Re: There's Something About Fascism...

["Paul Flewers" <hatchet.job@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One reason why fascism has often succeeded is that it has a 'different strokes
for different folks' approach. To the poor in general, that is, the working
class, the lumpen proletariat and the poorer elements of the petit-bourgeoisie,
it offers a clamorous, plebian 'bash the rich' approach; to the
petit-bourgeoisie as a whole it offers both a 'law and order' approach against
lumpen violence, and opposition to organised labour and (in a verbal sense only)
to big capital; to big capital it offers a straightforward anti-working-class
stance. As the world is organised primarily into nation states, fascism's
strident nationalism can successfully appeal to various classes, posing other
nations and immigrants from other nations as a threat to the nation state.
Fascism also appeals to lumpen and petit-bourgeois elements on the basis of
providing a strong leadership, as these elements are socially atomised and often
try to compensate for their powerlessness by looking up to a powerful leader.  
Fascist demagogues downplay aspects of their programme, depending to whom they
are talking. If addressing workers, they will not say that they wish to destroy
labour organisations; if talking to petit-bourgeois types, they will not say how
fascism upholds big business; if talking to big capitalists, they may well
downplay their lumpen violence (Hitler rarely made anti-Semitic rants before his
big business backers, as he knew that they did not buy it).   Paul F