Re: Austrian fascists

["Barry Buitekant" <Barry.Buitekant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary says: "I have been re-reading Walter Benjamin's theses on history and
their continued relevance is striking. Benjamin puts the blame squarely on
the Social Democrats for the rise of nazism and I think he was right then
and one would also be right today to say the same."

I thought that stalinism had something to do with the rise of nazism. But
maybe I misread my Trotsky.

Barry Buitekant

-----Original Message-----
From: Gary MacLennan <g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 04 February 2000 01:14
Subject: Re: Austrian fascists


>Lou,
>
>I think the whole question of nazism and fascism re-entering the political
>arena is very significant. We are told daily in the press that there is a
>boom in the core economies.  Recently The Brisbane Courier Mail lead its
>Business Review section with a claim that 'Australia is now a new
>economy'.  What that means I am not clear. But they seem to predict
>continued growth of 2-4%.  They call this a 'boom' these days and all is
>supposed to be well.  Later in the same week the Courier Mail had an
>editorial praising the Prime Minister John Howard for 'catching the
>national mood of optimism' in a speech where he virtually declared happy
>days were here again.
>
>Meanwhile on the street level there is a numbing despair about being
>trapped between Labor and the Conservatives - neither of whom offer any
>alternative to Neo-liberalism or economic rationalism as they call it
>here.  To add further insult to injury interest rates were put up by half a
>per cent to 'head off inflation'.  This was an outright lie because
>inflation is less than 2%.
>
>So as I see it the bourgeoisie have never had it so good.  In their
>arrogance they are beginning to believe their own propaganda.  Meanwhile
>the malcontented grow and neo-fascism raises its head.  The ruling class
>will lose little sleep over a revived fascism of course,  Unless it sparks
>a counter-mobilization on the Left. With the present leadership of social
>democracy and labor this is highly unlikely, however.
>
>The international Jewish community though is an interesting exception to
>the complacency in face of a rising fascist tide. Zionism apart one can see
>the Jewish people as a 'light unto the nations' in their intransigent
>opposition to fascism.
>
>I have been re-reading Walter Benjamin's theses on history and their
>continued relevance is striking.  Benjamin put the blame squarely on the
>Social Democrats for the rise of nazism and I think he was right then and
>one would be also right today to say the same.
>
>regards
>
>Gary
>
>
>At 04:39  31/01/00 -0500, you wrote:
>>January 31, 2000
>>
>>European Union Threatens to Cut Political Ties With Austria
>>
>>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>>
>>LISBON, Portugal -- The European Union will break off political contacts
>>with any future Austrian government that includes the far-right Freedom
>>Party, the EU president warned today.
>>
>>"Governments of 14 member states will not promote or accept any bilateral
>>official contacts at political level with an Austrian government" that
>>includes the Freedom Party, said a statement issued in Lisbon.
>>
>>The governments of the other 14 EU states will not back Austrian
candidates
>>for posts in international organizations. Austrian ambassadors in EU
>>capitals also "will only be received at a technical level," said a tough
>>statement issued by Portugal, which holds the EU presidency, on behalf of
>>the other member states.
>>
>>The unprecedented statement pledged to politically isolate Austria within
>>the EU if a new Austrian government is formed with populist Joerg Haider's
>>Freedom Party. The party is in coalition talks with the Austrian People's
>>Party following inconclusive elections held in October.
>>
>>The prospect of Haider influencing Austrian policy has brought fierce
>>criticism from EU leaders because of his statements in opposition to EU
>>expansion and remarks sympathetic to aspects of the Nazi regime. . .
>>
>>====
>>
>>The Jerusalem Post, January 20, 1993, Wednesday
>>
>>For many people, the question of whether the American government helped
>>conceal Kurt Waldheim's involvement in Nazi war crimes is no longer
>>important.
>>
>>The former Austrian president and UN secretary-general is now 74 and out
of
>>public office.
>>
>>But at least one man still wants answers.
>>
>>Robert Herzstein, who teaches history at the University of South Carolina,
>>is campaigning to make public official US documents about Waldheim's
>>relationship with US government agencies.
>>
>>Herzstein spoke to jurists, historians and Nazi hunters at a symposium on
>>"Policy towards Nazi War Criminals" at Haifa University earlier this
month.
>>
>>The 51-year-old professor said in an interview that Waldheim enjoyed the
>>protection of certain US agencies.
>>
>>Herzstein wants to discover why and to what extent US authorities
protected
>>him.
>>
>>He also is trying to determine why they went so far as to falsify
>>Waldheim's wartime record, eliminating the fact that he served in the
>>German Wehrmacht.
>>
>>"I can't say that he was an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, but
>>from 1950 to the 1970s he was an asset to the CIA," Herzstein contended. .
.
>>
>>
>>
>>Louis Proyect
>>
>>(The Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org)
>
>