Zero Patient of Fascism and Communism
Zero Patient of Fascism and Communism. In epidemiology, the "zero patient" refers to the first person to contract a disease, from whom an outbreak begins. Mental epidemics, where instead of viruses, ideas (memes) spread, also follow the laws of epidemiology, and often the "zero patient" of such outbreaks is well known (for example, Frau Troffea for the 1518 dancing plague). Likewise, the mechanisms of spread (induced psychosis) are studied.
Despite external differences, the key ideas of communism and fascism were clearly formulated, popularized, printed in large editions, and had a tremendous impact on people by one person — Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Those interested can read about his biography, full of deception and crimes, but we will focus on his theses, many of which were first articulated by him and still resonate loudly today.
1. The necessity of destroying the mind and culture
The human mind is a mistake of nature. Rousseau argued that "reflection is an unnatural state, the reflecting man is a depraved animal" (animal dépravé). Rousseau anathematized all culture, everything created by history, all the foundations of civil life — division of labor, property, the state, laws. He insisted on the necessity of destroying culture: "Enlightenment is harmful, and culture itself is a lie and a crime." The only thing that matters is feeling, and only it serves as the measure of truth; exister, pour nous — c’est sentir, he exclaimed: in feeling lies the essence and meaning of life. "I felt before I thought; this is the common lot of humanity; I experienced this more strongly than others."
2. The idea of the "General Will" of the people
The highest good and the only truth in the world is the "general will" of the people. The sovereign always expresses the direct general will of the people and relies on it. Lenin and the Bolsheviks interpreted this as a justification for the dictatorship of the proletariat. They argued that the party expresses the true "general will" of the people, even if the people themselves are not aware of it. This justified the suppression of dissent as a threat to "proper" social development. Mussolini and Hitler also used this principle, declaring that their movement expressed the highest will of the nation, and those who disagreed were enemies of society. The "general will" became the cult of the state and the leader, who "knows better" what the people need. The Communist Party of China also expresses the "will of the people."
Rousseau believed in the nation as a unified whole based on common culture and values. In his "Discourse on Political Economy," he emphasized that the people must be united; otherwise, the state will weaken. Fascists used the idea of national unity to justify the exclusion of "undesirable" elements (Jews, Communists, political opponents). The nation became "sacred," and the leaders of fascist states (Führer, Duce) were declared to embody the will of the people.
3. Anti-individualism and the power of the homogeneous mass
Rousseau was a critic of private interests and advocated for subordinating personal desires to the common good. Private interests, private property, and personal opinions should be destroyed. Italian fascism and German Nazism also placed the nation and the state above the individual. In fascist ideology, the citizen was to dissolve into the collective, and private interests were subordinated to the "higher purpose" of the nation or race. In the USSR or China, individual rights were sacrificed for the collective, and criticism of power was suppressed as selfish resistance to the "common cause." The individual was seen as part of an "organic whole" — the nation, the race, the state. Personal rights were sacrificed for the "higher purpose."
Mussolini's motto: "Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state" — an idea echoing Rousseau's concept of the "general will." He believed that society should be homogeneous — any groups with "private interests" were dangerous. The Soviet terror against the "bourgeoisie" and "kulaks": Communists declared the bourgeoisie and affluent peasants "enemies of the people" because their interests supposedly hindered the proletarian state. This led to mass shootings and deportations. The Nazi concept of "racial purity": Fascists used a similar logic, declaring Jews, Roma, Communists, and other groups as a "threat" to German unity.
4. Abolition of private property
Rousseau argued that private property is the source of inequality. This echoes Marxist criticism of private property as the source of exploitation. In communism, private ownership of the means of production is abolished. In fascism, property can only be owned by those loyal to the leader, and it is wholly confiscated from those deemed disloyal.
5. The Education of the "New Man"
Society must educate citizens fully devoted to the state and the sovereign. The Soviet education system sought to create the "new man" — the ideal communist, ready to sacrifice himself for the party and state. In fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, the "ideal citizen" was also cultivated, with an emphasis on military discipline, the cult of the leader, and national pride. In Russian fascism, Soviet, or Chinese communism, this led to large-scale ideological education systems. Nazis and fascists aimed to create the "new man" — disciplined, self-sacrificial, strong, in line with the ideals of the regime. In Germany, it was the Aryan; in Italy, the ideal Roman; and in the USSR (which also used Rousseauist ideas), the "new Soviet man."
Soviet Gulags: One justification for repression was the "re-education of class enemies" — peasants, intellectuals, and the bourgeoisie were sent to camps to "change their consciousness."
Maoist Labor Camps: "Correct thinking" and the forcible re-education of "wrong elements" became part of China's policies.
Nazi Concentration Camps: Their propaganda spoke of "purging" society of "inferior" elements who allegedly hindered the nation's prosperity.
6. The cult of the savage, the primitive "simple man"
Rousseau believed that true happiness comes when one stops thinking, rejects culture, and returns to a primitive, wild state. Primitive people, according to Rousseau, are happy because they do not know artificial needs, and thus they lack nothing. They are virtuous because they do not experience passions or desires, do not need each other, and do not harm one another. Thus, virtue and happiness are inseparably linked to equality and disappear when equality is lost.
6. The Cult of Destruction
Rousseau idealized the "natural" state of man and believed that the unjust order could be destroyed through radical measures. The Bolsheviks used this as a justification for overthrowing the old system through revolution. Violence was seen as a necessary step toward "liberating" mankind. Hitler and Mussolini also used revolutionary methods to "purge" society and create a "new order."
Rousseau allowed that "enemies of the people" could be deprived of their rights or even destroyed if they went against the "general will." He stated that "if individuals do not 'understand' the common good, they can be 'forced to be free.'" True freedom, in Rousseau’s understanding, can only exist in a collective where personal interests are subordinated to the common good.
If a person resists the general will, they can be "forced to be free," as their resistance is merely a misperception that the state has the right to correct. Rousseau’s understanding of freedom is not the right to act at will but the duty to live according to the will of the nation.
Robespierre, inspired by Rousseau, used the concept of the common will to justify the execution of "enemies of the people." Thousands were guillotined because they "interfered with the people's happiness." Lenin and subsequent communists declared that they represented the interests of the working class, and anyone who opposed them (the bourgeoisie, kulaks, political opponents) had to be destroyed. Hitler’s regime also justified mass purges "for the common good" — the idea that the state had the right to violently eliminate "threats."
7. Civil Religion
In The Social Contract, Rousseau wrote that the stability of a state requires a unified moral code and belief in its principles. In communist regimes, this manifested through party ideology, the cult of leaders (Lenin, Stalin, Mao), and the creation of a system where the state replaced traditional religion. Rousseau saw these as mandatory for every citizen, to be followed as moral principles. He granted the supreme authority the right to exile anyone who does not believe in these principles, and those who profess these principles but act as though they do not should be sentenced to death as the greatest criminals.
8. No elections and representative democracy
Rousseau was skeptical of representative democracy and preferred direct participation by the people. Fascists despised representative democracy, replacing it with a corporatist state or party that "knows better" what the people need. Instead of parliaments, they used "people's assemblies," rallies, and plebiscites. Trumpism undermines trust in democratic processes, criticizing elections (e.g., claims of fraud in the 2020 election) and promoting the idea that real power should come directly from the people, not from the "system."
Rousseau believed that representative democracy (parliaments) did not express the true will of the people, and power should be concentrated in the hands of those who express the general will. This provided a basis for justifying dictatorship in the name of the people.
Lenin and Stalin also used the rhetoric that "bourgeois democracy" is a fiction, and true power of the people can only be realized through the dictatorship of the proletariat. Hitler rejected parliamentarianism, claiming that only the Führer/Duce could express the will of the people.
9. Anti-Elitism
Since education, skills, and culture are seen as tools of oppression, elites must be destroyed. Rousseau argued that there was a divide between the people and the ruling elite, and true power should belong to the people (as outlined in The Social Contract). Trump, for example, constantly positions himself against the "corrupt establishment" (politicians, the media, corporations) and claims to represent "ordinary Americans." His rhetoric about the "deep state" mirrors Rousseau's critique of the elites. Instead of elites, people appointed by the leader should govern.
Rousseau’s ideas about battling elites and returning to the "natural state" influenced revolutionary movements of the 20th century, including both communist and even fascist ideologies. According to Rousseau, the power of the people required centralized control, which in the hands of radicals led to dictatorship.
10. Total Disregard for Laws
The only law is the will of the people. According to Rousseau, the power of the people required centralized control, which always leads to an absolute totalitarian regime. No other laws, including constitutions, have any power. Since only the sovereign people are qualified to judge this, a person's life, property, and freedom are subject to the absolute discretion of the supreme authority.
The supreme authority is indivisible: with this principle, Rousseau denies the need for the separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Rousseau’s supreme authority is always right and cannot make mistakes. It is infallible by definition because "the subject of supreme authority is the General Will (Volonté générale); it always aims for the common good and, therefore, is always right."