Before we speak on fascism in Amerika and its awesome powers in
centralizing authority over all lower disenfranchised segments of the
population, we must first see how it developed and evolved as an
international movement intended for the ruling classes. Fascism is a
form of totalitarian dictatorship that flourished between World War I
and World War II. Similar governments, some modeled after the Italian
system, were established later in countries of Europe, Asia and South
Amerika.
Fascism as a world political movement is said to have ended with the
close of World War II, which ended in the defeat of fascist Italy and
National Socialist Germany. However it is my opinion that after the
close of WWII, fascism did indeed emerge and consolidate itself in its
most advanced form in Amerika. There are also other fascist countries
still in existence, that are in open opposition to the instituted
government, and in others as an underground movement fighting the
government by employing guerilla tactics.
In general, fascism was the effort to create, by authoritarian means, a
viable national society in which competing interests were to be adjusted
by being entirely subordinated to the service of the nation. The
following features have been characteristic of fascism in its various
manifestations:
-
An origin at a time of serious economic disruption and of rapid and
bewildering social change
-
A philosophy that rejected democratic and humanitarian ideals, however
glorifying the absolute sovereignty of the state, the unity and destiny
of the people, and the unquestioning loyalty and obedience to the
dictator
-
An aggressive nationalism, which called for the mobilization and
regimentation of every aspect of national life and made open use of
violence and intimidation
-
The simulation of mass popular support, accomplished by outlawing all
but a single political party and by using suppression, censorship, and
propaganda
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A program of vigorous action including economic reconstruction,
industrialization, pursuit of economic self-sufficiency, territorial
expansion, and of course war, which was dramatized as bold, adventurous,
and promising a glorious future
Although fascist movements often grew out of socialist origins (for
example, in Italy), fascism always declared itself the uncompromising
enemy of communism, with which, however, fascists’ actions have less in
common. The propertied interests, fearful of revolution, often gave
their support to fascism on the basis of promises by the fascist leaders
to maintain the status quo and safeguard property. Once established,
fascist regimes ruthlessly crushed communist and socialist parties as
well as democratic opposition, regimented the propertied interests, and
won the potentially-revolutionary masses to the fascist programs.
Thus, fascism may be regarded as an extreme defensive expedience adopted
by a nation faced with the, sometimes illusory, threat of communist
subversion or revolution. In 1922 Benito Mussolini set up the first
successful fascist regime which initially had about 320,000 members. The
party was supported at this stage of its development principally by a
number of large landowners and industrialists, high-ranking army
officers, subordinate government officials, and the bulk of the police.
Oppressed to the fascist party were liberals, and democrats who were
impotent to cope with it.
Toward the end of 1922 the fascists occupied police headquarters,
railway stations, telegraph offices, and other public buildings in the
northern cities of Italy. Although the constitutionally-installed
government requested Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, to proclaim
martial law in order to crush the fascists, the King decided to
collaborate with Mussolini and invited him to come to Rome to form a
government. Mussolini arrived in Rome 29 October 1922. This was known as
the fascists’ March on Rome.
After Mussolini’s elevation to power, fascism became totalitarian.
Expansion was the keynote of Mussolin’s foreign policy. Among the
specific aims of Italian fascist foreign policy were control of the
Adriatic Sea, increase of the European area of Italy, enlargement of
Italy’s Afrikan empire, and domination of the Mediterranean Sea, which
Mussolini called “mare nostrum.”
Although highly suspicious and jealous of the German dictator Adolf
Hitler, Mussolini found himself pushed into an alliance with Germany in
the so-called Rome-Berlin Axis. The alliance led to Italy’s entry into
World War II on the side of Germany, which proved to be a fateful
mistake. Throughout the war the fascist regime was dependent for
survival on the superior military and economic resources of Germany. As
a result, the German influence became predominant, and in effect, Italy
became a vassal of Germany. When the Allies invaded Italy in 1944, the
Italian population turned against the fascist regime and its German
overlord. The people rose in revolt in 1944-45, abolished the monarchy,
and established a republic.
Amerika has established itself as the mortal enemy of all socialist
activity on earth. Remember that fascism allows no genuine opposition to
its rule. It is a geopolitical arrangement where only one political
party is allowed to exist aboveground, and no oppositional political
activity is allowed. Despite the presence of political parties, there is
only one legal politics in the U.S. – the politics of corporatism. The
hierarchy commands all state power.
Donald Trump’s documented congratulatory messages to Putin are not
simply diplomatic gestures. Trump is a fascist. Trump, like FDR, was
born and bred in a ruling class of families. His role is to form a new
fascist regime, much like the “new deal,” to merge the economic,
political and labor elites. Extreme nationalism has prompted a national
emergency to fund a wall to keep Mexicans out. This is much like the
violence that was geared at the Indians and against us as blacks.
In my view, worrying who to elect will do us no good. With people like
Trump in office the lower class should become more aware of their class
enemies. In my view our only recourse is a highly orgnanized class war
and then we go on to the restructuring of society. That is the answer.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This author takes a scientific approach to
defining fascism. Ey offers five points which define fascism which
include economic expansionism and domestic repression along nationalist
lines. The first point is of great interest to us: does fascism require
a time of serious economic disruption? If so, what does this look like?
We didn’t see serious economic disruption with the election of Trump,
but this author implies that Amerika has been fascist for longer than
the Trump administration. So we ask the question: when did this
disruption happen and when did Amerika become fascist?
While we find this author’s history of fascism on point, we wouldn’t say
that “fascist movements often grew out of socialist origins” but instead
acknowledge that some fascist leaders started off in socialist movements
before changing political direction and becoming fascist. This is not
surprising as the mass base for fascism is a group communists will also
be recruiting from, and we need to be careful that our messages to these
people don’t push them in the wrong direction of reactionary national
self-interest.
Finally, we’re unsure about what this “new fascist regime” is that the
author suggests Trump is building. It doesn’t fit into the five defining
points the author offers above, if this is a change from democratic
capitalism. In fact, as the author points out, the building of a wall to
keep Mexicans out of the United $tates isn’t particularly different from
the historic violence against indigenous people or the enslavement of
Africans and more recently the oppression of New Afrikans. So we are not
seeing the change in Amerikan society that would merit now calling it
fascist under Trump.