From Communism to Fascism?

Wall Street Journal ^ | February 22, 2002 | Michael A. Ledeen

[Remember_Salamis]

As President Bush, now in Beijing, gets up close to the rulers of China, he must have conflicting feelings.

We are told that the Chinese have helped us fight terror, which is cause for satisfaction. On the other hand, the CIA has recently revised sharply upwards its estimate of Chinese military power in the near future, which is cause for concern. As he ponders what China is and may be, Mr. Bush might reflect that the People's Republic is something quite unique, and therefore very difficult to understand.

China is not, as is invariably said, in transition from communism to a freer and more democratic state. It is, instead, something we have never seen before: a maturing fascist regime. This new phenomenon is hard to recognize, both because Chinese leaders continue to call themselves communists, and also because the fascist states of the first half of the 20th century were young, governed by charismatic and revolutionary leaders, and destroyed in World War II. China is anything but young, and it is governed by a third or fourth generation of leaders who are anything but charismatic.

The current and past generations of Chinese leaders, from Deng Xiaoping to Jiang Zemin, may have scrapped the communist economic system, but they have not embraced capitalism. To be sure, the state no longer owns "the means of production." There is now private property, and, early last June, businessmen were formally admitted to the Communist Party. Profit is no longer taboo; it is actively encouraged at all levels of Chinese society, in public and private sectors. And the state is fully engaged in business enterprise, from the vast corporations owned wholly or in part by the armed forces, to others with top management and large shareholders simultaneously holding government jobs.

This is neither socialism nor capitalism; it is the infamous "third way" of the corporate state, first institutionalized in the 1920s by the founder of fascism, Benito Mussolini, then copied by other fascists in Europe.

Full story ...

[Remember_Salamis]

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[Republic_of_Secession.]

Well actually Communism & Fascism so closely resemble one another that its differences are incidental. Both require State interevention & the repression of dissent. Not to mention the growing of government.

[staytrue]

Chinese leaders often proclaim a peaceful intent, yet they are clearly preparing for war, and have been for many years. Optimists insist that China is not expansionist, but optimists pooh-poohed Hitler's imperialist speeches too, and there is a lot of Chinese rhetoric that stresses Beijing's historic role, as if there were an historic entitlement to superpower status.

For the most part, this is a pretty good article as are most from the Wall st. Journal. The above quote is probably the only one that is out of line.

Virtually every country in the world is preparing for war because to be prepared is a whole lot better than unprepared. But I don't think you need to be compared to hitler just because you are preparing for war.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #1

Basically, the author is describing the resurgent Chinese empire of the past under the facade of a communist state. There is no emperor, but the desire to follow their perceived manifest destiny of "Zhonghua" is strong as ever. Their goal now is to become the 21st-century's version of Tang dynasty, the greatest Chinese empire of all time.

China has been this way for more than two millenia. It is going back to its ancient root politically. Lack of emperor system and visible Confucian ideology somehow fooled many outsiders that today's China is something totally new in Chinese history. However, the truth is that it is another good old Chinese empire with modern industrial and market economic system.

[elmer fudd]

China is not, as is invariably said, in transition from communism to a freer and more democratic state. It is, instead, something we have never seen before: a maturing fascist regime.

I don't think that's true. Franco's Spain was around for quite awhile and Imperial Japan lasted about 60 years as a fascist state. Then there are all the lessor fascist dictatorships that have historically governed Latin America.

[familyop]

"But I don't think you need to be compared to hitler just because you are preparing for war."

But the Chinese leaders rant, rave and threaten to blow us off of the face of the earth with nukes every few years.

[Travis McGee]

Ping

[david_the_positive]

First: When comparing Fascism/Nazism and Communism/Socialism do not leave out the Republic/Capitalism and use an equal mark.Not to see who's better, but to learn something.

Second: I have not studied Franco, or Mussollini's governments closely, but did original research on USSR's 1930s-40s and Nazi Germany. I did so by analyzing actual Private correspondences of ordinary citizens, as well as inner system communiques. Saw how day to day things were approached. Equivalent maybe okay at the glance over level, but once you look at actual life examples, it does not do.

History has lessons for those who study it, openly, without prejudice. While we as humans have a tendency to rashly analyze things.

David R

[walford]

Fascism: Anti-Utopia or Another Variation?
...After Lenin died in the USSR and Mao in the PRC, these countries were communist in name only, and were run simply as one party states with absolute, arbitrary power. Nonetheless, Marxism/Leninism was and is “widely studied in order to gain insight” into the policies of these governments. The ideological roots of fascism have been neglected and are pertinent in the study of utopianism, because fascist ideology is derived from essentially utopian principles and is cousin to Marxism...

...The elite Marxists are those who are best able to read the tea leaves of history to predict the future, and thus able to formulate the policies which will propel society toward its inevitable destiny sooner rather than later. Fascists invest their elite with superior knowledge of how to deal with the moment...

...For reasons of ideological advocacy, it has been fashionable to characterize fascism as ‘capitalism’ run amok. There is simply no basis for this position, however. First of all, the word ‘capitalism’ has been misused for so long, that the only consistent meaning which can discerned from the context of typical usage is that it is a derogatory term for any economic activity wherein a government is not the primary agent. Yet, we are told that fascism is based upon a capitalist economy. Fascism developed mainly in France, Italy and Germany, during abortive attempts of transition from absolutist monarchy to parliamentary government. Mussolini, Hitler and their supporting ideological theorists were not quoting the likes of Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, John Locke, or the Founding Fathers of the United States of America for guidance. In other words, Fascism is rooted in the same ideological soil that produced Marxism...

[The Duke]

Fascism is the common ground where Communism and Capitalism are growing closer each day. It is Bill Clinton's beloved "Third Way" (or, a I prefer to call it, the "Turd Way").

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[foreverfree]

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[A. Pole]

Chinese leaders have often said they have no intention of following Mikhail Gorbachev's example.

Probably they have in mind the following breakout of Soviet Union and economical collapse.

[A. Pole]

Their is little difference between Communism and facism.

There is a big difference. Fascism allows private ownership of production and is based on national interest (as opposed to internationalism/globalism of Communism). Ideologies are also very different and they do matter.

[Hardastarboard]

The way Xlinton ran this country for eight years gives us a glimpse of how a fascist state would be. Don't like my policies? Here's the IRS to talk that position over with you and persuade you of the error of your ways.

Don't agree with me? I have your FBI file here. Want to be politically ruined?

Have damaging evidence against me? Isn't it a shame how your cat died so suddenly without warning like that?

[A. Pole]

Fascism developed mainly in France, Italy and Germany, during abortive attempts of transition from absolutist monarchy to parliamentary government. Mussolini, Hitler and their supporting ideological theorists were not quoting the likes of Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, John Locke, or the Founding Fathers of the United States of America for guidance. In other words, Fascism is rooted in the same ideological soil that produced Marxism..

All the systems you mentioned above are rooted in the same soil - the soil of Enlightenment (or Endarkenment). They replaced the traditional systems of Christian monarchy.

[wgeorge2001]

As a Christian and a conservative, it would be best to have a Christian monarchy over a fascist, Marxist, or destructive religious government. One can look at North Korea to see the end results of communism, one can look at the Islamic governments of the world to see their end, one can look at socialist tax and spent already socialist nations to see their end, or one can look at America to see the end results of Christian nations who are sovereign and elect their representatives and can own private property and cars and businesses and not be told by the government how to raise kids.
I love Christian based government over any other type of blood letting government of the world. When I see todays always angry and hateful democrats, I see fascism that leads to a destroyed and unhappy America.

[DoctorMichael]

Thanks for the post. I agree. I have been arguing this very point on China for years, much to the chagrin of some.