Fascism explained
The term “fascist” is thrown around so much – and so inaccurately – these days that it’s come to mean “anyone with whom I disagree and think is doing bad things.” Most people haven’t a clue what it means except for that. I’m one of those people who has bothered to research it and understands the basics. But the following video taught me a lot that I hadn’t known, and I think it’s a valuable listen.
James Lindsay is the interviewee:
I have felt, and have said as much to deaf ears, that Fascism has a particular meaning, and it is not the same as Nazism. In their glory days there were similarities, but there were significant differences. Equating the two would be akin to equating a Bobcat to a Tiger. Either should be avoided, but one would be lethal, while the other might inflict some injury. Just my thoughts.
Some believe it problematic whether there would have been a ruling Fascist Party in Italy at all if it were not for the international thrust of Communism. The same could be speculated with respect to the Nazi Party in Germany. The violent Communist vs Nazi/Fascist confrontations created chaos that exposed weakness in the existing systems, and created a power void that could be exploited.
Sort of like the perpetrators of street violence intend in the U.S.
Not going to watch a long video, but of course the “anti-fascist” demonstrators and Antifa operators have no idea what fascism actually was, and don’t see its relationship to our current Progressive or Democratic Socialist parties.
FWIW, Mussolini DID start out a socialist…
“Fascism is private ownership, private enterprise, but total government control and regulation. Well, isn’t this the Liberal philosophy?” Ronald Reagan
We have mostly private ownership, mostly private enterprise and a whole lot of government control and regulation.
What a long winded discussion that never got down to basics.
As I understand the history, both Lenin and Mussolini were Marxist Socialists. Lenin believed in class warfare which led to the Gulag. Mussolini’s Italy didn’t have classes, unlike Russia with its long history of nobility and the genuinely oppressed serfs, hence no class warfare. Lenin had the socialist state take over all business which ultimately led to mass poverty and corruption. Mussolini recognized that he should let the businessmen run their companies and added government officials to steer the direction of the businessmen to fulfill the needs of the state. Mussolini’s moto was “everything inside the state, nothing outside the state, no one against the state.”
Lenin and Mussolini really, really, disliked each other.
The Russians had been antisemites forever, see “Fiddler on the Roof “. The Fasists weren’t until they joined the Nazis.
F.A. Hayek posited in “The Road to Serfdom” that communism and fascism were two sides of the same coin. Communism was universal socialism, whereas fascism was national socialism. (Nazi= National German Wokers Socialist Party). Both agreed on fundamental premises about the need for an authortarian government, opposed to capitalism, to spread the wealth to “the people”. But, who were “the people”? Communists believed the workers of the world should unite ( John Lennon’s vision–Imagine there’s no countries) Fascists like Mussolini and Hitler thought socialism was for their own people–not starving Russians or Chinese.
Indeed, Fascism was considered to be the Third way between communism and capitalism (Mussolini was initially an international “rock star” for threading that needle).
Both groups hated each other with violent passion–which is not unusual for ideologically/religiously similar people (Catholics vs Protestants, North vs South, Shiite vs Sunni).
A definition of the principles of Naziism, written by Goebbels in 1929:
https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/haken32.htm
Very interesting video. Thanks, neo.
Karmi on July 16, 2026 at 7:07 pm got it exactly right.
To understand the position of the Jews in Italy, look up Umberto Pugliese. He was a naval architect, and was still serving in 1941. It’s a sad story.
The “fascist” governments like Franco and Salazar, think of them as caretakers. They were trying to preserve their countries. Pinochet was another of that type. Also, it’s worth looking at Austro-fascism. Many Jews managed to escape into Dolfuss’s Austria. Then the Germans killed him.
Ever notice that the one ethnicity we are all encouraged to be contemptuous of is the French?
Might one say that it’s a huge misunderstanding, even unfair…or perhaps a short memory…?
(Though it’s no doubt due in large part to the introduction of “la nouvelle cuisine”.)
Of course, for a bit of balance, there’s always, for starters, Charles Martel, Voltaire, Champlain, Lafayette, Louis XVI (for Americans…and watchmakers), de Tocqueville, Zola, Lady Liberty, all the extraordinary novelists and artists, composers and musicians, directors and actors, scientists, doctors and engineers, de Gaulle (OMMV, but nonetheless…), the Free French, Pierre Koenig (WHO??), haute couture-istes (for elegance), Marcel Marceau (for eloquence), etc., etc…along with the fertile cultural environment provided over the centuries by France to the world.
(Once again, OMMV…)
I would be nice if James Lindsey were an actual historian. I’ve been spoiled by the expertise of historians who are familiar with events. Lindsey isn’t bad, but he is superficial.
The violent Communist vs Nazi/Fascist confrontations
Ended when the Reds joined the SA. The only downside was that there were no more Reds to fight with.
History is bullshit, and historians bullshitters. It’s ok. Rest easy. Marx is onboard.
“I don’t pretend it’s not a dilemma to figure out how to proceed when one portion of a country has been severely discriminated against for that long and some sort of corrective is necessary.” Neo
The corrective is to stop the discrimination. You can’t ever “make up” for it without damaging someone else.