Supercapitalism was a concept introduced by
Benito Mussolini in a speech given in November 1933 to the
National Council of Corporations
The National Council of Corporations (''Consiglio nazionale delle corporazioni'') was a constitutional organ of the Kingdom of Italy between 1930 and 1943.
History
It was established by royal decrees number 1131 of 2 July 1926 and 1347 of 14 Jul ...
of the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
.
[Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta. ''Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy''. 1997. p. 136.][Salvemini, Gaetano. ''Under the Axe of Fascism''. 2006. p. 132-133.] Mussolini gave this speech in the context of the ongoing
Great Depression, and he attempted to explain the economic crisis in the world at the time by arguing that
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
had gradually degenerated from its original form: first there had been dynamic or
heroic capitalism
Heroic capitalism or dynamic capitalism was a concept proposed by Benito Mussolini in a speech given in November 1933 to the National Council of Corporations of the Kingdom of Italy.Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta. ''Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics ...
(1830–1870), followed by static capitalism (1870–1914), in turn followed by the final form of
decadent
The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...
capitalism, known also as supercapitalism, which began in 1914.
[Mussolini, Benito. ''Four Speeches on the Corporate State: With an Appendix Including the Labour Charter, the Text of Laws on Syndical and Corporate Organisations and Explanatory Notes''. Laboremus, 1935. p. 16] Mussolini claimed that at the stage of supercapitalism "a capitalist enterprise, when difficulties arise, throws itself like a dead weight into the state's arms. It is then that state intervention begins and becomes more necessary. It is then that those who once ignored the state now seek it out anxiously".
[Mussolini, Benito; Schnapp, Jeffery Thompson (ed.); Sears, Olivia E. (ed.); Stampino, Maria G. (ed.). "Address to the National Corporative Council (14 November 1933) and Senate Speech on the Bill Establishing the Corporations (abridged; 13 January 1934)". ''A Primer of Italian Fascism''. University of Nebraska Press, 2000. p. 158.]
Mussolini argued that although
Italian Fascism did not support a return to dynamic or heroic capitalism, he appreciated heroic capitalism for its industrial advances and technological achievements, and Italian Fascism admired "capitalist production, captains of industries, modern entrepreneurs".
[Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta. ''Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy''. 1997. p. 137.] However, Mussolini said that he did not support or appreciate supercapitalism, claiming that it was incompatible with Italy's agricultural sector.
Furthermore, he strongly criticized supercapitalism for its emphasis on
standardization and
mass consumption
Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the sup ...
, saying:
At this stage, supercapitalism finds its inspiration and its justification in a utopia: the utopia of unlimited consumption. Supercapitalism's ideal is the standardization of the human race from the cradle to the grave. Supercapitalism wants all babies to be born exactly the same length so that the cradles can be standardized and all children persuaded to like the same toys. It wants all men to don the very same uniform, to read the same book, to have the same tastes in films, and to desire the same so-called labor-saving devices. This is not the result of caprice. It inheres in the logic of events, for only thus can supercapitalism make its plans.
In place of supercapitalism, Mussolini advocated what he called a
corporative economy, saying that this economy "respects the principle of private property. Private property completes the human personality. It is a right. But it is also a duty."
[Salvemini, Gaetano. ''Under the Axe of Fascism''. 2006. p. 134.] He claimed that the best elements of heroic capitalism could be restored under the corporative state, arguing that "only when private initiative is unintelligent, non-existent, or inefficient may the State intervene."
See also
*
Corporatocracy
Corporatocracy (, from corporate and el, -κρατία, translit=-kratía, lit=domination by; short form corpocracy) is an economic, political and judicial system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
The concept has been used ...
*
Crony capitalism
Crony capitalism, sometimes called cronyism, is an economic system in which businesses thrive not as a result of free enterprise, but rather as a return on money amassed through collusion between a business class and the political class. This i ...
*
Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor
Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor is a classical political-economic argument asserting that, in advanced capitalist societies, state policies assure that more resources flow to the rich than to the poor, for example in the form ...
*
Corporate welfare
Corporate welfare is a phrase used to describe a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment for corporations.
The definition of corporate welfare is sometimes restricted to direct government subsidie ...
*
Managerial state
The managerial state is a concept used in critiquing modern procedural democracy. The concept is used largely, though not exclusively, in paleolibertarian, paleoconservative, and anarcho-capitalist critiques of late modern state power in Weste ...
*
Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life
References
{{Fascism, Theory
Capitalism
Economics of fascism
Right-wing anti-capitalism