Chip Berlet wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Two fascist movements that gained state power in interwar Europe adopted a
> system of "corporatist" economic organization AFTER attaining state power. In
> both cases, Italy and Germany, a sector of powerful elites cut a deal with
> populist fascist political movements to block left-wing agitation for a
> more-revolutionary solutions to societal problems. Hitler was handed state power
> in a deal, as was Mussolini--his march on Rome was largely a faked event.
> Before taking state power Hitler posed as a national socialist, and Mussolini
> (falsely) tried to argue he represented a synthesis of socialism and anarchism
> and futurism.
>
> Leftists, focusing on fascism holding state power, made a number of assumptions
> about the nature of fascism that turned out to be dubious at best, and disproven
> at worst.
>
> See:
>
> Fritzsche, Peter. (1990). Rehearsals for Fascism: Populism and Political
> Mobilization in Weimar Germany. New York: Oxford University Press.
>
> Fritzsche, Peter. (1998). Germans into Nazis. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
> Press.
>
> And for the record, corporatism was a form of Italian syndicalism whereby
> sectors of society were to be organized in cross-class vertical structures from
> worker to owner who were to elect representatives to a common assembly. This
> never happened, but the term corporatism was pilfered to describe the rule by a
> sector of capitalist elites who had formed an alliance with the fascist movement
> leaders in Italy and Germany.
>
> The idea that fascism is only a system of corporatist economic organization has
> been largely discredited, and even if you believe that, it has little to do with
> fascist political movements which are autonomous populist movements.
>
> I would never describe fascism as a "nationalistic cult." However, many fascist
> movements adopt a cult of personality honoring their demogogic leader. And while
> fascist totalitarianism is sometimes crudely reduced to the term "cult," I
> prefer not to do that.
>
> -Chip "can't take a joke" Berlet
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Perelman" <michael at ecst.csuchico.edu>
> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
> Sent: Friday, October 12, 2001 7:29 PM
> Subject: Re: "Clerical fascism"
>
> > What about fascism as a system of corporatist economic organization rather
> > than a nationalistic cult?
> > --
> > Michael Perelman
> > Economics Department
> > California State University
> > Chico, CA 95929
> >
> > Tel. 530-898-5321
> > E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
--
Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929
Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu