Confronting Fascism Part 2

Part 2

    There are three distinct elements within fascism that we must confront.

     The robber baron- a rich boy investor who doesn’t get his way under liberal democracy, so he funds radical groups to subvert democracy and seize the power of the state. May either be motivated by pure greed or actually think an antidemocratic society with him and his ilk on top is best for everyone. Example- Koch brothers, Trump, the military-industrial complex. These fascists may well be genuinely bigoted, even to a murderous degree, like Trump and Henry Ford, but they are primarily motivated by avarice and lust for power. The exceptions are the religious fanatics among them who feel they are called by god to wreak genocide AND to rule.

     The priests of hate- usually but not always rich, intelligent enough to see the contradictions of capitalism, or to invent fictional ones, but blames them on target of choice- women, Jews, immigrants, Queer people, Oppressed Nationalities, or other religious minorities. Examples- Hitler, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Limbaugh, Bannon, etc. This force is most prominently drawn from the petty bourgeoisie, and seek elite sponsorship for their hatred, working in conjunction to tear down the laws of liberal democracy.

     The Brute- workers who prize their social privileges over their economic interest, or who actually believe the lies of the Shapiros and Petersons. Those who care more for being able to step on another’s face than about whether or not they themselves have shoes. This minority of the working class may be motivated by religion or social privilege, to keep their allegiance to a system that keeps them at the disposal of the robber barons. They may benefit in the short term from plundering marginalized people, but remain workers, supporting the parasitic robber barons.

    Unfortunately, we see a misleading presentation of fascism in many of our best known movies about World War II.  Both Das Boot and Downfall depict the German military as reluctant at best to follow the orders of the Nazi regime they supported and served from day one, while erasing their complicity in Nazi crimes. Stalingrad, on the other hand, squarely addresses the fact that more than just the Nazi leadership was responsible.


1.  Das Boot
a)  The U-Boot sailors are shown to be apolitical, with both captains depicted criticizing the Nazi leadership. Setting aside the fact that being apolitical meant supporting the status quo, U-Boot crew were chosen for their political allegiance
b)  The one overtly Nazi officer is made a point of ridicule by the other sailors.
c)  No mention is made of U-Boot sailors being first in line to receive jewels and other valuables from death-camp inmates.


2.  Der Untergang 
         a)Dr. Schenck shown as heroic because of his Wehrmacht position. Specifically, he is shown flouting Nazi orders in his capacity as an army doctor, using this position to say he only obeys army commands, not those from the SS. Not depicted is his work as part of the SS conducting lethal experiments on Holocaust victims.
     b)  Various generals are shown defying Hitler
     c) The worst of the atrocities shown (Volkssturm sacrifices, child soldiers, etc) as well as mentions of the Holocaust, are all shown to be the responsibility of Nazi high command; Hitler, Göbbels, the SS…
     d)  The military are generally shown as exhibiting concern for the civilians, and standing up to Hitler’s mass suicide orders. This may be correct in comparison to the Nazi leadership, but being shown devoid of context makes the military out to be honorable humanitarians who stand against Nazism.


3.  Stalingrad (1993 version) 
     a) Ordinary soldiers are shown gloating over enslaved Soviet citizens 
     b) Ordinary soldiers are shown raping captured Soviet soldiers
     c)Even the captain who is depicted as heroic and at least nominally anti-nazi or unpolitisch is                  held responsible for going along with the war machine, and is taken to represent the best of                the German officer corps!
     d)  Howsoever they started the war, in the course of it the German military become complicit in      the crimes of the Nazi state. This movie comes the closest of the three to showing                                  the full gallery of fascist rogues for what they are.



     This limited view- that fascism is only the work of a handful of violent racists and their willing followers, is mirrored by class reductionism.  Dimitrov suggests that fascism in a vacuum is inherently unstable, as it can't meet the needs of the working class. If we understand the different sources of fascist support in different sectors of society, maybe we can can explain the system’s persistence. Fascism will worsen the problems in capitalism, which by definition is paying workers less than we are worth. This will supposedly motivate the working class to overthrow it. Looking at examples of fascism throughout history however, will show that fascism can command long-term loyalty from the very people Dimitrov thought were going to overthrow it. This is where the alliance between business elites and the priests of hate becomes critical. Oppression cannot thrive in a society that is becoming more free, and, as LBJ said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” Fascism strengthens the robber barons, and entertains their brutish dupes with the license to commit mass violence against marginalized people. It is no coincidence that the longest-lived blows against fascist systems have been imposed from outside rather than from inside their rule.


      The most reactionary bigots, regardless of their class positions, are a force to take seriously, of course, and often rise to prominence or even political power through more or less terroristic means. In societies where fascism has taken hold, they may well enter the ruling class itself.


     Surely, some will decide that it is better to trade our political and economic power in exchange for a supply of scapegoats. And for that, they will be responsible. We have the obligation to educate ourselves. A vote for a fascist is a vote against our class siblings, and against decency. All advanced and progressive humanity must stand against the brutes who would betray us as surely as we stand against the priests of hate and their robber baron masters. No, the brutes do not reap the windfall profits that fascism sucks out of the working class, but they can care more about their social privileges and the thrill of persecuting their perceived enemies than about their own well-being.


     So, is fighting bigotry enough to end fascism? No. Is pointing out that many fascist supporters are being exploited enough? Also no. Omission of fascism’s class structure will leave us playing whack-a-mole, trying to fight a multitude of oppressions with limited potential for unity. Omission of those social oppressions, meanwhile, will leave us unawares when some of our own class brothers betray us and flock to the banner of fascism. To fight fascism, we must fight greed, exploitation, racism, sexism, religious extremism, and their champions all at once. This is a daunting task, but there is no Red Army to save us this time. We have no alternative.