Persuasive Strategies in the Early Stages of Fascist Ideology in Spain: Fear, Segregation, and Contempt for Politics

Abstract

This paper addresses the introduction of fascism in Spain through the Spanish Falange movement ―around the thirties of the twentieth century, just right until the beginning of Spanish civil war―, and the mechanisms and strategies that the first fascists, with an ideology still poorly defined but clearly inspired by Mussolini, put into practice in the discourses to present themselves to society, and, above all, to generate a group conscience to defeat the other political options considered as enemies of the country, and responsible for all the evil that Spain was going through. In this process of contacting society, fascism supporters, Falangists in the Spanish case, implemented strategies to impose on the people their idea of State, to create a group conscience, and to disconnect from other political options. To achieve this, they used lies, fear, segregation, and a resounding disregard for their time politics, which they considered out of date, in comparison to their proposal.