The problem with Fascism is that most people remember only the
aftermath of 20th Century European Fascism. What most people do not remember is
the actual rise of Fascism and, in particular, how easy it is for democratic
people to accept Fascism. I think the weakness of democracies is that people
get tired of stalemates and lack of progress; then they start looking for what
they perceive as strong leaders, people who promise quick action and radical
solutions to all their problems.
This summer I have been reading Adam Hochschild's book
"Spain in Our Hearts" and Sinclair Lewis's book "It Can't Happen
Here." The former is a long and detailed account of the American and other
foreign volunteers who went to Spain in 1936-1938 to fight for the Republic.
But much of the book is devoted to the formation of Franco's Fascist regime and
the various ways in which the democracies of France, England, and America
refused to support the Republicans, implicitly supported Franco, and turned
their backs on the roles that Italy and Germany were playing in backing Spanish
Fascism. The latter book, written in 1935, is a fictional account of how a
radical candidate, Berzelius Windrip, in the American presidential election of
'36, carries the US into a Fascist regime. Lewis's descriptions sound exactly
like a contemporary account of our own 2016 election. Of course, if you want to
know more about the way Fascism works, you can also read George Orwell's
"Homage to Catalonia" or, especially, Ignazio Silone's "Bread
and Wine," which details the rise of Fascism in Italy.
Fascism works from the theme of strong patriotism and directs a
Capitalist economy into increased productivity. Spanish Fascism was distinctly
Catholic and received the best wishes of the Vatican, which ignored the
thousands of people being imprisoned or executed by the Nationalist regime. Unfortunately,
the patriotism is usually directed toward exclusion of various minority groups
and political enemies. National paranoia inevitably requires major production
of military and police power. Social life quickly becomes ruled by strict
conformity to whatever the totalitarian leaders believe is "good
citizenship." Dissent, instead of indicating freedom of expression, is
quickly branded as an evil contrary to national security. Security, indeed,
becomes the paramount issue and allows for all kinds of brutality.
Franco's Spanish Fascism survived World War II largely because
they remained nominally neutral throughout the war, while allowing German and
Italian use of Spanish ports and sharing intelligence with them. Germany and
Italy, of course, were eventually brought to ruin by their aggressive pursuits
of power and conquest. During the Cold War, the US gave support to Franco
because he was radically opposed to Communism. In fact, as we reflect on this
entire period, it is the hatred of Communists and Jews that unites people
behind absolutists. What is truly sad is the price that Europeans eventually paid
for their hatred.
There are many Americans today who hate Liberals (Socialists and
Communists), Muslims, Mexicans, and African Americans with the same kind of
intensity that can very likely open the doors to Fascism. We need to understand
how easily this can happen and how painful the consequences will ultimately be.
