Bush government fits US definition of fascism

[4dog]

From a U.S. War Department release to the armed services in 1945:

Fascism is government by the few and for the few. The objective is seizure and control of the economic, political, social and cultural life of the state. The democratic way of life intervenes with their methods and desire for conducting business, living with their fellow men and having the final say in matters concerning others. . . . They maintain themselves in power by use of force combined with propaganda based on primitive ideas . . . by skillful manipulation of fear and hate and by false promise of security.

…

Fascists deny the need for international cooperation. These ideas contradict the fascist theory of the "master race." The brotherhood of man implies that all people have rights. International cooperation runs counter to the fascist program of war and world domination.

Many fascists make the spurious claim that the world has but two choices . . . fascism or communism, and they label as "Communist" everyone who refuses to support them.


Cited in Virtual Government by Alex Constantine, Feral House, 1997.

[DBoon]

1. Benito said it himself

See:

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/ralph/workbook/ralprs35.htm

Against individualism, the Fascist conception is for the State; and it is for the individual in so far as he coincides with the State, which is the conscience and universal will of man in his historical existence. It is opposed to classical Liberalism, which arose from the necessity of reacting against absolutism, and which brought its historical purpose to an end when the State was transformed into the conscience and will of the people. Liberalism denied the State in the interests of the particular individual; Fascism reaffirms the State as the true reality of the individual. And if liberty is to be the attribute of the real man, and not of that abstract puppet envisaged by individualistic Liberalism, Fascism is for liberty. And for the only liberty which can be a real thing, the liberty of the State and of the individual within the State. Therefore, for the Fascist, everything is in the State, and nothing human or spiritual exists, much less has value, outside the State. In this sense Fascism is totalitarian, and the Fascist State, the synthesis and unity of all values, interprets, develops and gives strength to the whole life of the people.

[cprise]

4. We have 'individualism' in the name if capital

Which is to say that government exists to promote the freedom and welfare of the rich, particularly large corporate entities. The 'people' are considered well-served as an indirect result.

Mussolini's definition is that of an idealist. But see if he has the power to even move a hill of beans without the industrialists. Put them in control of key government agencies and everything falls into place from a rulers point of view; Totally.

I prefer the U.S. definition because it describes how fascism looks in practice.

If you think they're not grabbing for control of our culture, consider how media consolidation is going hand-in-hand with survivalist shows based on exclusion, "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire", "Joe Millionaire", and other money-marital themes. Now producers are thinking about actual Russian-roulette style suicides on television, so add bloodlust to the mix:

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/comment/0,7493,1055796,00.html

[jokerman93]

5. "The people"

are nothing more than malleable consumers (one consumer unit = 1 consumatron).

Hell! Somebody's gotta buy all this useless crap they make!

Not coincidently, "the people" are also corporate serfs and indentured labor returning nearly have their "income" in taxes to be used (apparently) as free venture capital for the corporate sponsors of the regime.

Can you say "Business as usual since the late middle ages?"

[Eloriel]

2. Communists

Many fascists make the spurious claim that the world has but two choices . . . fascism or communism, and they label as "Communist" everyone who refuses to support them.


That's fascinating. I myself have come to believe that those who "fight communism" the most fiercely tend to be the fascists among us. Anti-communism was a hallmark of Nazi Germany, a goal if not obsession of the Nazis who were brought into this country at the end of WW2, an ever-abiding goal of the Republicans (until the collapse of the Soviet Union), and a huge goal of most of our foreign poicy during which we went in and overthrew perfectly legitimate governments which were tending a little too far to the left for the quasi-fascists running things here.

Apparently I've been on the right track.

Eloriel

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

3. wake up and smell the fascism

wake up and smell the fascism


In "Fascism Anyone?," Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, identifies 14 characteristics common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 "identifying characteristics of fascism."

GO TO -

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

[w4rma]

6. fascism = totalitarianism + capitalism according to Mussolini and FDR

capitalism and socialism are opposite ends of an axis.
democracy and dictatorship/monarchy are opposite ends of another axis.

A state can be totalitarian and capitalist (fascism):

“Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.” -- Benito Mussolini

“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism -- ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power.” -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

A state can be totalitarian and socialist (communism)
A state can be democratic and capitalist.
A state can be democratic and socialist.
A state can be anywhere inbetween the two axis. The U.S. has both capitalist policies and socialist policies.

Here is a list of some of the socialist ones:
socialized armed forces
socialized water
socialized police
socialized fired department
social(ized) security
medicare
road building/maintanance
public waste and water treatment
public schools

[4dog]

7. Thanks for all your thoughtful comments

Re Eloriel's post: among the haters of "Communism" are undoubtedly those with legitimate hatred of the Stalinist or Soviet form of government as well as those who just needed a bogeyman to pump up the war machine. Chomsky said that the Soviets and Americans were in agreement that Russian Communism was a form of socialism. The Russians agreed because it made their government seem better than it was; the Americans because it made socialism seem worse.