Written by: Ahaana Raghav
Edited by: Aaliya Ashwin
February is often considered the month of love, with Valentine’s day at its heart. People celebrate their love for their partners, friends, and family. This February, I also fell in love, but not with a person. I rediscovered my love for Political History through an elective I opted for. Spending the past two years primarily studying psychology had alienated me from all the other subjects I used to enjoy studying in school. So this semester I chose an elective about the political history of fascist Europe, which reawakened my interest and love for the subject.
One aspect of this course that I found very interesting was how Mussolini and Hitler’s fascist regimes successfully manipulated mass psychology to create a sense of devotion and loyalty by framing their leadership as almost divine and the state as a sacred entity. Mussolini and Hitler used powerful psychological tools like emotional manipulation, symbolism, rituals, propaganda, and the cult of personality to reshape the worldview of their citizens. Their regimes became not just political systems but quasi-religions, giving people a clear sense of identity and purpose, and offering them a psychological escape from fear and uncertainty. This created not only loyalty but belief in the state, leading people to act in ways they might not have otherwise, including violence and suppression of dissent. Fascist regimes often presented the state and its ideology as sacred, equating national success with moral and spiritual righteousness. the state was not just a political institution but something larger than life, an almost divine force, demanding total loyalty. This created a form of group identity where people felt they were part of a transcendent movement. The collective-self became indistinguishable from the state, and individuals were absorbed into this higher purpose, often feeling a sense of moral superiority for being part of it.
Fascists regimes capitalized on ritualistic practices to create unity, cohesion, and a sense of belonging. The use of mass rallies, parades, and other public displays was highly structured and designed to evoke intense feelings of awe and submission. This tapped into the psychology of crowd behaviour, where individuals, when part of a group, may feel less accountable for their actions and more likely to act according to the group’s emotions and ideologies. Propaganda further reinforced the idea that the regime was more than just a government; it was a moral and spiritual necessity. By flooding the public with idealized images of the leader, the state, and its virtues, fascism became a belief system, a worldview that offered people answers to complex problems and a sense of control in an uncertain world.
Fascist regimes manipulated history, creating a narrative where the past was seen through a glorified, often distorted, lens. This collective memory was used to cultivate a sense of national pride and destiny, creating an environment where citizens felt a deep emotional connection to the nation’s past achievements and struggles. By ritualizing the memory of past battles, conquests, and struggles, fascist states linked their current political mission to a divine historical destiny.
I really enjoyed the fact that I could connect all of this to what I have studied in psychology, like crowd behaviour, and how political leaders use complex psychological techniques to manipulate the masses. It also makes me realise that I am not bound to study only the subject I have chosen for my major. I can study other subjects I enjoy and even form relationships between the different topics which makes everything I study a lot more interesting.
