In the turbulent period between 1870 and 1930, the contours on
modernity were taking shape, especially the connections between
technology, politics and aesthetics. The trilogy The Nihilist Order
traces the genealogy of the nihilist-totalitarian syndrome. Until
now, nihilism and totalitarianism were considered opposites: one an
orderless state of affairs, the other a strict regimented order. On
closer scrutiny, however, a surprising affinity can be found
between these two concepts that dominated the history of the first
half of the twentieth century. Starting with Nietzsche's
philosophy, this book traces the development of an intellectual
school characterised by the paradoxical dual purpose of a wish to
destroy, coupled with a strong desire to create imposing
structures. This explosive combination of nihilist leanings
together with a craving for totalitarianism was an ideal of
philosophers, cultural critics, political theorists, engineers,
architects and aesthetes long before it materialised in flesh and
blood, not only in technology, but also in fascism, Nazism,
bolshevism and radical European political movements. Friedrich
Nietzsche, Georges Sorel, the Italian Futurists, led by Filippo
Tommaso Marinetti, and Ernst Junger were all well-known
intellectual and cultural figures. Here they are seen and
understood in a different light, as creators of a modern political
mythology that became a source of inspiration for belligerent
ideological camps. Among the ideas propagated by this school, and
later adopted by totalitarian regimes, were historical nihilism, a
revolt against the rationalistic and universalistic pretensions of
the Enlightenment, an affirmation of the dynamism of modern life,
and the replacement of the traditional Judeo-Christian values of
good and evil by other dualities such as authenticity and
decadence. Concurrently there took place affirmation of the
technological era, the creation of a 'new man' and a violent order,
and the birth of a new political style in place of traditional
world-views. When channelled into the political sphere, these
aesthetic nihilist ideas paved the way for the rise of
totalitarianism.
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