“At the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged.”

—  Umberto Eco

Ur-Fascism (1995)
Context: At the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged. The easiest way to solve the plot is the appeal to xenophobia. But the plot must also come from the inside: Jews are usually the best target because they have the advantage of being at the same time inside and outside. In the US, a prominent instance of the plot obsession is to be found in Pat Robertson's The New World Order, but, as we have recently seen, there are many others.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "At the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followe…" by Umberto Eco?
Umberto Eco photo
Umberto Eco 120
Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic… 1932–2016

Related quotes

Keshia Chante photo

“Having Plan B is good. But if your obsessed with Plan A, u'll never need backup. Become Obsessed with ur goals, ur focus will bring results.”

Keshia Chante (1988) Canadian actor and musician

Official Website (2009)

Benito Mussolini photo

“The root of our psychological weakness was this: We socialists have never examined the problems of nations. The International was never concerned with it. The International is dead, paralyzed by events. Ten million proletarians are today on the battlefield.”

Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) Duce and President of the Council of Ministers of Italy. Leader of the National Fascist Party and subsequen…

As quoted in The Myth of the Nation and the Vision of Revolution, J.L. Talmon, University of California Press (1981) p. 492. Original source: Mussolini, Opera Omnia VI, p. 427, 1914
1910s

José Mourinho photo

“We want to follow a dream, yes it's true, but it's one thing to follow a dream and another to follow an obsession…A dream is more pure than obsession. A dream is about pride.”

José Mourinho (1963) Portuguese association football player and manager

Chelsea FC, Doctorate Honoris Causa degree award (23 March 2009)

Victor Davis Hanson photo

“[O]ur top schools are obsessed with race, class, and gender but apparently not rigorous in cross-examining the fables and pop fads of their students.”

Victor Davis Hanson (1953) American military historian, essayist, university professor

2010s, The Deflation of the Academic Brand (2018)

Gianfranco Fini photo

“Nobody can ask us to abjure our fascist roots.”

Gianfranco Fini (1952) Italian politician

published on il Giornale, 5 January 1990

Achille Starace photo

“It is absurd to believe in the possibility of perpetual peace…Fascist education must be education for battle. Fascism believes in sanctity and heroism.”

Achille Starace (1889–1945) Italian Fascist general

Quoted in "Believe, Obey, Fight" - Page 98 - by Tracy H. Koon - Political Science – 1985.

John Banville photo

“One of my mottoes as a writer is a little jotting from Kafka's journals: ‘Never again psychology!’ But alas, humankind is obsessed with its psychological workings, and since the novel can only treat of humankind... You see my predicament.”

John Banville (1945) Irish writer

Fully Booked: Q & A with John Banville (2012)

“The invasion of psychology by cybernetics is making us realize that the ordinary concepts of psychology must be reformulated in the language of physics if a physical explanation of the ordinary psychological phenomena is to become possible. Some psychological concepts can be re-formulated more or less easily, but others are much more difficult, and the investigator must have a deep insight if the physical reality behind the psychological phenomena is to be perceived”

W. Ross Ashby (1903–1972) British psychiatrist

W. Ross Ashby, "Review of Analytical Biology, by G. Sommerhoff." In: Journal of Mental Science Vol 98 (1952), p. 88; As cited in Peter M. Asaro (2008)

Umberto Eco photo

“I think it is possible to outline a list of features that are typical of what I would like to call Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism.”

Umberto Eco (1932–2016) Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist

Ur-Fascism (1995)
Context: Fascism became an all-purpose term because one can eliminate from a fascist regime one or more features, and it will still be recognizable as fascist. Take away imperialism from fascism and you still have Franco and Salazar. Take away colonialism and you still have the Balkan fascism of the Ustashes. Add to the Italian fascism a radical anti-capitalism (which never much fascinated Mussolini) and you have Ezra Pound. Add a cult of Celtic mythology and the Grail mysticism (completely alien to official fascism) and you have one of the most respected fascist gurus, Julius Evola... But in spite of this fuzziness, I think it is possible to outline a list of features that are typical of what I would like to call Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism.

Mohammad Javad Zarif photo

“Currently, Americans have focused on psychological warfare and are doing their best to place psychological pressure on Iranians and our international partners.”

Mohammad Javad Zarif (1960) Iranian politician

2018-08-26, during an interview with the state TV, IFP News

Related topics