# Statolatry

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{{Short description|Worship of the state}}
{{Fascism sidebar}}
{{Nazism sidebar}}
'''Statolatry''' is a term formed from the word "[state](/source/State_(polity))" and a suffix derived from the Latin and Greek word ''[latria](/source/latria)'', meaning "worship". It first appeared in [Giovanni Gentile](/source/Giovanni_Gentile)'s ''[Doctrine of Fascism](/source/Doctrine_of_Fascism)'', published in 1931 under [Mussolini](/source/Benito_Mussolini)'s name, and was also mentioned in Gramsci's Prison Notebooks (1971) sometime between 1931–1932, while he was imprisoned by Mussolini. The same year, the [encyclical](/source/encyclical) ''[Non abbiamo bisogno](/source/Non_abbiamo_bisogno)'' by [Pope Pius XI](/source/Pope_Pius_XI) criticized [Fascist Italy](/source/Italian_fascism) as developing "a [pagan](/source/paganism) worship of the state" which it called "statolatry".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius11/P11FAC.HTM|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021120044723/http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius11/P11FAC.HTM|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 20, 2002|title=''Non abbiamo bisogno''}}</ref>

The term '''politiolatry''' was used to describe [reason of state](/source/reason_of_state) doctrine in the 17th century with similar intent.<ref>Burns, J. H. (ed.) ''The Cambridge History of Political Thought, 1450-1700''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 483.</ref>

== Ludwig von Mises' ''Omnipotent Government'' (1944) ==

The term was also used and popularized by [Ludwig von Mises](/source/Ludwig_von_Mises) in his 1944 work ''[Omnipotent Government](/source/Omnipotent_Government)''. Mises defines statolatry as being literally worship of the State analogous to ''[idolatry](/source/idolatry)'' (worship of idols). Statolatry asserts that the glorification and aggrandizement of 'State' or 'Nation' is the object of all legitimate human aspiration at the expense of all else, including personal welfare and independent thought. Expansion of the power and influence of one's State is to be achieved, if necessary, through aggressive [war](/source/war) and [colonial](/source/Colonialism) adventures (i.e. [imperialism](/source/imperialism)). It far exceeds the [patriotism](/source/patriotism) of those who recognize the rights of people other than themselves to [self-determination](/source/self-determination), and might best be described as super-patriotism or [chauvinism](/source/chauvinism).

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [The Beast (Revelation)](/source/The_Beast_(Revelation))
* [Christian anarchism](/source/Christian_anarchism)
* [Christian libertarianism](/source/Christian_libertarianism)
* [Civil religion](/source/Civil_religion)
* [Fascism](/source/Fascism)
* [Imperial cult](/source/Imperial_cult)
* [Jingoism](/source/Jingoism)
* [Kingship and kingdom of God](/source/Kingship_and_kingdom_of_God)
* [''Leviathan'' (Hobbes book)](/source/Leviathan_(Hobbes_book))
* [Mandate of Heaven](/source/Mandate_of_Heaven)
* ''[No gods, no masters](/source/No_gods%2C_no_masters)''
* [Political religion](/source/Political_religion)
* [Render unto Caesar](/source/Render_unto_Caesar)
* [Rule according to higher law](/source/Rule_according_to_higher_law)
* [Secular religion](/source/Secular_religion)
* [Statism](/source/Statism) ([State nationalism](/source/State_nationalism))
* [Totalitarianism](/source/Totalitarianism)
* ''[We](/source/We_(novel))'', a science-fiction novel by [Yevgeny Zamyatin](/source/Yevgeny_Zamyatin) with a state cult
}}

==References==
<references />
==Further reading==
* ''[http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/rmis/2006/00000011/00000002/art00002 New idols: Catholicism in the face of Fascist totalitarianism]'', Journal of Modern Italian Studies, Volume 11, Number 2, June 2006, pp.&nbsp;143–170(28)
* Gramsci, Antonio (1971). Selection from the Prison Notebooks (Q. Hoare & G. N. Smith, Eds.). New York: International Publishers.

Category:Social philosophy
Category:Fascism
Category:Nazism
Category:Political science terminology
Category:Political philosophy
Category:Idolatry
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Category:Totalitarianism

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Statolatry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statolatry) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statolatry?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.