Is Fascism On The March Again In Europe? Historians Give Their Verdicts

The Guardian:

Does the election of two BNP MEPs and the success of the far right elsewhere in Europe mean we are facing the threat of fascism? Or is this just a protest vote that will quickly fade? Leading historians give their verdicts

Read the whole story: The Guardian

Comments

[GuidedByEwoks]

I'm just glad Sweden elected some pirates to combat all these new righties. This is what happens when people don't think their votes matter and let fanatics do all the voting. Just because you can't vote for Obama doesn't mean you shouldn't vote.

[ModernTimes1]

Go easy on that gluestick, dude.

[bbnz]

Isn't it interesting that in Europe they call the "Right" fascist, while here in the US we refer to the same ideologies as "conservatives"? Or we might say they "lean far to the right" for the more extreme like the Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh. Yet when th Right here in the US talks about Obama they use words like "Socialist" or "Communist". What is the differance between a fascist and far right conservative? To me they're one in the same.

[ModernTimes1]

In Europe the term 'fascist' is a term mostly used by overgrown teenagers at everyone who is not a petty bourgeois liberal.
That would include a cop who gives you a ticket, lord demanding rent and anyone who challenges the multi-kulti perspective.

[ArcEnCiel]

They are indeed the same: I_gnorants, r_acists, counting on privileges from forefathers, believe in e_thinic c_leasing etc

[vishnucoming]

And also they don't make use of g_ratuitous of under_lining. The Fasc_ist bas_tards!

[naeldwyck]

Don't pretend the BNP is a "conservative" party. Read up a bit first. Or get it straight from the horse's mouth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRKk2K3fMk0

[amalfedup]

Why? Did it ever take a break? Europeans and their descendants have always had a sense of superiority, raping and pillaging the savages, thus the mess we are in today

[vishnucoming]

Yeah, they have that dark history ... not like the peaceful Mayans, Aztecs, and African warrior tribes, etc, that had death rates up to 1/3 of all males in war

[ModernTimes1]

There is no fascism in Europe. There's no fascism in U.S.
This is simply an ignominious yellow press hatchet job to stir up some gullible readers. Nothing else.

[ChristopherAtom]

To what end?

[ModernTimes1]

the only end--$

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

The US is already a fascist country.
Corporate / Government colusion is all but official.
The military has inappropriate influence.
The corporate media is giddy with the authoritarian
ravings of gingrich, cheney, rove, oreilly, beck, savage and fatso limp-laugh.
50% of the country has a so what attitude toward murder as a political tool.
70% of the country can not discern information from propaganda.
Our better heritage is compromised by the rationals of empire.
Our elections are corupted as a matter of course.

[ModernTimes1]

re."70% of the country can not discern information from propaganda."
You can safely include yourself in the above.....

[JerryLevy]

I'm not sure where Europe is going. They hated Reagan, but loved Gorbechev. They loved Yassir Arafat but hated Ariel Sharon. While hating George Bush, they traded with and supported Saddam Hussain. The Anglican Church has announced they can live with Sharia law applying to British Muslims. In Denmark, their media will not report on honor killing by Muslims anymore. They will not support the Americans in Afghanistan, failed to lift a finger to same hundreds of thousands in Kosovo. They love Fidel Castro's Cuba and at the same time are virulently anti American. These people who brought us WWI and WWII will not stand up for the basic values of democracy and freedom. Their population is even falling as no one is having children. Marriage is being replaced by co habitation (of course that is happening here too) and church attendance is down to 10%. Will Europe survive?

[ChristopherAtom]

Interesting perspective. My guess is no. Nor will America. However I do not see this occurring in my life time. But, within the next few generations, dramatic, sweeping changes are more than likely. The population and religious attendance drop in America and Europe is due to the proliferation of the Internet. With the rapid exchange of information and commerce so grows the intelligence of it's user. Take for example: your post. You have put a large amount of information from your perspective in a very small paragraph. Many thousands of people will read that and up pops the light bulb followed by the urge to verify your information. Hence the rise of Wikipedia. Therefore as more people acquire information about the realities of religion, politics, childrearing, or sometimes to their horror, the true state of the country they live in, the more cautious they become. This exchange of information is the root cause of the drop in the aforementioned trends.
As far as Europe surviving: from what I have gleaned, empires rise and fall and in the vast oceans of time and space humanities entire existence is but a single drop. That reminds me; I really need to clean up my microcosm. It's getting a little cluttered round here.

[ModernTimes1]

Based on reading different threads, the level of infromation literacy is alarmingly low.
This includes inability to distinguish quality of information. Hence, the proliferation of various rumors and mindless repetition of highly biased information.
Few users are able to produce quality analysis and draw conclusions based on data found on the Internet. Most indulge in simple recall and/or cut-and-paste.

[naeldwyck]

"The population and religious attendance drop in America and Europe is due to the proliferation of the Internet."
I really doubt that; church attendance in the Netherlands, where I grew up, was already way down in the 80s. Internet not needed. And this is a country where there is state-sponsored religious education.

[CigarGod]

8 of the worlds top 10 democracies are in europe.
USA is 17, Israel is 37.

[atinga]

you should one day take some time to examine the methodology in these rating systems. you may find some fascinating flaws.

[phute]

Well they say ignorance is bliss!
You also forgot to mention our favourite past time - that of hunting down and eating children for supper. Shape up.

[ArcEnCiel]

So many BNP propaganda videos on youtube with titles such "barnsleynationalits"... There is no explaining in defending a political party which denies membership to none Caucasians and calls the holocaust a big lie... Britain has its citizen all over the world; there are more British in eastern Europe than Eastern European on the British Isle!

The BNP want all the people who emigrated or are descendant of immigrants out of "their" land while their National Heath Service and Public Transport is mainly run by an immigrant labor. Those same immigrant who helped built the country after the 2nd WW!

[naschkatze]

These are British historians speaking of Britain, but in continental Europe I think the threat lies in the fact that these countries have imported cheap labor from the Middle East for years to do the jobs the Europeans did not want to do. Sort of like the US and Latinos. But now that the economic crisis has burst upon us, even those labor jobs have dried up and the Europeans don't want them on their soil any longer, certainly not competing for social support.

[ArcEnCiel]

Exactly, you are right... And the influx of well qualified and educated Eastern European doesn't help either.

[ModernTimes1]

So the idea behind guest worker programs finally starting to makes sense. Again. If we only had the ballz to stick on original intent of those programs
/

[KoolAidAmerica]

These results are a counter reaction to the fas cism of radical Islam

[confidance government]

BNP is far-right? Give me a break, they are essentially Labour party that is anti-EU and racist.

The left is just ashamed that these bigots share their economic policies.

Another example of why the left-right cliche is worn out and overused.

[AbstractImp]

Fascism will rise with the degradation of the world economy and society, as the climate crisis worsens. There will also be increased religious fanaticism. These are natural historical trends. They are not repeated exactly, but share similarities across time.

Meanwhile, failing capitalist states will become increasingly socialist. This too is a natural development, showing just how naive American politicians are when they decry socialism.

Whether the present election results in Europe signify any of this remains to be seen over time. These short term trends can go up or down against the longer term developments.

The author made a curious admission:
"Even though I write commentary pieces for the Daily Mail, I am not given to hysteria."
That is good, because that is just what the right wing extremists would thrive on!

[TMc73]

I would agree with you that 'failing capitalists states' such as the U.S. are starting to flirt with socialist philosophies out of economic necessity; however there is a disturbing vocal minority that is fighting to maintain the status quo; unbridled global capitalism led by transnational corporations. President Obama and Congress may attempt to pass legislation in an effort to stabilize an ailing economy, however these attempts are only band-aids on a gaping life threatening wound.

If the situation in the United States does not improve, if fundamental changes in our economy and goverment are not made soon I am afraid that we will see the rise of fascism in our country as well, as opposed to socialism. The neo-conservatives have aligned themselves with the coporate interests a long time ago and have been pandering to the religous fundamentalists for the past thirty years; similar to pre fascist Italy. They continue to spread lies and fear in an effort to make a bad situation even worse all in an effort to regain power, discredit any form of social programs ('socialism'), and continue their hegemonic power over the citizens of the U.S.

American's as a whole fail to understand the difference between fascism and socialism. A vocal uneducated minority in this country scream against the specter of creeping socialism while failing to understand that such programs have been around since the 1930's, such as unemployment and social security.

[ChristopherAtom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commuism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptocracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship

Round and round she goes! Where she stops, nobody knows!

[Hirnlego]

"when they decry socialism."
Which is either fake or they are uninformed.

Realistically, how many would sign up to this:
"When I say "capitalism," I mean a full, pure, uncontrolled, unregulated laissez-faire capitalism—with a separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church." - Ayn Rand

Perhaps Ron Paul. But thats probably it.

Fact: USA is a mixed economy.

[TMc73]

I sure wouldn't, but that is exactly what the conservatives want, minus the seperation of church and state.

[Wisdo]

No. Anything else?

[lastpost]

What is the difference between Fascism and what currently exists? One makes no pretence of being a democracy. Whilst the other seeks to maintain that illusion, by explaining that the people do not need referendums. Since the government knows their requirements better than they do.

[vishnucoming]

What is amusing here in the US, is how one party can make tiny changes to the government, and the other side cries "fascism!" Both sides do it. Of course it's not serious, and no one but the party hacks repeats it, but it is still amusing.

[Snagge]

Votes in 2004 for BNP in North West: 134,959
Votes in 2009 for BNP in North West: 132,194

Why then, were they more successful?

Votes in 2004 for Labour in North West: 576,388
Votes in 2009 for Labour in North West: 336,831

If the council elections are anything to go by, then England will turn Tory blue in the next general election. The BNP don't stand a chance.

[ChristopherAtom]

You want answers? Here ya go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXZSF13pM-I