In what conditions are bureaucracies abused for totalitarian or fascist ends?

Authors

  • Pola Jancewicz Akademeia High School
  • Dr Michał Herer University of Warsaw

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i4.5611

Keywords:

bureaucracy, totalitarianism, fascism, state of exception, authoritarian type, Taylorism

Abstract

This paper is going to assess conditions that allow for bureaucracy to be used for totalitarian or fascist ends. It will determine that some intrinsic traits of bureaucracy are inherently problematic because they facilitate for the system to get abused (for fascist ends). That is because, for instance, by nature bureaucracy dehumanizes people and separates one's private life from one's professional life. Moreover, the system does not allow for individual moral reflection (on the part of the workers), and it lacks the mechanism of individual responsibility. If they existed in a bureaucracy, the aforementioned factors would act as "checks" if the system started getting abused. However, there are several external conditions that allow for bureaucracies to get exploited - the presence of the "manipulative" and "authoritarian" type among the executors of actions as well as the implementation of the state of exception on the part of the government.

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Author Biography

Dr Michał Herer, University of Warsaw

Dr Michał Herer is a Polish philosopher and translator. He is an assistant professor at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw. He specializes in contemporary German and French philosophy, especially critical thought. He translated many important works into Polish e.g. the works of Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuz. 

Links to bio and profiles: https://nauka-polska.pl/#/profile/scientist?id=126506&_k=xp51jo ; https://philpeople.org/profiles/michal-herer ; https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micha%C5%82_Herer

References or Bibliography

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Bauman, Z. (2000). Modernity and the Holocaust. Cornell University Press.

Fromm, E. (1965). Escape From Freedom. Avon Books.

Fromm, E. (2010). The Pathology of Normalcy. American Mental Health Foundation Books.

Schmitt, C. (1986). Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty. MIT Press.

Schmitt, C. (2007). The Concept of the Political .The University of Chicago Press.

Traverso, E. (2003). The Origins of Nazi Violence. The New Press.

Weber, M. (2015). Weber's Rationalism and Modern Society. New Translations on Politics, Bureaucracy, and Social Stratification (T. Waters, D. Waters, Ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. (Original work published 1914-1919).

Published

11-30-2023

How to Cite

Jancewicz, P., & Herer, M. (2023). In what conditions are bureaucracies abused for totalitarian or fascist ends? . Journal of Student Research, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i4.5611

Issue

Section

HS Research Projects