Culture and society

Nowhere are the differences in the contexts within which the Fascist and Nazi regimes operated more revealing than in the general area of religious policy. Mussolini in 1929 and Hitler in 1933 signed concordats with the Vatican to regulate relations between Church and state in their respective countries. They then worked to bend the framework set by the concordats to their own ends. Both regimes offered a quasi-religious vision of a new society and a new type of humanity that would repudiate any religious message of solidarity across national or ethnic lines. Fascism and nazism incorporated religious ritual and symbolism in highly elaborate ceremonies. Nazi party congresses took on aspects of a religious celebration with the cult of the Führer as the centrepiece. Each regime battled with the churches for control of the calendar of holy days. For instance, the Fascist state recognized thirteen Catholic holy days, but flanked them with national or party festivals. The celebrations of the March on Rome (28 October) and the victory over Austria (4 November) coexisted with All Saints’ Day (1 November). The anniversary of the founding of the first fascio (23 March) and that of the founding of Rome (21 April) conflicted with the celebrations of Easter.1 Michael Burleigh noted how the Nazis also integrated existing Christian holidays and infused them with new meaning:

The year commenced with the Day of the Seizure of Power (30 January) and progressed through the Promulgation of the party

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 1 2 3111 4 5 6 7 8 9 20111 1 2 3 4 5111 6 7 8 9 30111 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Solstice (21 June), the Reich Party Day (early September), Harvest Thanksgiving (early October), Commemoration of the Movement’s Fallen (9 November) which replaced Remembrance Sunday, and the Winter Solstice (21 December and Christmas).