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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (413435)	9/4/2008 1:15:25 AM
From: i-node	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1576610

That's bull. No, it isn't. While these three elements you mention are definite attributes of fascism, they are not the foundational components of it. Fascism is about some kind of spiritual commitment to the similar goals of the state. Mussolini discussed it as "everything in the state, nothing outside the state" and in fact, this is the origin of the term "totalitarian". Militarism, frankly, was present only as a necessity, not as a fundamental precept of fascism. A good argument is made that Woodrow Wilson was the first fascist dictator of the 20th century. Wilson arrested and jailed more dissidents than Mussolini did during the entire 20s. The end of Wilson's term saw civil liberties eroded more than Mussolini did in his first ten years. He [Wilson] literally had a propaganda branch that performed flawlessly -- far better than Mussolini's ever did. Fascism isn't about "militarism, patriotism, and nationalism". It is about power. The same kind of power that early progressives and liberals seek to attain, and not unlike what we're seeing with the Democrats in the current election. It is a quest for power; these other attributes or characteristics are incidental. Wilson was a seeker of political power from his earliest years. His book, "Constitutional Government in the US" talks about the presidential powers being unlimited (or limited only by his own ability). He talked about leaders using the masses as "tools". You really cannot understand fascism and its liberal roots without understanding Wilson's behavior as president. And Roosevelt, as well - these so-called "progressives" of the day had very definite fascist characteristics.