Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Is Fascism to the Right of Socialism and Communism?


American History Analysis: Are Communism and Fascism Really Opposites?

Many adults, including some media, are confused about “socialism”, "communism", and “fascism”. What is the difference? Correct history is not always taught in schools, so let's define a few terms. After we define a few “isms”, and clear up the confusion, even our young adults may know more than some politicians!

The political spectrum, ranging from left to right, originated in the seating arrangement of the French parliament during the French Revolutionary era, 1789-1796. The aristocracy sat on the right hand side of the Speaker, and the commoners were seated on his left. The right was considered more individualistic, while the left was “collective,” meaning involving a group. Surprisingly, at the start of the revolution, the interests of the rising capitalist class, or the bourgeoisie, were among the commoners, on the left. Some of these positions have shifted over the years, and have become confused. Today in Western culture, laissez-faire capitalism (meaning government hands-off business) and free markets are views generally held by the political Right.

There are many “isms”, but we will define a few here for the sake of clarity, simply using definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, starting on the left.

Socialism – the government or state owns the means of production and distribution. Producers of goods and services, meaning businesses, are the means of production.  There are no independent businesses; all are owned, and therefore controlled, by the government. Under socialism, large government bureaucracies also own and control the distribution of goods, and control the distribution of wealth. Proponents of Obamacare claim that federal power to regulate interstate commerce gives them the right to control insurance businesses and the health market in general. Socialism is the basis for all other tyrannies, but with some variations.

Communism has all the same characteristics of socialism, but eliminates all private property. For example, during the Cold War era, Russia was known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. At the height of its power, communism was a world-wide movement. Although the Berlin Wall came down, communism is still alive and well. Communists and socialists in the United States are working together for the same goal: total socialist control of America. See this informative documentary, The Agenda.

Fascism is often portrayed as being to the extreme right of communism. This mistaken perception arose because Germany’s Hitler declared communists to be the enemy. But the Nazis were really socialists. The word Nazism is an abbreviated German word for National Socialism. The difference is that while communism was socialism international in scope, fascism was socialism on a national level, under the autocratic, dictatorial control of one man instead of a collective group. There were communist dictators like Stalin of Russia, and Mao Tse Tung of China, and others, who were also responsible for mass murder of millions of people, just as Hitler was. Also under fascism, businesses, not just the masses, are in on the take of wealth derived from confiscatory taxes. We are seeing shades of fascism in our country today.

Political Islam would also be in the category of fascism, because its brand of socialism, or government control, is traced back to a single man, the prophet Mohammed. The merits of Mohammed’s character have been debated over the years, and his successors are credited with the creation of Sharia law. Nevertheless, the fruit of Sharia law is still tyranny – the stifling of all opposition, as well as discrimination against all non-Islamic believers in business and culture.

Liberalism – considers government the main means of improving inequities in society; in favor of change. This is the current definition. At the time of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers were liberal, because they wanted to change the form of government. The pro-British Tories were considered conservative, because they wanted to keep the form of government the way it was. Today’s liberals prefer the collective power of big government, higher taxes and government-controlled distribution of wealth, and they do not consider the United States Constitution to be important.

Now for some terms on the political right.

Capitalism – private or corporate ownership of capital goods. Investments are determined by the decisions of private individuals. Prices, production, and distribution are determined by competition in a free market.

Conservatism today is based on tradition and social stability, preferring gradual development to sudden change. Conservative philosophy includes lower taxes, limited government, and strong national defense. Today’s conservatives want to conserve the United States Constitution as it was written, and they generally prefer traditional social values.

Since the original Constitution created a republic, government powers are limited by written law. This keeps government from interfering with the free market, provides maximum political freedom to the people and protects them from tyrannical government by a few. However, the powers of the people are restricted by written law as well, so that they cannot subject others to mob rule. Socialism, fascism, and all forms of tyranny are contrary to the principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Coming on March 12: “Murder Perspective: Compare Ten Commandments and Sharia Law”, by this author.

C.A. Davidson is author of Epic Stories for Character Education, a collection of scriptural epic stories told in easy, dinner-talk style. Daily dinner talk topics on parenting, sociology and culture, world history, heritage, stress management, and family traditions are provided in “Dinner Talk for Champions,” and may be found at http://www.epicworld.info
©2011 by Christine Davidson

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