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Introduction

Fascism in the United States is a controversial topic, and the term has often been used as a slur, rather than an accurate label of political affiliation. Fascism generally attracts political support from big business, landowners, and patriotic, traditionalist, conservative, far-right, populist and reactionary individuals and groups. Classical fascism has also inspired contemporary neo-fascist organizations (see Fascism, Neo-Fascism). The American Heritage Dictionary 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. Hannah Arendt, whose focus is largely political, argues that regimes commonly thought of as fascist, such as Nazism, belong to a larger category of totalitarianisms, including communist dictatorships, such as that of Joseph Stalin (Arendt, 1973). Thayer Watkins, a professor of Economics from San Jose State University, identifies fascism as aligned with corporatism, a form of economic oppression that he argues includes most of the world's governments (Watkins, 2005). Watkins considers Mussolini's Fascist regime to be one example of the corporatist states that emerged during the Great Depression, including such diverse political systems as that of Spain, Argentina and the United States. 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 authoritarian or totalitarian manner; by silencing opposition, judging personal behavior, promoting racism, 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 republican countries into totalitarian states. While failing to outline a coherent program, fascism evolved into a new political and economic system that combined corporatism, totalitarianism, nationalism, and anti-communism in a state designed to bind all classes together under a capitalist system.

Origins of Fascism in the United States

Fascism in America first came to prominent attention with the publication of the cautionary novel It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis in 1935.

In 1933, retired General Smedley Butler testified to the McCormack-Dickstein Committee that he had been approached by a group of wealthy business interests, led by the Du Pont and J. P. Morgan industrial empires, to orchestrate a fascist coup against Roosevelt. The alleged coup attempt has come to be known as the Business Plot.

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.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration

Theorists such as Gabriel Kolko have indicated the parallels between acnowledged fascist regimes and the United States under FDR. 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)

George W Bush administration

In the United States the Republican Party 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 War on Terror).

Richard Rahn, a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute and adjunct scholar of the Cato Institute 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."]

Noam Chomsky 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.].

David Neiwert 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 Republican Party, after achieving majority power in the controversial 2000 election through the unprecedented actions of a GOP nominated Supreme Court, acted with haste to enact the agenda of the Project for the New American Century. Following the events of September 11th, 2001, conditions in the United States were ideal for such a project, and significant reforms of the American goverment have followed, including the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, the complete reversal of progress on a balanced budget, massive military expenditures, and withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol. 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 Patriot act 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 Combatant Status Review Tribunal to bypass the normal rule of law. The use of torture. Claims by the administration that it needs more and more of these powers. These may indicate a movement towards a police state.

• 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 Patriot act), 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 open forums 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 Armstrong Williams incident)(The Balkans Website incident)

• The widespread use of religion 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 rhetoric and symbolism 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 Mr. Clint Curtis, and other widespread indications of deceptive election processes in Ohio and other locations, in addition to the conflicts of interest with Secretary of State of Ohio Kenneth Blackwell 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 George W. Bush won a majority of the popular and electoral votes in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. However it should be noted that the Electoral Votes 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 "terrorists"). The War on Terrorism 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 (Halliburton, Enron, Diebold) 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 controversial 2004 election was a victory for the GOP, though even the GAO 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 Fascism 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 List of fascist movements by country.

References

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3. "The Economic System of Corporatism". Applet-magic.com. November 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
4. "Poll: Bush ratings hit new low". CBSNews.com. October 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

Additional Links of Interest

1. Fascism and the rhetoric of unification
2. Fascists in Christian Clothing
3. Bill Crews "I was a Republican from before the fascists took over."

External links

1. "A Kind of Fascism Is Replacing Our Democracy" from Newsday July 18, 2003 by Sheldon S. Wolin, professor of political science at Princeton University.

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