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Mussolini's Intellectuals

By 1925, Evola was attempting to resolve the problems of philosophical idealism by pursuing epistemological problems into ontological conclusions that made the “Absolute Individual” – initially understood as the sensate self – somehow “responsible” for all “reality”. What resulted was a more than quaint “magic idealism” – part Tantric, part primitive Buddhist, part pre-Christian pagan, and part medieval alchemy. Ugo Spirito, one of the most prominent Fascist intellectuals of the time, called it a product of “mania for originality at whatever cost, a vanity for new formulations, and a poorly concealed inability to suffer the moral discipline of an idealism that is adequately understood.” He dismissed the young Evola as a pretentious poseur who had given himself over to a Europeanized version of Eastern mysticism – a kind of fictive “anti-intellectualism” that in fact revealed itself as nothing other than an exotic and stilted intellectualism.

 

In effect, for the youthful Evola, Fascism, as it was, had precious few immediate and evident virtues. Early in 1925, his intention had been to convey all that by undertaking efforts that were expressly anti-fascist.

 

In retrospect, it appears evident that Evola was never particularly interested in Fascism, as such. In effect, he actually has no place in any history of Fascist social and political thought. He is accorded a place because, years after the passing of fascism, discussants have chosen to identify him as the “fascist” source of irrationalism and antihumanism of contemporary “extremism”.

 

In retrospect, it is clear that Mussolini allowed Evola to continue a diversionary controversy with the Church in order to drive the Papacy into the most accommodating arrangement he could. Mussolini recognized Evola as just that kind of anticlerical “hysterical fanatic” who could best serve his purpose…Faced by the apparent threat of a violent anticlerical “fascist” opposition, the Church concluded its negotiations with Mussolini…In part through his deft manipulation of Evola, Mussolini had won what was perhaps his single greatest political success.

 

Irrespective of his contribution to Mussolini’s purpose, Evola was never accorded and respect in Fascist intellectual circles. Almost every Fascist intellectual of the period identified Evola as the author of “formless and unsophisticated” polemics – the framer of  works “every line” of which “conceals a coarse error” – and publications that were not serious, meriting only “to be put aside and thought of no more about.”

 

The fact is that at the time of the publication of Evola’s Sintesi, the most serious students of raciation and comparative psychology in Fascist Italy dismissed his ideas as “bizarre…occult anti-scientific fantasies.” Evola had early been identified by Fascist critics as a “lucid madman”, who was not to be taken seriously. Even granted his tactical utility, it is difficult to entirely understand Mussolini’s readiness to allow the publication of Evola’s book in National Socialist Germany as a rendering of “Fascist” doctrine.

 

In retrospect, and considered in context, it appears that Mussolini used Evola’s ‘Sintesi di dottrina della razza’ exclusively in an attempt to serve Fascism’s tactical purposes. Nothing of Evola’s exotic ruminations appeared in any official Fascist doctrinal pronouncements…As has been indicated, he early decided that Evola was an hysteric – but that his views might serve to convey, to equally hysterical fanatics in National Socialist Germany, Fascism’s seriousness of purpose…All that notwithstanding, by 1943 Mussolini’s tactical decision to allow Evola to masquerade as a Fascist intellectual bore bitter consequences.

 

Fascism’s unhappy misalliance with National Socialism had culminated in those tragic consequences – but the way was facilitated by elevating Julius Evola to the totally unwarranted level of an intellectual “spokesman” for Fascism…Mussolini’s tactical decision to reduce the ideological distance between Fascist Italy and National Socialist Germany through the employment of the work of Julius Evola was paid for at exorbitant cost.

 

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Sat Nov 5, 2005 9:38 am

savitar_devi
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Has anyone come across A. J. Gregors' book `Mussolini's Intellectuals'? The portrayal of Evola is this book is quite rancid to say the least… this is a quote...
savitar_devi Offline Send Email Nov 4, 2005
10:00 am

Sure. In the meantime, this is a description of the book : "Fascism has traditionally been characterized as irrational and anti- intellectual, finding...
evola_as_he_is Offline Send Email Nov 4, 2005
10:17 am

... I have not read "Mussolini's Intellectuals" yet, but its author, A. James Gregor (who has been writing studies of Fascism for about forty years now), has ...
Michael Lord
ouro_boros Offline Send Email
Nov 4, 2005
6:19 pm

By 1925, Evola was attempting to resolve the problems of philosophical idealism by pursuing epistemological problems into ontological conclusions that made the...
Savitar Devi
savitar_devi Offline Send Email
Nov 5, 2005
11:15 am

Lately, a message has been posted on the forum of the site www.juliusevola.it by a former student of Piero di Vona, one of the foremost experts on Evola's...
evola_as_he_is Offline Send Email Nov 6, 2005
1:01 pm

Alas, Gregor does provide references to some of his less flattering descriptions. The ‘hysterical fanatic’ slur has two footnotes relating to it – ...
Savitar Devi
savitar_devi Offline Send Email
Nov 7, 2005
9:33 am

Gregor didn't write "Montini recognized Evola as just that kind of anticlerical "hysterical fanatic" who could best serve his purpose...", but "Mussolini...
evola_as_he_is Offline Send Email Nov 7, 2005
11:52 am

But if Evola was universally viewed as a mere pipsqueak, how could he have either put the mighty Vatican on the defensive, or deceived the multitudinous Nazi...
Rowan Berkeley
rowan_berkeley Offline Send Email
Nov 5, 2005
12:51 pm

In the most recent edition of 'Imperialismo pagano' (Edizioni Mediterranee, 2004), De Turris quotes a few excerpts from a text by Yvon de Bergnac called...
evola_as_he_is Offline Send Email Nov 5, 2005
1:55 pm

... Post-modern smugness!...
Pluto Gordon
specialediti... Offline Send Email
Nov 5, 2005
8:13 pm

Note that Mussolini, talking of Evola, call him "il professor Julius Evola". Knowing the aversion of Evola for the academical titles and for the intellectuals...
vandermok
charltonroad36 Offline Send Email
Nov 7, 2005
12:59 pm

Before we get too subtle here, note that Mussolini was a former primary school teacher. ... Evola". Knowing the aversion of Evola for the academical titles and...
evola_as_he_is Offline Send Email Nov 7, 2005
1:12 pm

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