Ever More Countries Becoming Fascist Now but Don’t Use the Word, Aleksandrov Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, May 27 – Because most people today view “fascist” as a term of abuse rather than an explanation, they cannot see that ever more countries have been drawn to fascist approaches in recent years and are now institutionalizing it without ever employing the word itself, Maksim Aleksandrov says.

            The Moscow commentator says that to understand what is going on, one must begin by recognizing that “fascism is a form of authoritarian state system at the foundation of which lies total control of the population in the interests of the owners of major (very major) businesses. In fascism, the state itself becomes a big business” (apn.ru/index.php?newsid=38295).

            “The natural enemies of fascism are any who have their own Faith or Freedom” regardless of what that idea is, because “the essence of fascism is in the absence of ideals and in subordination to a hierarchy.” Ordinary people may hate this or that group for various reasons. But fascists “hate them simply because they are able to believe something.”

            According to Aleksandrov, “the deal of the fascist is a state mechanism in which each part is assigned a place.” Anyone who refuses because of alternative beliefs of any kind must be driven out or destroyed, and it makes no difference what these alternative beliefs are – be they communism, Christianity, monarchism or even procrastination.

            At the same time, fascism itself “is not an ideology because it does not offer any faith in the Idea of Fascism. Fascism does not believe in fascism, a fascist is not devoted to fascism, he acts instead in order to rise as high as possible in the fascist corporate hierarchy … and this is the limit of his ideological conviction.”

           

            “The supremacy of the right of strength is fascism’s chief principle,” the commentator continues. “If you can do something and not be punished, it means you have the right to do it. Social Darwinism in extreme cases becomes fascism. If you prevail, it means you are right; if you die, it means you don’t.”

            “All that you can take and keep is yours by right. What you can’t keep isn’t.  Therefore, people in high posts in a fascist state are allowed to violate any rules of the corporation.” Also, “a fascist state is not the automatic ally of anther fascist state.” They may cooperate or they may not but it is not out of any ideological conviction.

            Moreover, “a fascist state is not necessarily national.” It was in Germany, but it need not be. “There is almost no place in fascism for romanticism and glamour.”  And what is most important: the population does not necessarily suffer “under a fascist regime.” It may be quite comfortable with it as long as people fit in with everyone else.

            And despite what people think, Aleksandrov argues, “fascism didn’t lose in 1945.” The German version did, “but during the Cold War, the US, an essentially fascist state won out. over the last 20 years, almost all states in the world to one degree or anther have been drawn to fascism and have taken advantage of circumstances too ‘legalize’ this.”

            “That is what we are observing now,” Aleksandrov says. He does not mention Russia in this regard, but his description of fascism clearly fits Putin’s regime as well as many others.