John,
I think perhaps it's a question of semantics. I am of the perspective that it is possible to have decision-making bodies which mediate between differing interests without such organs necessarily constitution a state (I suppose it's a question of whether something like worker's councils constitute a state).
But I think what populism and National Socialism have in common is a conception of the State which seeks to supress these differing interests, indeed to deny the existence of such differences or view such difference as the product of sinister outside forces, in favor of viewing the state as the non-fragmented, undifferentiated expression of a unified will of the "Volk."
--- John Lacny <jlacny at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Angelus Novus:
>
> > What they are arguing is that a specific
> authoritarian
> > conception of the state as an organ which should
> > stand above particualr interests and represent the
> > interests of the "Volk" is more or less compatible
> > with Nazi positions.
>
> But that's a silly argument. It's technically true,
> but what conclusion do
> you draw from that? Because MOST people probably
> think of the state that
> way. As good Marxists, we presumably know that the
> state is either an
> instrument for one class to hold down another, or
> that it is at least
> "contested terrain" for contending class interests
> (a Gramscian nuance on
> traditional Marxist theory). But presumably "even
> under socialism" we would
> need some sort of decision-making body that has the
> final word, and that
> would mediate between competing interests (because
> these would still exist).
> That's a reasonable function for the state, and if
> Nazis also believed that,
> that's because it's so obvious that even they can
> recognize it. This is sort
> of like pointing out that Nazis liked Beethoven and
> Goethe, and that
> therefore "Beethoven and Goethe are more or less
> compatible with fascism."
> It's meaningless.
>
>
> - - - - - - - - - -
> John Lacny
> http://www.johnlacny.com
>
> Tell no lies, claim no easy victories
>
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