Deutschland Schon Wieder

[Dennis R Redmond <dredmond@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 13 Jul 2000, Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx wrote:

> seems that Germany's defeat at WWI did not seem to effect finance capital
> that much, given US aid.  so what was the Germany  bourgeoisie actually
> suffering from (or different factions of bourgeoisie)?

Most likely semiperipheral status in the world-system plus a lack of a
welfare state. The former made it impossible to borrow cheaply from
abroad, the latter ruled out the Swedish solution, i.e. Keynesian
reflation. Fascism was the logical, if diabolical, response of the ruling
elites: the violent seizure of foreign assets, plus internal military
Keynesianism (this is why Fascism was an international virus, as opposed
to something specific to Germany). Adorno has a wonderfully acute account
of Fascism in "Minima Moralia" which points out how overdetermined by
historical forces the Nazi regime was, from its temporary victories to
inevitable defeat.

-- Dennis