... National Socialism, emerged in Germany. Ideologically the state, not the individual, counted. Politically, dictatorship from above, not consent from below was imposed. Institutionally, repression of the rights of the citizen, not respect for them, was practiced. Both Benito MUSSOLINI and Adolf HITLER boasted that they would provide strength were weakness had prevailed. The sacrifice of civil liberties for the communal promises of the dictators was made without a whimper by large segments of the new masses and old middle classes. The Enlightenment ideal of the self-sufficient man, capable of determining his own destiny seemed fraudulent, giving oppressive personal responsibility at variance with the contemporary social and economic conditions. Liberty was seen to result in meaningless struggle and not self-improvement. The individual was a small piece within a social order made up of the masses, incapable of understanding or controlling the world in which he lived. The obvious answer was to reject individual responsibility in favour ...

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