The Opinionated Bastard

Actually, Italian Fascism is exactly what happens when socialism goes bad. Fascism was founded by socialists (Benito Mussolini among them) who noticed in the aftermath of the Great War that Marx’s social and historical predictions were not coming true. The goal of the intellectuals who founded Fascism was to create an improved version of socialsm that conformed to reality.

To do so, they took socialism, syndicalism, and Bonapartist/Garibaldian nationalism, and synthesized them. It should be remembered that Italy in the 19th Century, nationalism was associated with the French Revolution and with liberalism—the radical Garibaldi was responsible for the creation of the Italian state, while the conservatives defended the local crowned heads of the minor Italian kingdoms.

Fascism was accordingly a synthesis of the ideas of the Italian left by socialist philosophers in order to fix the deficiencies of Marxism in Italy, in much the same way that Leninism and Stalinism were adaptations of Marx to the realities of Russia. The biggest thing Fascism had in common with the Right was that it dropped the socialist hostility to Catholicism in order to win public support—much like Stalinism stopped persecuting the Russian Orthodox Church when it was politically useful to do so.

Now, German Naziism had much more right-wing anteceedents than Italian Fascism; while initial German unification efforts were left-wing-inspired, actual German unification took place under the conservative auspices of Bismarck. And Spanish Falangism was truly right-wing in its origins; it was formed by the enemies of the Left, its nationalism came from the right-wing Spanish monarchist tradition, and as its last act it restored the kingdom.

The result is that it’s a matter of historical accident that put the Falangists, Nazis, and Fascists all wound up on one side geopolitically; ideologically Fascism was much closer to Stalinism than Falangism, while operationally Nazism and Stalinism were much closer to each other than either was to Fascism.

(And, insofar as Bush’s approach resembles any of the four, it’s Falangism — the mildest one of the four. Not to say that I’d want to live under a Falagist regime, but it’s comparatively benign and the one most succeptible to reform through civil processes.)

Steve, that was the best comment ever.

The guy who’s done the most research on this is, ironically enough, an Israeli socialist named Zeev Sternhell. Here’s a summary of his work:

http://www.la-articles.org.uk/fascism.htm

Here is the reaction of other socialists to his work:

http://web.archive.org/web/20020816132634/http://www.histocasa.nl/artikelen/sternhell.shtml

I wrote this for an on-line discussion for my US History class tonight and Google’ed your site…

I see tremendous difference between Ronald Reagan and W and this is why.

First and foremost - Ronald Reagan was an elequant speaker.

One of President Reagan’s first jobs was radio announcing. (From “David Brinkley” in the CSU library)

President Reagan was a certified lifeguard.

Reagan can spell and pronounce his words correctly. In my personal library, I have a copy of “Reagan - A Life in Letters.” In this book are some of his personally written letters - In a two inch thick book.

What I liked about President Reagan is he gave every American encouragement to work for their own future. Thanks to President Reagan, I was able to see opportunity in junk - And turn it into my first small business, lasting for five years, afterwhich, I enrolled at Clayton State College. You’ve heard of it.

President Reagan provided the resolve to combat Communism in Central America and proudly state in the shadow of The former Soviet Union -

“Bring Down This Wall, Mr. Gorbachev!”

Please read, “The Tiger Women of Nicaragua” for opposing opinions regarding US involvenemt in Central America, some, I agree with. I have this book if you’d like to read it.

(If youre keeping up with hemispheric politics, The Late Che Guevarra, M.D., is making a resurgence. Go to southlake mall on the upper court in front of the cookie factory and you may see what I mean. My Pediatrician, The Late Carlos R. Durate, M.D. escaped Castro and Guevarra in ‘59. The difference between Dr. Guevarra and Dr. Durate, is my Doctor laid down his life, in retirement, to try to stop a Miami teen gang fight. Today, I wrote Miami Mayor Diaz about Dr. Carlos. Manny is a damn good guy and a damn fine Mayor. Thanks to Castro, Falangism and Communism, Atlanta had the best Pedatrician anywhere. Im going into Medicine because of the one act of my Doctor. Guevarra did nothing but promote communist revolution. Even Marx stated, “I am not a Marxist!”)

During the election of ‘80, I made the mistake of voting for Carter, for fear of nuclear War in Iran. Im glad Reagan was elected as the embassy hostages were freed. Carter, on the other hand, waited until before the election to try to rescue the hostages - And America saw right through it. If you follow what’s happening in Iran right now, the Iranian President IS one of the original embassy hostage takers. I havent heard W speak out on this.

President Reagan met with The Reverend Doctor Hosea Williams, Chem PhD and War Hero. Hosea was my county commissioner and state representative and I miss him too. Hosea was the only civil rights activist I liked since Dr. King and Mrs. Parks.

President Reagan gave me hope in myself and for my future, however, beacuse of the Bush Dynasty, I am no longer a Republican.