The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-31
THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF FAsCIsM

First. the growth of fascisln means
that the revolutionary crisis and the
indignation Of the broad masses
against the rule Of capital is growing.
This is the answer to the basic point
of the social democracy, which sees
In the rise Of faseism the defeat Of
the revolution, which tries to discour-
age and demoralize the working class
by picturing the rise Of fascism as
the defeat Of the proletsrian reyolu-
ton. On the contrary, we must make
clear that the rise Of fascism Is IT.
self an indication of the deepening
Of the crisis of capitalism and a
factor in that deepening, an indica-
ton Of the rise Of the indignation of
the broad masses against capitalism.
Secondly, the growth of fascism
shows that the capitalists are no
longer able to maintain their die
tatorShip by the old methods of par
hsmentarism and bourgeois democ-
racy in general. That is, the rise Of
fascisn is itself realizing one Of the
basic preconditions Of the revolution
airy crisis. 1t is the realization of
that condition which Lenin long ago
pointed out to us as one of the pre-
conditions for the struggle for power
Of the working class, that condition
when the bourgeoisie is no longer able
to rule by the old methods. Fascism
is an expression of that condition.
Thirdly, that, moreover, the
methods Of parliamentarism and
bourgeois democracy in general are
becoming a hindrance to the capital
lists both in their internal politics as
well as in their foreign politics. That
the policies Of finance capital today
require that the capitalists themselves
carry through measures which
destroy the existing apparatus Of con-
troll, which destroy the old social
forms and relationships and introduce
conditions Of instability In every fea-
ture Of life, and thereby destroy
among the masses the authority and
the influence of the parties and the
institutions OF capitalist democracy
which have hitherto been their main
instruments Of rule.
And fourthly, that In view Of these
things the capitalists are compelled
to pass over to open terroristic die
tatorship within the country and TN
restrained chauviniSm in foreign poll
tics which represent direct prepara-
ton for imperialist war.
From these main characteristics Of
fascisnl, which we must make clear
to the broadest masses as the basic
instruments Of our political struggle
against faScisnn, it becomes clear that
fasclsrn is born directly out of bour-
geois democracy with the help Of
the social fascists. The rise of fascist
tendencies on the part Of the bour-
geoisie is a sign OF the passing of
the crisis into a revolutionary crisis,
is an inevitable phase of the revolu-
tionary struggle. But on the other
hand We must emphasize that the VIC
tory of fascism Is not inevitable.
Whether fascism is victorious or not
depends upon the forces Of the fight
ing working class and its allies; and
the development Of these fighting
forces of the working class depends
upon the defeat Of the paralyzing in
f1uence Of the social democracy within
the working class.
Therefore, the struggle against fas-
cism, the rousing OF the broadest
masses for the struggle against fas-
cism, is in the first place the struggle
to defeat the social democracy, to
Isolate the social democratic leaders
from the masses, to destroy their In
f1uence among the masses.
Let us examine the situation IN
Germany in the light Of this analysis
Of fascism and answer some Of the
questions which are heard among the
broad masses Of workers, some ques-
tons which rise spontaneously In the
minds Of the politically uninstructed
workers, and questions which are es-
peciaily raised and cultivated by the
renegades and the social fascists.
First, let us again answer the cues
ton: Why, in Germany, did not the
Communist Party seize power in the
beginning Of 1882 The answer to
this question must be repeated again
and again. The workers did not seize
power in Germany under the leader
ship Of the Communist Party because
the influence Of the social democracy
prevented the workers from develop
ing the struggle against fascism
Social democracy dissrmed the work