Fascism.
Now that’s a word that gets attention. It evokes strong emotions. It causes people to “show their teeth.” It’s not a word used in polite conversation.
Yet, I hear the term tossed around a lot these days, as if a hot potato, as if a hand grenade with the pin pulled. Nobody wants to touch it, might explode. Way too dangerous, way too hot. But, somebody owns that potato, somebody owns that hand grenade. It fits very nicely on the political spectrum, but where?
Some people say ‘fascism is part and parcel with the far right.’ Others say, ‘No, fascism belongs to the far left.’
Who’s right?
Let’s begin our discovery with a working definition.
What is fascism anyway?
According to Merriam-Webster fascism is defined as follows:
A political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.
Can we go with this definition?
Good. Let’s proceed.
Based on this definition, can we agree, fascism doesn’t leave a lot of room for individual freedom. OK, it leaves no room. In a fascist arrangement, the people are owned, they essentially belong to the state. Individual freedom is not part of the deal. It’s a political and economic system based on total government control.
Political Spectrum
Now, let’s discuss the political spectrum. The political spectrum runs from left to right.
Hey, can we start in the middle?
Instead of starting with left and right, why don’t we start in the middle. OK, what’s in the middle? The middle is where balance lives. It’s where government is probably the most useful and the most beneficial to the most people. The middle is where there’s a balance between government power and individual freedom. So, from this “middle ground” what happens when we move left or right?
What happens when you move to the Left?
As we move left on the political spectrum two things happen as follows:
- Government has more control
- Individuals have less freedom.
Any move to the left on the political spectrum, means giving up a portion of your individual freedom and handing it over to the government.
What happens when you move to the Right?
As we move right on the political spectrum … two things happen as follows:
- Government has less control
- Individuals have more freedom
Any movement to the right is a move towards more and more individual freedom.
Fascism sits where?
Now, let’s return to our controversial word – fascism. Where does it sit on the political spectrum?
Since fascism is one of the premier ways for government to take total control over the people, it’s as far left as you can go on the political spectrum. It’s the last stop, the end of the line. When you arrive at fascism, your life as a free person is over. It’s plantation time, the people are owned.
Yes, fascism is a political and economic system where big government is the boss. Big government is in control … total control.
Want some examples of fascism in action? Check out Hitler and Mussolini. They’re your go-to guys for fascism. Hitler made it happen in Germany; Mussolini got it up and running in Italy. In short, they both ruled with an iron fist. Not good for your health to disagree with the fascist leaders. Could very well end up wearing a pair of concrete shoes … or worse.
So, who own’s fascism, the left or right?
Answer: Fascism is as far left as you can go on the political spectrum. The left owns it. I didn’t make up the rules here, it’s just the way it is. You show me a form of government that has total control over the people and I’ll show you far left on the political spectrum.
A few more questions to address
There are a few more questions calling out for answers as follows:
- What’s on the far right?
- Where does capitalism belong on the political spectrum?
- Where does socialism belong on the political spectrum?
- Where does communism belong on the political spectrum?
Let’s tackle these one at a time.
What’s on the far right?
If moving left brings more and more government control, then moving right brings the opposite – more and more individual freedom. As we move all the way to the ‘up-against-the-wall’ far right, we arrive at a very strange and foreign form of government. It’s so strange many folks may not even know it exists. In back-woods-down-home language it’s called – ‘no government at all.’ That’s right, when you hit the far right, you hit the opposite of the far left. And, since the far left is total government control, the far right must be … no government control. Or, if you prefer, anarchy. Or, if you prefer, ‘life on the open Sarengeti.’ Or, if you prefer, ‘freedom.’ It’s the wild west on steroids.
Now, some folks may argue, ‘Not good – way too much freedom!’ And, that’s OK, we’re simply discussing what happens when you move all the way right on the political spectrum. It is what it is.
And, maybe that’s why the United States founding fathers figured if you must have a government why not make it balanced? Why not put it in the middle? They chose to keep the state in check by severely limiting government power. Their challenge, ‘How can we maximize individual freedom, yet still have a government?’ They wanted to create a society where individual citizens are free from government oppression. A society where the citizens are in control, where the citizens hold the power. Yes, they wanted to form a ‘government of the people, for the people and by the people’ … a grand experiment. Individuals with so much freedom they would hardly even notice the weak central government. And why should they? It’s not a part of their daily lives. Free citizens, free enterprise … freedom. That’s how the United States started out. It’s not that way anymore. What happened?
Where does capitalism belong on the political spectrum?
Capitalism is taking a bad rap these days. Why? I have no idea. Capitalism is simply this … the free market. If you don’t have a free market then you don’t have capitalism. So all this talk about how capitalism is destroying america is total nonsense. Here’s why … the United States is not practicing capitalism. Where’s the free market? What’s with all the government interference?
One hundred and fifty years ago, if you wanted to start a business, guess what you did? You started a business! Wow, you just did it. Try starting one today. You practically have to beg the government and get their royal blessing. And to get your royal government blessing you better be prepared to dance. You better be prepared for a whole host of obstacles in the form of … regulations, rules, laws, permits, college degrees, taxes, licenses, forms, fees, (your favorite government obstacle goes here!). And then, this in-your-face-government interference goes on for the life of your business. That, my friends, is not capitalism.
Capitalism is simply the free exchange of goods and services between people on a voluntary basis. There is no force involved in capitalism. The political and economic problems facing the United States have nothing to do with capitalism. The problems don’t stem from capitalism, but from the lack of capitalism. Free the market and watch the prosperity flow. I didn’t make up the economic rules here folks. Historical data bears it out. For an excellent book on how free-markets and prosperity go hand in hand read, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power Prosperity and Poverty. You show me a free market and I’ll show you prosperity. You show me a market dominated by government rules, regulations and red tape and I’ll show you a sputtering economy or worse depending on how much the government interferes in the market.
So, capitalism – the free market – sits on the far right of the political spectrum. How’s that? Easy, no government interference in a true free market. Yes, capitalism is a far right political and economic activity, because it involves little to no government interference. It’s called freedom. A very foreign word these days.
Where does socialism belong on the political spectrum?
Socialism requires a powerful central government in order to take from the producers and give to the non-producers. This is called redistribution, or ‘let’s share the wealth’ or the nefarious euphemism, ‘social justice.’ Only one big problem, it’s all done by force. You either comply or the government will use the threat of force – or outright force – to make you comply. There’s no free exchange in a socialist arrangement. The state decides and the people abide. As such, socialism belongs to the far left on the political spectrum. It is simply another form of government that invokes total control over the people.
For a great example of how socialism plays out it’s nasty hand, research what’s happening in Venezuela today. Not good. The socialist utopia has resulted into a trail of tears; a trail of despair, destruction and death. And that should be no surprise to anyone. It always happens. Socialism is a deathtrap. Socialism is a political and economic system based on taking from the producers and redistributing to the non-producers. All by force, all by the heavy hand of the powerful central government. Individual freedom has no place in socialism. You obey Mr and Mrs all powerful government or – just like in the fascist state – you get fitted with a matching set of concrete shoes. It doesn’t end well for free and independent thinkers in a socialist world.
Where does communism belong on the political spectrum?
Communism is simply another form of government that requires total control over the people. If the government doesn’t have total control, you can’t do communism. Communism is a flavor of socialism. I distinguish one from the other this way … in socialism, the government controls everything – in communism, the government owns everything. Not sure it makes a big difference for the poor sucker in the streets who’s life is owned by the communist rulers.
Fascism, Communism, Socialism – what’s the difference?
We can discuss the differences between fascism, communism and socialism all we want but one fact remains constant – all three arrive at the same ‘port-of-call.’ Different method, same end result. And the end result is this … total government control over the people.
Fascism, communism and socialism are all forms of government where individual freedoms are dropped and the state runs the show. Individuals don’t count, it’s all about the state.
But, you say, “socialism is nice!” Sorry, it’s not. It’s simply big in-control government making all the decisions. It’s big in-control government redistributing wealth – most of it redirected to the ruling elites – until the wealth drys up. Then it’s collapse time. Again, for an example of how socialism plays out, see Venezuela.
Communism, well that’s just socialism on steroids. Socialism is where the state controls all business and wealth production enterprises. Communism is socialism’s big-brother. It’s where the state owns all business and wealth production enterprises.
Another common thread with these three far-left political ideologies is that the government is in charge of the economy. The state is responsible for your economic future. Not good. There are two reasons why this is not good.
Reason 1: The state doesn’t give a rats-ass about you or your economic future. You are state property. You count for nothing. The bloated in-charge social-engineering fat-cat bureaucrats view you as a cow to be milked. You exist to serve the fat-cats in charge, the redistribution masters, the political overlords who produce nothing, create no wealth and yet take from the people – by force if necessary.
Reason 2: The state is incompetent. The state has no ‘know-how.’ For instance, how good is the government – any government – at business and wealth production? Can you think of one thing the government does well? Neither can I. You show me a government that controls and/or owns all business and wealth production enterprises and I’ll show you poverty. Yes, socialism and communism may start out all “kumbaya” and “marshmallows around the campfire” but eventually – when all the real wealth producers have been looted – the party is over … despair, death and destruction soon follow. Again, investigate Venezuela to get a glimpse at what happens when the ‘promise you everything’ socialists take power.
I have to chuckle when someone says “I like socialism but hate fascism.” Or, “I think communism is great compared to fascism.” This is pure nonsense.
Why?
Because all three of these forms of government lead to the same destination … total loss of individual freedom! The state rules and the people drool.
How ridiculous does this dialog sound to you … ?
State: Sir we’d like to know your preferred method to be completely owned by the government and have all your individual freedoms taken away? We have three choices on the menu as follows:
- Socialism
- Communism
- Fascism
Serf: Oh, I much prefer socialism over fascism. And communism gives me hay-fever so, please put me in the socialist state thanks.
Ridiculous? I hope so. Yet, I hear folks talking about socialism and communism as alternative government options for the United States. And these same people label anyone who disagrees a right wing fascist! Makes no sense. There’s nothing right wing about fascism. You can have a right wing anarchist, but never a right wing fascist. Fascism is all about government control and therefore it’s fire-walled to the left side of the political spectrum. Communist, socialist, fascist – what’s the difference? All three lead to the same result – total government control and the end of individual freedom.
Conclusion
So, where does fascism belong on the political spectrum? It’s as far left as you can go – total government control.
But fascism is not alone, it’s not sitting all by itself up against the political left wall. No sir. It has company. Two of it’s closest comrades on the far left are socialism and communism. These three political and economic cousins achieve the same end result – total government control over the people. The only way these forms of government can exist is through a heavy handed all powerful central government. Great if you’re part of the ruling elite, but not so exciting for the rest of us.
The United States was founded on the idea of freedom, freedom for the people; free from dictators, tyrants and despots; free from tyrannical governments. It wasn’t founded on freedom for the government to run rickshaw on it’s citizens. Unfortunately, that’s the way it’s heading. Over time, the government has been gathering more and more power. This power transfer comes at a huge cost – freedom. For every new power the government acquires, there’s a corresponding loss of freedom for its citizens. This shift is complete when all power is transferred to the government leaving individual citizens powerless. This final stage is when you hit the left wall on the political spectrum. Call it what you want – socialism, communism, fascism – it won’t matter. The end result is the same, you are owned. It’s plantation time. It’s forget about freedom time. Game over.
So, to all those folks out there clamoring for more and more government, be careful what you wish for – you might get it. Then you’ll wake up one day and have no decisions to make. The government will make them all for you. You’ll be in a ‘total government control’ paradise. Yes, a paradise for the fat-cat-privileged-ruling-elite … but hell for the rest of us.
