by Robert M. Traxler
A friend texted me and said he had just gotten back from seeing the new “blockbuster” movie, “The Civil War.” His recommendation was to pass on it because it was a progressive propaganda message wrapped in a movie.
As a curious person, I Googled the movie, and most reviews said it was a film depicting fighting a Fascist government in our nation in the near future. The term “Fascist” is tossed around by all sides of the political divide.
Let’s look at the National Socialist German Workers Party (workers was later erased as it sounded too communistic), the full name of the Nazi party that created a Fascist government. The founder of Fascism, Benito Mussolini, who was called “my teacher” by Adolph Hitler, is a good place to start.
Before we dive into the history, I must say a columnist in this esteemed publication many years ago stated that language “evolves,” and the concept of Nazi and Fascist cannot be seen as historical, but as a contemporary label, and because the Nazis were militaristic and socialists are not militaristic, so the term does not apply. I disagree.
Look at all socialist governments and we see that once they control the government, they embrace the military, the flag and nationalism, concepts they rejected as they were gaining power.
For a contemporary example we need to look to Venezuela. The socialist leaders were antimilitary and law enforcement until they gained power. Then the military and police became the heroes of the socialist movement, well regarded funded and unquestionably powerful.
The Father of Fascism, Benito Mussolini, was the son of a leading socialist leader in Italy who grew up in a progressive environment. A teacher as a young man, he served in World War I with distinction in the Italian Army. After his service, he returned to the Socialist Party and realized that the socialists never received more than single digits as a percent of the vote, in part because they disdained nationalism, religion, capitalism, police and the military, not unlike today’s socialist movement in our nation.
So, he advocated for the socialist party to embrace the flag, a national religion, and love of country and a limited capitalist economy, not unlike China, Venezuela and the Russian Federation today. He called his new concept fascism, and it worked with the help of a biased media. Indeed, Mr. Mussolini and the socialists purchased many media outlets. He led Italy from1922 to 1945 with the iron fist that socialists always govern with, and ultimately 24 nations briefly embraced this form of government.
The beauty of our Constitutional Republic is that the Bill of Rights limits government, and no one party or group can govern without scrutiny by other parties and, in theory, a free media, an open and unbiased media being protected by our constitution.
Rationalize it anyway you wish, but Nazis and Fascists were socialists who embraced nationalism (National Socialism), approved religion and limited capitalism. It offered government controlled wages and prices, production of all items to include agriculture, and human rights from womb to tomb for every person with the willing assistance of a complicit media.
Fascists were popular with the people, for a historically short time, before they failed.
The base concept of fascism is that government knows best, and government is the ultimate force for good, a fair referee of all disputes and an equalizing force for all. The government guarantees outcome and not opportunity. So, evaluation of the Nazis and the Fascists will tell us that the progressives today are advocating for a fascist form of all-powerful government. Conservatives are advocating for a limited government, as our Constitution outlines.
During the pro-Hamas anti-Jewish demonstrations at Columbia University in New York City, demonstrators yelled in the face of an African American New York City police officer that she was a member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The shortest list ever is black women who are members of the KKK.
The protesters are either blinded by hate or totally ignorant of history. If you can say a biological man can give birth and people who support an American Constitutional Republic are Nazis, you must be capable of believing anything.
For socialism to succeed, progressive orthodoxy cannot be questioned no matter how downright stupid it is. My opinion.