Drucker Paper
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The End of Economic Man
The Rise of Fascism
The End of Economic Man reasons
Fascisms response to the crisis of the European spirit
Future of Industrial Man
What is Freedom?
Concept of the Corporation
The institutions
The New Realities
The End of Economic Man
Druckers investigation of industrial society emerged from his attempts to understand the rise of Fascism. First a somewhat incomplete definition of fascism is necessary since fascism seems to have taken many different forms throughout history. “Fascism is a form of extreme right-wing ideology that celebrates the nation or the race as an organic community transcending all other loyalties. It emphasizes a myth of national or racial rebirth after a period of decline or destruction. To this end, fascism calls for a “spiritual revolution” against signs of moral decay such as individualism and materialism, and seeks to purge “alien” forces and groups that threaten the organic community.” (
The Rise of Fascism
Drucker states several reasons for the rise of fascism. In his first book, “The End of Economic Man” (1939), Drucker criticized socialism, saying that the rise of Fascism was due to the failure of Marxist Socialism. Fascism not only refutes all ideas previously held but also denies, for the first recorded time in European history, the foundation on which all former political and social systems had been built.
Another reason is that Fascist totalitarianism has no positive ideology, but confines itself to refuting, fighting, and denying all traditional ideas and ideologies.
Also the masses joined fascism not because of the promises being made, which would take the place of a positive ideology. However, the masses joined fascism because they did not believe in ideology. Giving them a balance of what to believe in that seemed like a lot of people were seeking for.
The End of Economic Man reasons
Drucker also states a few reasons when he believed that there was going to be an end to the economic man. The first was that a collapse of the society of Economic Man was inevitable as soon as Marxism had proved itself unable. It was unable to realize the free and equal society, which stood for the end of the economic man. Beyond Marxism there is no easy way to regain the supremacy of the “economic sphere” with peoples beliefs lying with freedom and equally within the entire society. Freedom was one of the major reasons in why it was able to produce the end of the economic man.
With the collapse of the Economic Man on individual would be deprived of their social order, and his world in its rational existence. That basically means that no one is able to explain or understand their existence in the world in which they live. Man is literally becoming isolated within a tremendous machine, which is basically taking over their life. Freedom and equality are the two major reasons why the Economic Man is ending.
Fascisms response to the crisis of the European spirit
Fascisms response to the crisis of the European spirit can be very complex. Drucker grew up in Austria during a tough time which the country experienced immense political and economic turmoil, and the country was in essence totally ruined after WWI. Austria was also forbidden from becoming a part of Germany, so the country was not supported at all, leading to a tough time for the citizens. When all hope is gone and there is a significant divide between the rich and the poor that support the countries answers to social and political problems become amplified quickly and take on a new meaning. The breakdown of Government and the social-economic system to provide for the needs of its people played much into the idea of Focusing manipulation of the European people. Fascist was able to manipulate the desires and desperation of the people pretty easily. The people were desperately looking for a solution for economic collapse and political chaos and a way to freedom and equality.
In the miracle or mirage chapter, Drucker states “capitalism and Marxist socialism broke down because of the mechanist concept of the world and of society collapsed.” This happened in Europe rapidly, and the way Hitler was trusted in Germany was through all of his propaganda. Drucker says that the only answer to make fascism work after these others have failed was create “naked mechanisms” that were far beyond the realm and “glorify is as the final end in itself.” (p. 220) He also states that because there was such a need for this new way, fascism was not supplying a new order. The more the culture was insisting it be put in the place, the more Hitler was emphasizing that this was the only way and everything else needed to follow suit.
And finally Drucker does state that the only way fascism would have ever stayed superior only if it keeps all its competitions suppressed. This would be also true of most corporations.
Future of Industrial Man
Drucker starts “Future of Industrial Man” by explaining that war is starting to be fought much differently than that in previous years. Its become a race to see who can build and produce the best machine guns, tanks, and equipment the fastest to best suit its fighting soldiers. This started to happening near the end of the First World War, when countries realized this may be the best approach and only approach. Thus leading to the one factor in which the industrial revolution took off in the U.S. immediately flowing.
The Future of the Industrial Man lends itself to being a complex idea on paper. The management Drucker believes is taking over within the “corporations.” Drucker believes that the old corporations delegated their power by using the political government. Drucker states that the “modern corporate laws” made society this way between 1820s and 1870s, because this was the triumph of the mercantile society. Drucker states that Hitlerism and FDRs New Deal though having nothing in common both “fronts for the managerial rule.”
Drucker states that industrial society best fits in with Democracy. Thus leads to an emergence of a new class of managers. However in reading the so-called