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| {{Fascism}} | |||
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| {{mergeto|Neo-Fascism}} | |||
| ==Introduction== | |||
| ] in the ] is a ] topic, and the term has often been used as a ], rather than an accurate label of political affiliation. ] generally attracts political support from big business, landowners, and ], ]alist, ], far-], ] and ] individuals and groups. Classical fascism has also inspired contemporary neo-fascist organizations (see ], ]). The ] describes it as "A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism" (AHD, 1983). | |||
| Fascism in practice has expressed itself in both political and economic practices, and academics have examined these elements both together and in isolation. ], whose focus is largely political, argues that regimes commonly thought of as fascist, such as ], belong to a larger category of ]s, including ] ]s, such as that of ] (Arendt, 1973). Thayer Watkins, a professor of Economics from San Jose State University, identifies fascism as aligned with ], a form of economic oppression that he argues includes most of the world's governments (Watkins, 2005). Watkins considers ]'s Fascist regime to be one example of the corporatist states that emerged during the ], including such diverse political systems as that of ], ] and the ]. Today, very few groups proclaim themselves fascist, and the term is often used to describe individuals or political groups who are perceived to behave in an ] or totalitarian manner; by silencing opposition, judging personal behavior, promoting ], or otherwise attempting to concentrate power and create hate towards the "enemies of the state". | |||
| Fascism exploits the anxiety and fear of the populace to transform ]an countries into totalitarian states. While failing to outline a coherent program, fascism evolved into a new political and economic system that combined corporatism, totalitarianism, ], and ] in a state designed to bind all classes together under a ] system. | |||
| ==Origins of Fascism in the United States== | |||
| ] in America first came to prominent attention with the publication of the cautionary novel ] by ] in 1935. | |||
| In ], retired General ] testified to the ] that he had been approached by a group of wealthy business interests, led by the ] and ] industrial empires, to orchestrate a fascist coup against Roosevelt. The alleged coup attempt has come to be known as the ]. | |||
| Over the course of the subsequent seventy years, observers from a number of different perspectives have noted developments that can be seen to be indicative of a trend toward fascism in the United States. | |||
| ==] administration== | |||
| Theorists such as Gabriel Kolko have indicated the parallels between acnowledged fascist regimes and the United States under ]. The centralization and nationalization of industry are generally cited as indicators of fascism. | |||
| According to Joseph R. Stromberg: | |||
| :"More recently, historians have taken a second look at the actual structural parallels in these corporatist experiments. While it is now generally agreed that corporatism survived the demise of fascism, it can also be asked whether fascism survived its supposed death. In 1954, Hofstadter chided those who had worried about "several close parallels" between FDR’s N.R.A. and fascist corporatism. There are more than "several" parallels. In 1944, John T. Flynn made the case in "As We Go Marching," where he enumerated the stigmata of generic fascism, surveyed the interwar policies of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, and pointed to uncomfortably similar American policies. | |||
| "For Flynn, the hallmarks of fascism were: | |||
| 1) unrestrained government; | |||
| 2) an absolute leader responsible to a single party; | |||
| 3) a planned economy with nominal private ownership of the means of production; | |||
| 4) bureaucracy and administrative "law"; | |||
| 5) state control of the financial sector; | |||
| 6) permanent economic manipulation via deficit spending; | |||
| 7) militarism, and | |||
| 8) imperialism (pp. 161-62). | |||
| "He proceeded to show that all these were alive and well under the wartime New Deal administration (pp. 166-258). Pragmatic American liberalism had produced "a genteel fascism" without the ethnic persecutions and full-scale executive dictatorship seen overseas." - (Joseph R. Stromberg) | |||
| ] | |||
| ==] administration== | |||
| In the United States the ] has come to power, and seeks to create national unity through the repression of national enemies (terrorists and the states that harbor them) and the incorporation of all classes and both genders into a permanently mobilized nation (see ]). | |||
| Richard Rahn, a senior fellow of the ] and adjunct scholar of the ] states: | |||
| "Despite the election of a 'compassionate conservative' as president, federal spending is again growing faster than national income, even excluding the new military spending, in large part due to a bipartisan effort to enlarge government. The laudable effort made in the late 1990s to get rid of most farm subsidies is now in the process of being thrown out. Free trade is under attack and protectionism is again emerging, and the recent 'campaign finance reform' legislation is a direct attack on free speech. The new fascism is not just a danger for Europeans; it is a present danger for us."] | |||
| ] has warned that people in the U.S. need to remain vigilant to keep America from drifting towards fascism.]. Some link growing corporate power to fascism.]. | |||
| ] warns: | |||
| :what is so deeply disturbing about the current state of the conservative movement is that it has otherwise plainly adopted not only many of the cosmetic traits of fascism, its larger architecture -- derived from its core impulses -- now almost exactly replicates that by which fascists came to power in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and '30s. ] | |||
| The ], after achieving majority power in the ] through the unprecedented actions of a GOP nominated ], acted with haste to enact the agenda of the ]. Following the events of ], conditions in the United States were ideal for such a project, and significant reforms of the American goverment have followed, including the ], the complete reversal of progress on a ], massive military expenditures, and withdrawal from the ]. These reforms constitute a revision of the rights of citizens, a significant increase in the United States' debt, militarization, belligerence and isolationist nationalism. | |||
| Some writers claim that the United States now meets some or all requirements for a Fascist state. Cases have been made both for and against this allegation on all sides of the political spectrum. | |||
| Cases made to support the contention that the US is currently Fascist or moving towards fascism include: | |||
| *Use of "administrative warrants" and other tools such as those in the ] which allow the administration to exercise police powers without judicial oversight. The designation of "enemy combatants" by the administration and the use of kangaroo courts like the ] to bypass the normal rule of law. The ]. Claims by the administration that it needs more and more of these powers. These may indicate a movement towards a ]. | |||
| *Decreasing openness in government: significant increases in the amount of information deemed classified, the introduction of "unclassified but sensitive" information, "sneak and peek" searches and gag orders on search targets (allowed by the ]), etc. | |||
| *Reports such as the Bush Administration paying journalists to promote the policies of the Administration. This would lend credence to the allegation that Media is being controlled by the Administration. Also, self-censorship such as the sort practiced in to prevent the spread of viewpoints that oppose the current administration may be considered evidence that the administration need not openly censor, but can rely on supporters to carry out the necessary censorship. ()() | |||
| *The widespread as a justification for many laws and policies (such as Faith Based Initiatives) and the blocking of certain legislation on religious grounds (such as gay marriage and stem cell research). Also the widespread use of religious in many speeches and appearances lend credibility to the allegation of religion being intertwined with Government. | |||
| *Fraudulent Elections have been suspected in both of the last presidential elections. There is evidence such as the sworn testimony of , and other widespread indications of deceptive election processes in <!-- broken-->] and other locations, in addition to the conflicts of interest with Secretary of State of Ohio ] also being the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in Ohio. | |||
| To counter the claim that the United States is becoming fascist, opponents point to the fact that ] won a majority of the popular and electoral votes in the ]. However it should be noted that the ] are usually based on the popular vote counted from the election. Of course, some police states were originally installed in free and fair elections, so this only counters the claim that it is fascist now, not that it is becoming fascist. It is further noted that the belief that the US is becoming fascist is fiercely disputed under any administration by all sides of the debate. | |||
| The primary means of mobilizing nascent fascist forces has historically been a focus on an enemy of the state (in this case "]"). The ] has provided the political conditions needed to reinterpret the constitution, and suspend even the most basic human rights guaranteed by United States law and international treaties (e.g. right to fair and speedy trial, Geneva convention, torture). At the same time, corporate influence and collusion with the government at the highest levels (], ], ]) has expanded to include no-bid contracts for billions of dollars, and has allowed corporations to write the legislation that is intended to regulate them. | |||
| The GOP has combined corporatism, nationalism, and anti-Terrorism (nee anti-Communism) in a state designed to bind all classes together under a capitalist system. Although this system was instituted under ideal political circumstances, those circumstances are no longer in place, and popular support for the Bush Administration appears to be waning (CBS News, 2005). The ] was a victory for the ], though even the ] was able to substantiate evidence of vote fraud and illegal activity. The GOP has come to power in the most wealthy Republic on the planet. | |||
| ==Defense of Republican Party== | |||
| Based on the definition of ] from Misplaced Pages | |||
| 1. Exalting the nation above the individual: There are elements of the Republican Party that still emphasize individual responsibility, and distrust the state. | |||
| 2. Stressing loyalty to a single leader: There are elements of the Republican Party that dissent from the views of Bush. | |||
| 3. Using violence and modern techniques of propaganda and censorship to forcibly suppress political opposition: There is some question as to the extent that violence has been employed to suppress political opposition. | |||
| 4. Engaging in severe economic and social regimentation: There are elements of the Republican party that do not favor further regimentation. | |||
| 5. Engaging in syndicalist corporatism: The consolidation of industries alone is not sufficient to support charges of corporate syndicalism. | |||
| 6. Implementing totalitarian systems: The systems referred to are not totalitarian, as the government is acting in the best interests of the populace, and was elected legally. | |||
| ==Other Fascist Parties== | |||
| A partial list can be found at ]. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| #{{Book reference | Author=AHD Editorial Board | Title=American Heritage Dictionary | Publisher=Houghton Mifflin | Year=1983}} | |||
| #{{Book reference | First=Hannah | Last=Arendt | Year=1973 | Title=The Origins of Totalitarianism | Publisher=Harvest Books | ID=ISBN 0156701537 | Authorlink=Hannah Arendt }} | |||
| #{{Web reference | title=The Economic System of Corporatism | work=Applet-magic.com | url=http://www2.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/corporatism.htm | date=November 17 | year=2005}} | |||
| #{{Web reference | title=Poll: Bush ratings hit new low | work=CBSNews.com | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/opinion/polls/main924485.shtml | date=October 6 | year=2005}} | |||
| ==Additional Links of Interest== | |||
| #] | |||
| #] | |||
| #] "I was a Republican from before the fascists took over." | |||
| == External links == | |||
| # from ''Newsday'' July 18, 2003 by Sheldon S. Wolin, professor of political science at Princeton University. | |||
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