We have all heard the term “fascism” tossed around to criticize a government or political philosophy. Unfortunately, this use of the word does not convey much beyond a dislike for who ever or what ever it is applied to. A dictionary definition of fascism is “a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control”. A quote often attributed to Mussolini is “Fascism could also be called Corporatism.” Here is an overview article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism
There was a serious flirtation with fascism in this country prior to World War II. Some prominent people in the US were supporters of Hitler and his philosophy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism_as_an_international_phenomenon#United_States
In 1935, Sinclair Lewis wrote a satirical book about the development of a fascist government in the US titled “It Can’t Happen Here”.
http://reactor-core.org/cant-happen.html
In the mid-80s, I came across the book “Friendly Fascism” by Bertram Gross. He said that the US could be heading toward fascism but that it would be a uniquely American version. He laid out a lot of interesting information about the wealthy few, their managers and the rest of us. He also drew a very interesting diagram that showed the connection between universities and think tanks, government offices and corporations. The book was written in 1976 in order to alert people to possible developments in the future. I was disturbed to notice that many of the things that he was concerned about seemed to be on the agenda of the Republican Party.
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Fascism/Friendly_Fascism_BGross.html
Not long ago, a study was conducted on seven fascist dictatorships in the Twentieth Century. Various political aspects of these governments were collected and subjected to cluster analysis to derive a list of fourteen common traits found to varying degrees in these political systems.
These fourteen features are:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism — Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights — Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to ‘look the other way’ or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause — The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military — Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism — The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and antigay legislation and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media — Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security — Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined — Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected — The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed — Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts — Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment — Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties, in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption — Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections — Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or even the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Fascism/14_Characteristics_Fascism.html
As I read thru this list for the first time, I was upset to realize that the current Bush government had managed to hit every one of them.
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm
Recently, Joe Conason, a progressive political commentator and writer, published a book about political trends in the US with the title, “It Can Happen Here”, an obvious reference to the Sinclair Lewis book. I attended a book signing for “It Can Happen Here” where Conason talked about Sinclair Lewis and his book.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/48246/
When I asked Conason whether he thought that the word “fascism” could be applied to the Bush administration, he was very reluctant. I mentioned the article with the 14 points and asked him if he had read it. He said that someone had sent it to him but he had not read it. I pointed out that it was an academic study of common features of fascism and that the Bush administration was guilty of every single one of them. To my way of thinking, we were entitled to use the term, not in a pejorative sense, but simply as an appropriate label. He still refused to apply the word to our current executive branch.
As we were driving home, I told Barbara that I thought Conason’s refusal to overtly use the word “fascism” in relation to our current situation probably rose from his desire not to be labeled a “left-wing nut case” and a “Bush hater”. I later read an interview with his publisher that confirmed my theory. I cannot fault him for wanting his book to be taken seriously, but I would have chosen a different title if I were him. Seems to me he was being a bit coy.
In any case, as the old saying goes, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck… An author recently interviewed some old Germans who had lived thru Hitler’s rise to power. They were asked why they allowed such a thing to happen. They said that they could not conceived of what the future would bring. Each change was incremental and not too upsetting. They figured that if something really bad were to happen, people would rise up in protest. But, like the frog being gradually cooked, when they finally realize what was happening, it was far too late to stop it.
I am afraid that we may be in the same boat. This country has been drifting in a fascist direction for some time and the current is picking up. It may already be too late to do anything to stop it. A general recently said that the US is about 1 terrorist attack away from loosing the constitution. If we suddenly wake up in a police state, I will be angry but not that surprised. How about you?