Revisiting the Machinery of Fascism

Understanding Fascism: More than an Insult

Jeffrey Tucker, through the Brownstone Institute, takes us back to a time when fascism was not just an insult but a political system. During the Second World War, the term fascism became a derogatory term in the US and UK, and it has remained so till today. However, if we rewind the clock back to a decade before the war, we find a different narrative. Between 1932 and 1940, there was a consensus that freedom, democracy, and the Enlightenment-style liberalism of the 18th century were doomed. They were to be replaced by a planned society, with fascism as one of the options.

The Acceptance of Fascism

A book titled "The Planned Society" published in 1937 by the prestigious Prentice-Hall featured contributions from top academics and influencers. The book painted a future where the best minds would manage entire economies and societies. It proposed that all housing and food should be provided by the government in cooperation with private corporations. The contributors saw fascism as a legitimate path, and the term totalitarianism was invoked with respect.

The Inclusion of Mussolini and Stalin

The book's section on economics includes contributions by Benito Mussolini and Joseph Stalin. Their political rule and ideas were part of the prevailing conversation. Mussolini, in an essay likely ghostwritten by Professor Giovanni Gentile, Minister of Public Education, stated, "Fascism is more appropriately called corporatism, for it is the perfect merge of State and corporate power."

Post-War Amnesia

After the war, the affection that many sectors of the US ruling class had for fascism became embarrassing and was largely forgotten. The lesson of the war - that the US should stand for freedom and reject fascism - was buried. Subsequent generations have been taught to regard fascism as a failed system of the past, reducing the term to an insult flung at anything deemed reactionary or old-fashioned.

Understanding Fascism through Literature

There is valuable literature on the topic of fascism. One insightful book is "The Vampire Economy" by Günter Reimann, a financier in Germany who chronicled the dramatic changes to industrial structures under the Nazis. The book, published in 1939 before the invasion of Poland and the onset of Europe-wide war, conveys the grim reality just before the outbreak of war.

The Corruption in Fascist Countries

Reimann wrote, "The corruption in fascist countries arises inevitably from the reversal of the roles of the capitalist and the State as wielders of economic power." The Nazis were not hostile to business as a whole but only opposed traditional, independent, small businesses that offered nothing for nation-building and war planning. The Nazi Party became the central regulator of all enterprises, squeezing small businesses to the point of extinction.

Media Control under Fascism

Reimann also noted the gradual bankruptcy of independent publishers and distributors, effectively nationalizing all surviving media outlets. These outlets knew it was in their interest to echo Nazi Party priorities. He wrote, "Under fascism or any totalitarian regime an editor no longer can act independently. Opinions are dangerous. He must be willing to print any 'news' issued by State propaganda agencies, even when he knows it to be completely at variance with the facts."

Fascism in Italy

The best book on the Italian case of fascism is John T. Flynn's 1944 classic "As We Go Marching." Flynn deconstructs the history of fascist ideology in Italy and explains the centralizing ethos of the system, both in politics and economics.

The Great Reset: A Corporatist Model

In today's polarized political environment, the left worries about unbridled capitalism while the right fears full-blown socialism. Both sides have reduced fascistic corporatism to a historical problem. As a result, hardly anyone is aware that the Great Reset is a corporatist model - a combination of the worst of capitalism and socialism without limits. This model privileges the elite at the expense of the many.

Conclusion

For some strange reason, the reality of fascism in practice is hardly known in popular or academic culture. This lack of knowledge makes it easier to reimplement such a system in our time.

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