The Mass Psychology of Fascism - Anxiety Depression Self-Help

[118] can be found, in a more diffuse and less tangible form, in all strata of people. The degree of mystical,
sentimental and sadistic feelings corresponds exactly to the degree of the disturbance of natural orgastic
experience. Close observation of the audience of a trashy thriller or of a boxing match teaches more about these
problems than a hundred handbooks of sexology. As different as the contents of mystical experience may be, they
all have the same sex-economic basis. Compare with that the realistic, unsentimental experience of real
revolutionaries, of genuine scientific searchers or of healthy adolescents!
One might object here that the primitive who lives naturally in a matriarchal order also has mystical feelings. It
can be shown that what appears to be the same thing is, nevertheless, entirely different in the matriarchal as
compared with the patriarchal individual. The relationship between religion and sexuality changed with the
advent of patriarchy: while originally it was essentially a religion of sexuality, it turned into the enemy of
sexuality. The "mysticism" of the sex-affirming matriarchal primitive is not due to sexual suppression as is the
mysticism of the patriarchal individual. It is in part immediate orgastic experience and in part animistic
interpretation of natural processes.
4. THE GOAL OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN THE LIGHT
OF THE FASCIST REACTION
The social revolution concentrates all its strength on the elimination of the social basis of human suffering. The
primary necessity for revolution in the social order obscures the sex-economic intentions and goals. The
revolutionary is forced to postpone the solution of important problems, as urgent as they may be, until such time
as the most urgent task, that of creating the prerequisites for their solution, is fulfilled. The reactionary, on the
other hand, fights most violently against precisely those ultimate cultural goals of the revolution which have to be
postponed in favor of the preliminary tasks which prepare the ground.
"Kulturbolschewismus strives for the disintegration of our historical culture and wants to replace it by a new
culture which [119] serves only the earthly happiness of people," wrote Kurt Hutten in his
KULTURBOLSCHEWISMUS (1931). Does political reaction, in its accusations, hit upon that which the cultural
revolution really intends to bring about, or does it, for reasons of demagogy, impute goals to the revolution which
are not intended by it? In the former case, a clarification of the necessity of these goals is indicated; in the latter
case, only disproof of the imputation.
How does political reaction evaluate the antithesis of earthly happiness and religion? Kurt Hutten writes:
To begin with, the most embittered fight of Kulturbolschewismus is that against religion. For religion, as long as it is alive, is the
strongest bastion against its goal . . . Religion subjects all human life to a supernatural, eternal authority. It demands denial, sacrifice,
the renunciation of desire. It gives human life an atmosphere of responsibility, guilt, judgment, eternity. It inhibits an unrestricted
living out of human impulses. Cultural revolution is cultural revolution of the human, it is subjugation of all fields of life under the
idea of happiness. (Italics are mine.—W. R.)
Here, the reactionary negation of earthly happiness is expressed in so many words. The reactionary senses the
danger to the structural anchoring of imperialistic mysticism (which is what he calls "culture"). He is much more
aware of this danger than the revolutionary is conscious of his ultimate goal because the latter concentrates his
efforts on changing social conditions. The reactionary recognizes the danger which the revolution represents to
the authoritarian family and to mystical moralism. He recognizes it at a time when the average revolutionary has
not begun to have an inkling of such consequences of the revolution. The reactionary advocates heroism, selfsacrifice
and renunciation in an absolute, eternal way; in doing so, he advocates the interests of imperialism,
whether he wants to or not (cf. Japan). To do that, however, he needs mysticism, that is, in the last analysis,
sexual renunciation. By happiness he means essentially sexual gratification. And of course, this definition is, in
itself, correct. The revolutionary also demands a great deal of duty and renunciation, because the pos-
[120]sibilities for happiness must first be fought for. In his practical work with the masses he forgets only too