation.
Resistance is treason.
Peace, on the other hand, is portrayed as weak, cowardly, or corrupt. Diplomats are mocked. Treaties are broken. Negotiations are cast as betrayal.
Fascist propaganda doesn’t just promote war — it embeds it in the national identity.
For example:
Nazi Germany 🇩🇪 used the 1936 Olympics to promote Aryan superiority and militarized youth culture through the Hitler Youth.
Imperial Japan 🇯🇵 enforced emperor worship and militaristic schooling to prepare children for sacrifice.
Fascist Italy 🇮🇹 glorified Mussolini as a war hero and defender of civilization against barbarism.
This myth-making machinery normalizes war and conditions the public to accept endless conflict.
5. Peace Is Viewed With Contempt
Fascist leaders consistently show disdain for diplomacy, cooperation, and compromise. To them, peace is not noble — it’s weak.
They reject:
International law and organizations (e.g., the League of Nations 🌐, the UN 🇺🇳)
Treaties or pacts unless they're purely self-serving
Multilateralism or global consensus
They believe in a “might makes right” worldview where power — particularly military power — defines legitimacy.
Even when fascists sign treaties (like Hitler’s non-aggression pact with Stalin 🇷🇺), it’s often tactical — never sincere. Their ultimate aim is domination, not coexistence.
Final Thoughts: War as a Strategy, Not a Side Effect
Fascist leaders don’t stumble into war.
They pursue it deliberately.
Warmongering serves multiple strategic purposes:
Expands territory and influence
Unites the populace against real or invented enemies
Glorifies the leader and the nation
Destroys opposition and debate
Maintains fear-based control
In other words, fascists need war — ideologically, politically, and psychologically.
Understanding this is crucial in identifying the warning signs of rising authoritarianism today. Because while fascist leaders may wear different faces in different eras, their thirst for war remains a defining pattern.
📚 Further Reading:
The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert Paxton
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright
Mein Kampf (for critical analysis, not endorsement)
War and Genocide by Doris Bergen