Posted on 03/04/2008 1:13:58 PM PST by K-oneTexas
What is Fascism and Who is a Fascist? by Thomas Sowell (February 18, 2008)
Those who put a high value on words may recoil at the title of Jonah Goldberg's new book, "Liberal Fascism." As a result, they may refuse to read it, which will be their loss -- and a major loss.Those who value substance over words, however, will find in this book a wealth of challenging insights, backed up by thorough research and brilliant analysis. This is the sort of book that challenges the fundamental assumptions of its time -- and which, for that reason, is likely to be shunned rather than criticized.
Because the word "fascist" is often thrown around loosely these days, as a general term of abuse, it is good that "Liberal Fascism" begins by discussing the real Fascism, introduced into Italy after the First World War by Benito Mussolini.
The Fascists were completely against individualism in general and especially against individualism in a free market economy. Their agenda included minimum wage laws, government restrictions on profit-making, progressive taxation of capital, and "rigidly secular" schools.
Unlike the Communists, the Fascists did not seek government ownership of the means of production. They just wanted the government to call the shots as to how businesses would be run. They were for "industrial policy," long before liberals coined that phrase in the United States. Indeed, the whole Fascist economic agenda bears a remarkable resemblance to what liberals would later advocate. Moreover, during the 1920s "progressives" in the United States and Britain recognized the kinship of their ideas with those of Mussolini, who was widely lionized by the left.
Famed British novelist and prominent Fabian socialist H.G. Wells called for "Liberal Fascism," saying "the world is sick of parliamentary politics." Another literary giant and Fabian socialist, George Bernard Shaw, also expressed his admiration for Mussolini -- as well as for Hitler and Stalin, because they "did things," instead of just talk. In Germany, the Nazis followed in the wake of the Italian Fascists, adding racism in general and anti-semitism in particular, neither of which was part of Fascism in Italy or in Franco's Spain.
Even the Nazi variant of Fascism found favor on the left when it was only a movement seeking power in the 1920s. W.E.B. DuBois was so taken with the Nazi movement that he put swastikas on the cover of a magazine he edited, despite complaints from Jewish readers.
Even after Hitler achieved dictatorial power in Germany in 1933, DuBois declared that the Nazi dictatorship was "absolutely necessary in order to get the state in order." As late as 1937 he said in a speech in Harlem that "there is today, in some respects, more democracy in Germany than there has been in years past."
In short, during the 1920s and the early 1930s, Fascism was not only looked on favorably by the left but recognized as having kindred ideas, agendas and assumptions. Only after Hitler and Mussolini disgraced themselves, mainly by their brutal military aggressions in the 1930s, did the left distance themselves from these international pariahs. Fascism, initially recognized as a kindred ideology of the left, has since come down to us defined as being on "the right" -- indeed, as representing the farthest right, supposedly further extensions of conservatism.
If by conservatism you mean belief in free markets, limited government, and traditional morality, including religious influences, then these are all things that the Fascists opposed just as much as the left does today. The left may say that they are not racists or anti-semites, like Hitler, but neither was Mussolini or Franco. Hitler, incidentally, got some of his racist ideology from the writings of American "progressives" in the eugenics movement. Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" is too rich a book to be summarized in a newspaper column. Get a copy and start re-thinking the received notions about who is on "the left" and who is on "the right." It is a book for people who want to think, rather than repeat rhetoric.
Again?
You linked Walter Williams.
good review. My copy is on the way, but I have read many of the points, and follow Jonah’s blog at NRO.
The two Rats running right now are perfect examples of Liberal Fascism, and so is Al Gore and the Climate Change movement.
I’mm a fascist. As long as I’m in charge.
Glad to see Sowell separate Franco from Hitler.
Sorry, your right. That what I get for I opening two articles at once. Should be http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=5117
bttt
Here is one area where Sowell is mistaken. If an industry produced something that the government considered vital for the State, they did seize it. This is often overlooked program called Volksgemeinschaft (a rough translation is community but refers to community work projects.)
The bulk of industry control in this was through government sponsored ‘unions’ which stripped control of the industry leaders, leaving them only as puppets, and relinquished control to the union’s handlers, the party.
The second part of this was through industry re-focus, specifically Volksgemeinschaft, creating community work projects were industry was ‘encouraged’ to refocus efforts on public works projects or military projects and all hiring dictates were controlled by the party.
In 1936 Hitler started his 4 year plan (Lebensraum- translated as habitat) under Schacht which took complete control of agricultural production, raw material production and import/export from Germany.
Fascism is whatever Modern Political Liberals dislike. Nothing else, no matter how oppressive or collectivist, is Fascist.
And all of them can sit around the same coffee table and discuss it - because that's how many will read this.
How many readers does it take to have this book show up on th NYT best seller list?
TSA, Transportation Security Administration - another example of a socialist goverment grabbing something the private sector could do better. I like Bush, but he has allowed a lot of liberal socialism to creep in during his administration. :-(
I don't see that as a problem at all.
YOU ARE, YOU FASCIST!
( /Leftist rant)
It’s already on it.
Margaret Sanger, perhaps?
"Margaret Higgins Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, an advocate of negative eugenics, and the founder of the American Birth Control League (which eventually became Planned Parenthood)."
Trick question.
None
Same policy of the NEW Democrats called the Third-Way and can be found with a search of the Democratic Leadership Council (www.dlc.org) and two of the founders were the Bill-Hill Clinton’s. Just goose-step over and use the search engine.
Oh by the way, its also called “progressive”
The Left only turned against Hitler after he violated the Hitler/Stalin pact and invaded Russia
In my college days when accused of being a fascist, my stock reply (still good today) was “Fascist??!! Nothing of the sort, fascists are nasty progressive types, make trains run on time, and stuff like that.”
I bought this book last weekend and although i am only about 25% of the way in, it is a VERY GOOD read. Highly recommended so far.
bookmark
“Hitler, incidentally, got some of his racist ideology from the writings of American “progressives” in the eugenics movement.”
Without a citation, I’m calling BS on this. Eugenics has nothing to do with racism against Jews.
I think Sowell was talking of Fascism in general as practiced by Musolinni and Woodrow Wilson and not Hitler’s brand of National Socialism styled Nazi that many think of first when refering to fascism.
When I first started reading Jonah’s book I was stunned. This book raised him to the ranks of Sowell was my opinion and I am glad to see Thomas Sowell heap praise on Goldberg’s great work.
It is a fascinating read and I consider it the best book of conservative political writing in the last two years.
I will try to look up the citation for you this evening but I recall that Goldberg sourced this allegation. The Eugenics theme runs deep in all progressivism. Goldberg also points out that Italian Socialism had no Anti-semitism component until such was forced upon them by Hitler toward the war’s end.
Sounds exactly like B. Hussein Obama calling for an end to "partisan gridlock" which prevents us from "coming together to solve the nation's problems."
Without a citation, I’m calling BS on this. Eugenics has nothing to do with racism against Jews.
Tell that to the Holocaust Museum in Houston. They recently had a major exhibition to show the influence of American eugenics in Nazi theories of master and subhuman races. Yes, Hitler and other Europeans had a long-standing prejudice against the Jews, and the eugenics movement contributed "scientific" justification for the eventual genocide.
A well composed article.
Aside from agreeing with Sowell, its a pleasure to read.
Order this weekend BUMP!
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