The flawed definition of fascism put out by the Comintern led to the decision by German communists to pursue a narrow united front rather than a broad popular front, which in turn split a left/liberal alliance. This was disasterous, no matter how often Charles Brown invokes the lousy Comintern definition or attempts to rewrite history.
At the same time, voters in middle class conservative parties grew frustrated with the regime in power, and in large numbers cast votes for Hitler and his party in an attempt to shake things up. This backfired, and allow power to be handed to Hitler by the elites who feared a left/worker revolt.
Finally, early on some left/worker activists joined with the national socialists to smash the regime in power, in part because they embraced a conspiracy view of history that also scapegoated Jews.
Fascism is a form of apocalyptic mass right-wing populist nationalism. In the U.S. the mass base could come from the Christian Right or the xenophobic nationalist isolationists around who cheer Buchanan.
Yet note that in both Italy and Germany, power was handed to the fascist mass movement as a way to block a well-organized and powerful left. A sector of capitalist elites only turns to fascism as a last resort. It does not "create" fascism, which exists as an autonomous mass movement.
Describing elements of fascism or potentials for fascism in the U.S. today can be a reasonable exercise. Using the term fascism to describe capitalist state repression or transnational corporate power is an abuse of the term. These realities are bad enough without self-righteous hyperbole.
Chip Berlet Senior Analyst Political Research Associates Webmaster http://www.publiceye.org
> -----Original Message-----
> From: joanna bujes [mailto:jbujes at covad.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 12:57 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] anti-fascist agitation
>
>
> My memory is dim and getting dimmer, but I seem to recollect that the
> communists do share some of the blame....for not being willing to
> participate in a popular front movement against the nazis,
> but choosing
> a more purist line that resulted in splitting left opposition
> to the nazis.
>
> I stand easily corrected if I am wrong.
>
> Joanna