Army Bob: So what really is a fascist?

by Robert M. Traxler

“I believe our current administration is fascist,” — an editorial comment in the Town Broadcast.

The moniker of “fascist” is tossed about liberally in our society. Most good folks use it without knowing what they are saying. They simply know that it is a horrible thing to call someone they disagree with, but a bit of study and we find a conservative is far less fascist than a progressive in social and governing philosophy.

Fascist is a term coined by the Fasci Italiani Combattimento movement in Italy around 1919 when they referred to Benito Mussolini as II Duce (the leader). So, what was or is Fascism?

It has become associated with anyone who disagrees with a progressive on any issue. Interesting, as the fascists are far more progressive than conservative in governing. Fascists are total believers in what Mussolini referred to as national socialism, a tern later embraced by the German Workers Party, who changed their name to the National Socialist German Workers Party, the acronym NAZI, as they felt the original name sounded too communist, a group we think of as fascists more than the older and original Fascist Party in Italy. 

Nineteen nations adopted fascism, and quasi-fascism has been adopted over time by 14 others. It always fails, as socialism always fails. It sounds great on paper, but in reality, it cannot work for long. As the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, socialism is fine until you run out of other people’s money.

Benito Mussolini was a second generation socialist; his parents were confirmed socialists, indeed leaders of the Italian movement. He joined the Italian army in World War One and became a patriotic person, a break with the socialist movement’s holy grail. He also became a believer in private ownership of property such as homes and small family farms, and allowing religion. He maintained his belief in cradle-to-grave government control of the people, industry, health care, wage and price control, but his stand on allowing private ownership of very limited property and embracing the Catholic Church caused the communist faction of the Italian Socialist Party to break with him. After the break, communism became the enemy of the fascist movement in Italy and later in Germany. 

Fascism is indeed socialism that allows some limited private ownership of property, religion and nationalism. A columnist wrote in this esteemed paper years ago, that fascists allowed nationalism and wore military uniforms, thus they are not socialists. I disagree; socialists are against nationalism until they control the nation, then they embrace the national flag and military. Venezuela is a good contemporary example.

Socialism always fails, and economic reality and government overreach are two main reasons. As the government becomes all powerful, the ultimate authority, they control you and your family through the local government, schools and neighborhood groups. As former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in her book, it takes a village to raise a child, or the government should raise your children. Most good folks do not like that very much.  

I certainly understand the Nazis and Fascists are the historical bad guys, brutal, genocidal, and oppressive, but they are not conservatives who believe in limited government. Our constitution that limits government, and especially the Bill of Rights to our constitution, give more control to the individual American citizen. The first ten amendments also give local, county, state and not the federal government the most authority over our lives.

Perhaps reading a few of the books written by Beneto Mussolini outlining the concept of fascism is a good thing for the progressives to do, as is a look into the Nazi’s government philosophy of socialism, before they toss the fascist moniker around incorrectly. My opinion.