Radical traditionalism

{{Politics}}
{{Sources needed}}
'''Radical traditionalism''' is a movement opposing modern industrial society and democracy and looking for a rebirth of an older social order, which they view as heroic and anti-[[egalitarian]]. Thoroughly [[reactionary]] in its politics, it is informed by several [[right-wing]] ideologies such as [[paleoconservatism]], [[third positionism]], [[social Darwinism]], [[Perennial Traditionalism]], and a fondness for the [[Middle Ages]] and the pre-[[Christian]] [[Roman Empire|classical era]], as well as a few usually seen as [[left-wing]], such as anti-[[capitalism]], [[hard green|radical environmentalism]], and [[Luddite|primitivism]].

Their opposition to capitalism is in no way connected with [[Marxism]] or [[social democracy]], which they also oppose, nor with a desire to progress beyond it. Rather, they view both capitalism and socialism as two sides of the same coin, two faces of a dangerous modernism fostering decadence and egalitarianism, and wish to return to a world in which life is nasty, brutish, and short for most people, [[paramilitary woo|warrior virtues]] reign, women and minorities know their place, and men are men (and [[Bestiality|sheep are nervous]]). As such, it's often considered to be a strain of neo-[[fascism]], a characterization that many of its supporters would likely find little fault in — and when they do, it's often because they feel that fascism doesn't go far ''enough'', putting too much focus on mass movement politics and modernism.  

Not to be confused with the "[[traditional values]]" of fundamentalist [[Christianity]], since many of them also oppose Christianity, viewing it as another form of egalitarianism that promotes a "slave morality". The [[White nationalism|white nationalist]] elements of radical traditionalism also play a role in this opposition, with many viewing Christianity as a Middle Eastern import promoted (usually [[Anti-Semitism|by the Jews]]) to weaken the white race. As such, many radical traditionalists adhere to some form of [[pagan]]ism, preferably that of a [[Polytheistic reconstructionism|hard reconstructionist]] sort.

Favorite writers of these people include Italian [[fascist]] fellow-traveler [[Julius Evola]] (who helped pioneer the term and much of the philosophy), ultra-radical environmentalist [[Pentti Linkola]], French ''[[New Right (Europe)|Nouvelle Droite]]'' founder Alain de Benoist, Ragnar Redbeard and his book ''[[Might is Right]]'', American Nazi sympathizer [[Francis Parker Yockey]], and Norwegian neopagan [[Varg Vikernes]]. The [[Unabomber]] Ted Kaczynski also incorporated themes very similar to radical traditionalism into his [[Luddite|primitivist]] ideology and manifesto, though he didn't explicitly identify with the movement or its proponents and didn't seem to have even heard of them; any similarities can likely be chalked up to [[Types of evolution#Convergent evolution|convergent evolution]] based on their shared anti-industrial and anti-liberal views. The movement seems to have a small bit of influence in the "dark folk" and industrial music subcultures, but only just.<ref>As documented on [http://www.whomakesthenazis.com/2010/10/peter-webb-statement-on-neo-folk-and.html whomakesthenazis.com]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Alt-right]] - This is a very similar movement which likely has some overlap with the radical traditionalist movement, though its adherents (especially the "[[Neoreactionary movement|neoreactionary]]" subset) tend to be more pro-technology and lean more toward [[Christianity]] than paganism.
*[[Varg Vikernes]] - Norwegian black metal musician who burned down a church. Supports a strong form of Radical traditionalism and racial supremacy.

==References==
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[[Category:Alt-right]]
[[Category:Fascism]]

Categories: Alt-right, Fascism