Fascism and the Rise of the Administrative State: A Warning from History

In the modern world, government bureaucracy has grown into a vast, sprawling entity that exercises control over many aspects of daily life. While many assume that fascism is simply characterized by violent totalitarianism, a key element of fascist governance was its highly centralized and bureaucratically complex administrative state. The Nazis in Germany and the Fascists in Italy did not rule through brute force alone; they built vast bureaucratic structures that allowed for the regulation of nearly every aspect of economic, social, and cultural life. Today, as the modern administrative state continues to expand in many Western nations, the historical parallels are striking. Without vigilance and restraint, we risk allowing the growth of unchecked bureaucratic power that can erode democracy and individual freedom, just as it did in past authoritarian regimes.

The Administrative State Under Fascism

Fascist states such as Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy relied heavily on a bureaucratic administrative state to maintain control. Rather than running every aspect of the country through a single leader, fascist regimes built enormous bureaucracies, which allowed them to manage society while keeping an illusion of decentralization. They used administrative structures to enforce ideological conformity, regulate private industry, and implement sweeping economic and social policies.

1. Overlapping Bureaucracies and Expanding State Control

   • In Nazi Germany, the government was composed of numerous agencies, ministries, and offices that often overlapped in function, leading to a web of competing bureaucracies that ultimately served Hitler’s objectives.
   • The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda controlled information, media, and culture, while the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) ensured ideological conformity and persecuted dissent.
   • The Gestapo (secret police) operated with a relatively small staff (about 32,000 by 1944) but used an extensive network of bureaucrats and local informants to monitor citizens.
   • The Reich Ministry of Transport, employing nearly 1.5 million people, managed not only railroads but also the logistics of mass deportations and forced labor programs.

2. Regulation and Control Over the Private Sector

   • While Nazi Germany did not technically eliminate private property, the state exercised de facto control over industries through massive bureaucratic intervention.
   • The Nazis created organizations such as the Reich Economic Ministry, which regulated wages, production quotas, and business operations, effectively making private businesses function as extensions of the state.
   • This system of “state-guided capitalism” blurred the lines between public and private, allowing the government to dictate economic priorities without outright nationalization.

3. The Weaponization of Regulations and Policies

   • The fascist administrative state enforced ideological purity through regulatory mechanisms rather than explicit laws.
   • Businesses, schools, and civil institutions were required to conform to government-approved ideologies, much like how today’s regulatory agencies push corporate compliance with political and social agendas.
   • Education, healthcare, and labor were centralized, giving the state control over what children were taught, what workers were paid, and what medical treatments were permitted.

Parallels to the Modern Administrative State

In modern Western democracies, we have seen an explosive growth of the administrative state, where unelected officials in government agencies wield increasing power over legislation, commerce, and personal freedoms. While we are not yet a fascist state, the concentration of regulatory power in bureaucratic agencies has alarming historical precedents.

1. The Expansion of Bureaucratic Agencies

   • In the United States, a significant portion of policymaking is no longer in the hands of elected representatives but has been delegated to federal agencie  such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Education, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
   • These agencies often bypass the legislative process and create rules that have the force of law—effectively making unelected bureaucrats the real lawmakers.
   • For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, public health agencies dictated policies that shut down businesses, mandated vaccinations, and restricted speech on digital platforms, all with minimal input from Congress.

2. Regulatory Overreach and the Erosion of Individual Liberties

   • Today’s administrative state controls many aspects of American life, from banking regulations and corporate governance to education policies and energy consumption
   • The ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework pushed by financial regulators is reminiscent of how Nazi Germany used economic policies to force ideological compliance on businesses.
   • The rise of the surveillance state, including social media censorship and government partnerships with tech companies to regulate speech, mirrors how fascist states used propaganda and information control to eliminate dissent.

3. The Fusion of Government and Corporate Power

   • Fascist regimes operated under a model of corporatism, where businesses were not fully nationalized, but were required to align with state objectives.
   • Today, we see this happening in the form of public-private partnerships, where government regulatory agencies pressure private corporations to enforce ideological goals, such as through DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) mandates and climate change regulations.
   • The push for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) further exemplifies how the administrative state seeks centralized economic control that can bypass constitutional limits.

The Warning: Avoiding an Overgrown and Unchecked Government

The lesson from history is clear—when a government grows too large and relies on bureaucratic agencies to control society rather than democratic accountability, it moves dangerously close to authoritarianism. No nation becomes fascist or totalitarian overnight; rather, it happens through the gradual erosion of democratic checks and the slow centralization of power in bureaucratic institutions.

What Must Be Done?

1. Restore Legislative Authority

   • Congress must reassert its constitutional role in lawmaking rather than deferring critical decisions to unelected bureaucrats
   • Any regulation with the force of law should be explicitly approved by elected representatives rather than dictated by executive agencies.

2. Rein in the Administrative State

   • Agencies should be reduced in size and scope, with strict limits placed on their ability to create de facto laws through regulations.
   • Independent review boards should oversee government agencies to prevent regulatory abuse and ideological enforcement.

3. Decentralize Power

   • Returning power to state and local governments prevents the rise of a centralized bureaucratic leviathan.
   • Citizens must be vigilant in resisting efforts to federalize every aspect of life, from education to healthcare to energy production.

4. Protect Free Speech and Individual Liberties

   • Governments must not be allowed to dictate ideological compliance through regulatory coercion.
   • The public should push back against government-corporate collusion in censorship, social engineering, and financial control.

Conclusion

History has shown that, due to corruptable human nature, unchecked bureaucracy and the expansion of the administrative state are precursors to authoritarianism. While modern democracies have not yet reached the levels of fascist control seen in the past, the centralization of power in unelected agencies, the erosion of individual liberties through regulatory overreach, and the fusion of government and corporate interests are warning signs that must not be ignored.

The United States and other Western nations stand at a crossroads. Will we choose the path of constitutional governance, limited government, and individual liberty? Or will we allow the slow creep of the administrative state to consolidate unchecked power, leading us further toward centralized control? The choice is ours, but history warns that without vigilance, freedom is easily lost.