ESSAY 8 25.09. 25

Mass Man And Totalitarian Roots 

Rahul Ramya

25.09.2025

The Rise of the Mass Man

By the early 20th century, European thinkers had warned that mass politics could destabilize democracy, turning it into tyranny when the “mob” replaced reasoned citizenship. Yet the mass man that emerged in practice exceeded those fears. What defined him was not merely blind obedience but radical detachment from personal self-interest.

Instead of caring about livelihood, security, or family survival, the mass man sought immersion in abstract ideological missions—race, nation, or class destiny. Himmler described his SS recruits as people uninterested in “everyday problems” but devoted to projects of millennia. This mentality transformed politics into a quasi-religion, where individual lives were expendable in the service of a “historic task.”

In the present, this same detachment surfaces in how large groups rally around nationalist or civilizational projects, disregarding everyday concerns like jobs, healthcare, or climate change. The embrace of Trump in the United States and Hindutva-driven mobilization in India both reflect this psychology: a willingness to suspend immediate self-interest for the promise of belonging to a larger, eternal cause.

The Collapse of Class Anchors and Negative Solidarity

The dissolution of traditional class systems in Europe after World War I created a vacuum of identity. Workers, small property owners, and former elites—all stripped of economic security—converged into a structureless, angry mass. What united them was not common purpose but shared resentment: the belief that elites, institutions, and parties were fraudulent.

This “negative solidarity” produced fertile ground for authoritarian movements. The unemployed worker despised social democratic institutions, the ruined shopkeeper turned against centrist parties, and elites spurned liberal democracy. Together, they formed a vast mass of disillusioned individuals ready to embrace radicalism.

In the modern world, this dynamic repeats itself. In Europe, stagnant youth gravitate toward far-right parties like Marine Le Pen’s National Rally or Alternative für Deutschland. In India, disillusioned jobless youth turn to religious nationalism as a vehicle for venting frustration. In the USA, many working-class voters abandoned traditional parties and rallied to Trump, convinced the “system” was rigged.

Parties Without Classes: The Hollowing of Representation

When class-based societies disintegrated, political parties also lost their reason for existence. Once vehicles for representing concrete interests, parties became ideological shells. They no longer defended actual livelihoods but appealed through nostalgia, symbolism, or abstract rhetoric.

This loss of substance weakened their ability to engage new generations or maintain the tacit support of neutral citizens. When those silent masses shed their apathy, they did not revive old parties but instead drifted toward radical movements that promised action and clarity.

Contemporary politics shows the same hollowing. In India, the Congress Party has failed to reinvent itself, surviving largely on nostalgia while the BJP mobilizes masses with ideological vigor. In the USA, the Democratic Party’s detachment from working-class life created a vacuum that Trump exploited with promises of disruption.

The Psychology of Isolation and Expendability

When individuals no longer belong to secure classes or responsive parties, they become isolated. Unlike Marx’s proletariat, which had collective organization and a sense of historical mission, the mass man felt alone and expendable.

This produced a paradox: while deeply self-centered in bitterness, mass individuals also became willing to sacrifice themselves because their lives seemed meaningless. Instead of fighting for survival, they sought refuge in abstract causes, even at the cost of their own well-being.

In today’s digital age, social media intensifies this isolation by amplifying resentment, conspiracy theories, and ideological extremes. Online communities give isolated individuals a sense of belonging to a “larger struggle,” while AI-driven recommendation systems keep reinforcing ideological echo chambers. This dynamic is visible in the growth of QAnon in the United States, online Islamophobia in India, and conspiracy-driven politics in Brazil.

Comparative Study: From Nazis and Fascists to Today’s Right-Wing Resurgence

• Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy: Both emerged from societies fractured by class collapse, war trauma, and disillusionment. They mobilized masses not through interests but through ideology—race in Germany, national revival in Italy.
• United States: Trump’s rise reflects similar mass psychology: resentment against elites, distrust of institutions, and a hunger for grand nationalist renewal. Digital technologies have turned mass isolation into mass mobilization almost overnight.
• Western Europe: France, Germany, and Italy are witnessing far-right surges, fueled by immigration fears, economic stagnation, and declining trust in mainstream parties.
• Eastern Europe: Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Poland’s Law and Justice Party deploy nationalism and anti-liberal narratives to channel mass discontent.
• Asia: In India, Hindu nationalism thrives on mobilizing majoritarian identity amid unemployment and inequality, while in Turkey, Erdoğan’s regime combines populism with authoritarian consolidation.
• Latin America: Bolsonaro in Brazil and Milei in Argentina tapped into mass disillusionment with democracy’s failures, using digital platforms as modern propaganda tools.
• Africa: In countries like Uganda and Sudan, authoritarian leaders exploit disillusionment with weak democratic institutions, presenting themselves as guardians of stability.

Comparative Table: From Nazi–Fascist Era to Contemporary Right-Wing Resurgence

Dimension	Historical (Nazi Germany & Fascist Italy)	Contemporary (India, USA, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia)
Economic Breakdown	Hyperinflation, mass unemployment, war debts after WWI	Joblessness, inequality, precarity (India’s youth unemployment, U.S. Rust Belt deindustrialization, Europe’s stagnation)
Collapse of Classes & Parties	Weakened aristocracy, discredited bourgeoisie, collapsing socialist parties	Hollowed mainstream parties (Congress in India, Democrats losing working class, European centrists fading)
Mass Psychology	Isolated, bitter individuals forming “negative solidarity”; loss of self-preservation instincts	Online echo chambers breeding conspiracies (QAnon, Hindutva WhatsApp networks, Bolsonaro’s digital army)
Propaganda Tools	Radio, cinema, rallies, print media spectacles	Social media platforms, AI-driven targeting, deepfakes, WhatsApp/Facebook propaganda
Ideological Focus	Race purity (Nazism), national glory (Fascism)	Religious nationalism (India), White nationalism (USA), immigration fears (Europe), anti-globalist populism (Latin America)
Leaders as “Strong Men”	Hitler and Mussolini as saviors against chaos	Trump, Modi, Orbán, Erdoğan, Bolsonaro, Milei positioning as protectors of “the people”
Attitude Toward Democracy	Exploited democratic freedoms to abolish them	Similar pattern: using elections to undermine institutions, weaken judiciary, and centralize power
Global Vision	Expansionist ambitions: Lebensraum, empire-building	Civilizational destiny, continental power blocs (e.g., Hindutva’s Akhand Bharat, Trump’s America First, Erdoğan’s Neo-Ottomanism)

Explanatory Note

This comparison shows that the structural drivers of mass politics remain strikingly similar across eras: economic dislocation, collapse of mediating institutions, and the psychological isolation of individuals. What has changed are the technological enablers—radio and print in the 1930s, social media and AI today.

The Nazis needed years of rallies and radio to build momentum; today’s authoritarian leaders can trigger mass mobilization in days through viral digital campaigns. The loss of trust in traditional parties and institutions has left millions searching for belonging, making them susceptible to ideological movements that promise grandeur and purpose.

Thus, while the forms differ, the essence is the same: when individuals lose faith in self-preservation and institutions, they turn to grand ideological causes and strong leaders, paving the way for authoritarian or totalitarian politics.

Conclusion: The Digital-Age Mass Man

The “mass man” is not a relic of early 20th-century Europe but a recurring figure, now amplified by digital technologies. Just as class collapse and party hollowing once produced isolated, furious masses, today’s AI-driven echo chambers, economic precarity, and hollow democracies fuel similar dynamics.

Totalitarian tendencies thrive not because people are coerced into submission, but because masses willingly surrender individuality for ideological belonging. The challenge for modern democracies lies in rebuilding meaningful representation, restoring trust in institutions, and harnessing technology for inclusion rather than manipulation.