What does it mean to be Fascist? It is a good question, and one that is not answered with a few words as mentioned in class on Thursday. The problem with Fascism is that there are no clear-cut lines that dictate what it is. There is no book like how the communist base their ideas on. Democracy is based on individualism and freedoms. Where communism and democracy are opposites, I would say that Fascism is still the opposite of both ideas. I believe Fascism is an idea that is resorted to when democracy does not seem to work and when communism is not wanted. In certain places, democracy does not always work. As much as we hate to admit, it may not have the response time of that of an authoritarian government. Democracy is in no ways a perfect system, but there is no perfect system, and it is the best alternative. Democracy has always been plagued with getting locked up, and then becoming ineffective. The good and bad thing about Fascism is that there is no set definition. I think that helps make it so appealing to people. Hitler and Mussolini were able to adapt it to how they wanted to come to power. This is the appeal to Fascism. The negative aspect of Fascism is that there is no set rules or ideas. This allows the rulers to decide to do whatever they want in the name of Fascism. When you have a great orator like Mussolini or Hitler, it is easier to sway people to your side and get away with things that are wrong.
I also understand how people can get swept up in the Fascist movement. An example of people getting swept up in the modern world is when Obama ran for office. He did not have the qualifications of McCain. He had only been in the Senate for a short time. The thing that was appealing about him was that he was something different and new. People were not happy with the current system, and they wanted to something new. Obama was young and “cool” where as McCain was old and stodgy. This could be compared to that of what was going on Germany. Hitler was young and “cool” and the former chancellor was an older, suit wearing man as mentioned in class today. I am not saying that Obama and Hitler have anything in common. I am just saying that their rise to power is similar. Hitler had the overwhelming support of the youth in Germany, as did Mussolini in Italy. In Clarke County, a college area with a large youth population gave overwhelming support to Obama despite the way the rest of Georgia voted. When people are dissatisfied with their current government they tend to go in the opposite direction of what they didn’t like. Obama was the complete opposite of Bush, and Fascism is the complete opposite of democracy.
Kevin - I agree that a large reason why Obama was elected to office was his youth and vitality, and like Hitler/Mussolini, Obama is a great orator. However, I would not go as far to say that their rise to power was similar.The conditions for which their ascents were surrounded by differed greatly. The social and political conditions in Germany at the time were in utter disarray. The times were completely different, but Obama was able to take advantage of the general dissatisfaction with the (then)current government. True - both politicians were able to capitalize on the sentiments of the time in their respective countries, I just believe that Obama was more honest in his claim.
ReplyDeleteThat is a scary comparison to make and one must be weary when making it. Both Obama and Hitler were great orators and well versed in mass politics but that is where the similarities stop. It is important to remember that even at the height of Nazi popularity the Nazi party could not gain a majority vote. It was through controlled violence and concessions with the Catholic Center Party that the Nazis were able to slide into supreme power. Hitler also attempted a military coup before he obtained power through legal means. He wrote his political memoir in prison after being charged with treason and that is how a lot of his popularity was earned. The rise to power for Obama and Hitler may contain similarities but the differences far outweigh any logical comparison.
ReplyDeleteI think that all politicians have to be good at gaining support of others and getting people excited. That is how elections are won. I don't think Obama more than any other politican in America could be compared with Hitler. I agree with Ben that other than this small similarity there is not much else you could compare between Obama and Hitler.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Andrew on this one. While I am not saying that Obama is fascist, I do think that there are more similarities than many Americans would like to admit. Along with the points that Andrew made about the rise of each to power, we also need to look at the rhetoric used. Like the campaigning of Hitler, Obama used vague and overarching rhetoric that's meaning was largely open to interpretation. As well as playing to the crowds that he was speaking to. I'm not saying that this is unique to Obama. Most US politicians take similar tactics. It should make all of us very wary of political speeches and empower us to make damn sure of who is earning our votes.
ReplyDeleteWhile the comparison between Obama's and Hitler's elections is somewhat interesting, I think it is sad that most of the comments overlooked your most important observation "I believe Fascism is an idea that is resorted to when democracy does not seem to work and when communism is not wanted." To me, this is in many ways a dead-on assessment that you take further by pointing to the very malleability of Fascist "doctrine" and how leaders used different aspects to appeal to different groups in society.
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