lp4guld

which to this day dedicates its upper chamber to the aristocracy orthe elite. Long before the last war the principle of the elite wasextensively discussed. Pareto was one of those who had subjectedthis institution to minute analysis. He criticized the static or hereditaryelite that existed in most countries. In Britain and Germanythere was an effort to mitigate this by providing for fresh infusionsof new members into the elite by conferring of nobility upon candidatesfor the distinction from time to time. But the old hereditaryelite remained and continued to dominate its class. Pareto playedwith the idea of a fluid or a circulating elite, as he called it. AndMussolini, who had listened to Pareto at Lausanne, had heard himwith approval. It would be a simple matter to get an endorsement ofthis idea from large numbers of thoughtful people in every Europeancountry. It was this principle Mussolini adopted—the Fascist partybeing the instrument for the creation of this new elite. Hitleradopted the same idea in Germany. At the bottom, the idea is defendedupon the theory that men are not equal in their intellectualand ethical endowments and that society should seek to isolate thosewho represent the highest development of the race and give themspecial functions in the exercise of social power.Out of this, therefore, might be said to grow the idea for theexclusive party, limited in membership and exercising a determininginfluence on the social structure and the government, while accordingthe masses a share in the power through the elected Chamber. Infact, however, the Fascist party did not grow out of any such theory.The theory instead is a rationalization to provide the Fascist partywith an ethical basis. The party is a pure instrument of absolutepower. But the idea invoked to defend it is not without its appeal togreat numbers of people.The other principles of fascist policy are the totalitarian governmentand the principle of leadership. They are not the same. Our owngovernment is almost unique in its proclamation of the idea that thegovernment shall not possess complete power over all human conductand organization. The only powers possessed by our governmentare those granted by the Constitution. And that Constitutiongrants it very limited powers. The powers not granted to the centralgovernment are reserved to the states or to the people. Totalitarian66