Reactionary ideology and Fascism: an analysis
Tags: Socialism, Malta, Fascism, Georgi Dimitrov, Capitalism

How can one define Fascism? What are the origins? How does it come by? These are brilliant questions which are to be responded with great analysis. Fascism is more than state repression and terrorist disruption against the working class. Fascism is a form of tightened capitalist rule in it’s most aggressive and extensive form. Under Fascist rule, imperialism is at the most necessary and the safeguarding of capital is put to a priority. Fascism is a type of capitalist rule, it is the ‘emergency form’ of capitalism. Fascism attempts to merge civil life into political life with a mixture of corporatism to save capitalism. As great Bulgarian revolutionary leader Georgi Dimitrov states:

“Fascism is not a form of state power “standing above both classes — the proletariat and the bourgeoisie,” as Otto Bauer, for instance, has asserted. It is not “the revolt of the petty bourgeoisie which has captured the machinery of the state,” as the British Socialist Brailsford declares. No, fascism is not a power standing above class, nor government of the petty bourgeoisie or the lumpen-proletariat over finance capital. Fascism is the power of finance capital itself. It is the organization of terrorist vengeance against the working class and the revolutionary section of the peasantry and intelligentsia. In foreign policy, fascism is jingoism in its most brutal form, fomenting bestial hatred of other nations…. The development of fascism, and the fascist dictatorship itself, assume different forms in different countries, according to historical, social and economic conditions and to the national peculiarities, and the international position of the given country.” — Georgi Dimitrov

Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian communist revolutionary and anti-fascist. The synthesiser of the United Front.

Fascism comes in all shapes and sizes, but what can be agreed upon, whatever the ‘type’ of Fascism it is a common understanding that Fascism is nothing more but a relentless, merciless and blatantly aggressive rule over the working masses and those who toil. Fascism is an excellent method to secure capitalism for various reasons. The first one being that Fascism relieves the crowded markets with war and plunder. Secondly, with the antagonistic contradictions ever so heightened, disempowering individual capitalists saves capital. Capital does not need individual capitalists to flourish. The Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie (rule of capital) can greatly benefit by getting rid of individual capitalists.

Capitalism can sustain it’s rule through various ways. Capitalism is a mode of production as we know, therefore resources, production and distribution are allocated through the motive of profit. Various so called ‘free-market’ regimes like Japan, USA and South Korea to name a few, with each of their respective year plans increased their productive forces by a huge amount. Capitalist countries indeed do government planning. No such free market is capable of sustaining itself without government intervention. One can always talk about what a free market would or should do, but not what capitalism actually does. Everything is private property and exchanged according to principles formulated by smith, Ricardo, and Marx. Colloquially, the free market is generalized commodity production. A real “free market” does not exist, but it is rather an ideological construct. However one needs to remark that planning has it’s own limitations under a free-market regime. A planned economy under capitalism would be steering the investment of capital. Capitalism isn’t truly fully planned, notably because of it’s anarchic mode of production. Anarchy in production will remain, it can just be lowered to some extent. Regardless of planning capitalist countries still suffer an overproduction crisis. Therefore resulting in the unsustainable means of allocating resources which causes a waste in resources that can be utilised by those in need.

Planning steers investment only by a little bit, no economy can really be what we call “mixed”. The entire terminology of mixed economy is indeed too an ideological construct. On this regard, it is also good to point out the character of Fascism and those who look up to it. Fascism doesn’t simply come because the people choose so, it is inevitable that in imperialist states Fascism is yet to be the phase that truly introduces itself to our eyes through time as it has already done today in the United States of America with constant wars and constant attack on the working masses of America. The state does not simply naively pronounces it has became Fascist, but it rather remarks that anti-fascists are now the enemy of the state… That organisations in favour of the working class in any shape or form are the enemies of the “people”… It carries a dangerous offensive on emancipation and nations. Fascism, is the destroyer of nations, not saviour. Fascists make use of xenophobia, racism, homophobia and the like to target different sections of the population to be put to prejudice and discrimination and finally exclusion from society to further install the blast of division between the working class. This division helps the accumulation of fascistic rule and the total disbanding of the little democratic elements left in a liberal country. Including, the empowering of capitalism and the crushing of workers movements. Another element of Fascism is Populism. Populism, is neither left or right.

the “people” at a given point in time, this could be anti-capitalism or could be reactionary ideas and actions like racism. What has to be realised is that the injustice and exploitation that is happening in our world, in our time, in our country needs to be analysed scientifically and not dogmatically. Therefore, to recognise the injustices of our society one needs to first analyse the very system that our society is lead by. Today, it is under capitalist rule. Analysing thoroughly the contradictions of capitalism for what it is: is what one needs to do, and not simply condemn something simply because the majority condemns it. It is very important to point out the alienation and incorrect line of people. There is no black and white answer to things, there is no right or wrong. On the other hand, there are concrete answers that are more legitimate than others. Opportunism is a serious issue, when Socialism was popular — various opportunists from various backgrounds exploited the term to occupy power, eventually re-installing the rule of capital through Revisionism. Fascists use populist rhetoric to occupy power and help the terrorist phase of capital to quicken and tighten more than ever. After fascism, lies a society in ashes with all of emancipation and progressive movements suppressed to the ground. Unless these progressive and emancipation forces unite in an anti-fascist popular struggle against the roaders who want to derail the installation of a workers state for full emancipation and human liberation. Fascists exploit the alienation of the people to further crush them once the Fascists win the people’s support. Fascism hides in all types of shades, colours and slogans.

How to point out a reactionary? Recognise their inconsistent and flawed view of reality via understanding society around us with dialectical materialism, that stands in opposition to the fascist worldview, idealism. Fascists proudly defend the exploitative system of capitalism whilst giving it another name. Fascists also want to establish a rule that persecutes any unions or worker organisations that are independent of their ideal fascist regime. So that this Fascist state is able to lay hold over organisation in society and smash any opposition to capital while breeding reactionary unions to serve the bourgeoise state and not the proletarians, as a union was first initially used for. In summary,

“Fascism is the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary backward sections of monopoly capital” — Georgi Dimitrov

Another important reference from Dimitrov’s works:

“What is the source of the influence of fascism over the masses? Fascism is able to attract the masses because it demagogically appeals to their most urgent needs and demands. Fascism not only inflames prejudices that are deeply ingrained in the masses, but also plays on the better sentiments of the masses, on their sense of justice and sometimes even on their revolutionary traditions. Why do the German fascists, those lackeys of the bourgeoisie and mortal enemies of socialism, represent themselves to the masses as “Socialists,” and depict their accession to power as a “revolution”? Because they try to exploit the faith in revolution and the urge towards socialism that lives in the hearts of the mass of working people in Germany.” — Georgi Dimitrov “No, fascism is not a power standing above class, nor government of the petty bourgeoisie or the lumpen-proletariat over finance capital. Fascism is the power of finance capital itself.” — Georgi Dimitrov

Imperialist states need to shift their burden that has been generated by themselves on the working masses. Imperialists attempt too resolve their crowding markets by plundering weaker nations, by using the means of colonial regression and constant war. Fascism aids imperialism at it’s core.

Reactionary philosophy had developed in response to progressive politics. Bourogusie ideologies have been developed by the intelligentsia of the ruling classes, for the established bourogusie class to preserve the rule of capital. Such as: Julius Evola, Giovanni Gentile, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Benito Mussolini, Carl Schmitt and Adolf Hitler. Reactionary ideology that is in favour of Fascism (we must note that Fascism by itself is not an ideology, as Fascism is a form of capitalist rule) makes use of an idealist perspective. For instance, there is a reason why many reactionaries make use of religion. To alienate, to coerce via the engraved idealist influence within the people. Chauvinist attitude towards approaching social issues, too, plays a role within reactionary ideology. Reactionaries are against emancipation, attempt to derail any revolutionary struggle for they deny the material science of class struggle. Reactionaries deny the existence of contradiction itself! There is a reason why these idealists praise the state completely and reject the materialist analysis of the state, that being, that the state is an organ of class rule. Idealist bourogusie ideology can therefore be considered fascist. Ideology in favour of Fascism is in favour of terror, slaughter, imperialism, chauvinism, anti-communism and idealism. There is a reason liberalism lets Fascism take power without problem, it is because it is the next phase in-coalition with liberalism! It is inevitable in capitalism, Fascism can only be defeated once capitalism is!

Resources:

The Fascist Offensive and the Tasks of the Communist International

Unity of the Working Class against Fascism