Sound vaguely familiar? But don't draw too many parallels, even if the picture is incredibly grim.
Early twentieth-century fascist and totalitarian states were created in milieus which included strong leftist parties and the regimes were not even partly driven by fanatical religionists, but their party dictatorships were successful nevertheless. In the U.S. we currently have conditions in many ways even more favorable to the emergence of our very own, American fascism.
If we want to understand what's taking place in the country today we have to realize that the Democratic Party is the American conservative party and the Republican Party is the party of reaction. This means of course that there is no significant center, no progressive party and certainly no left, contrary to the amazingly successful propaganda of the right (the Democratic-Republican coalition) and of its loyal media.
Adding to the tragedy for our clueless and disempowered citizens is the fact that, unlike conservative or even reactionary parties in other countries, our own equivalents do not offer their supporters even the most minimal protections of a traditional democratic socialism or of the more capitalist "economic safety net." Even historical fascism, the apparent model for the gangs in Washington, accepted the need for certain forms of socialism.
Finally, even our very real liberties, which were once probably the only fair boast of the American system, are now being removed, with the apparent approval of the citizenry, on the specious argument that these freedoms interfere with our security.
We get an enormous, intrusive, reactionary police state backed enthusiastically by the very largest corporations and the most fanatical religious elements, and we get perpetual war, but we get no security, no assistance and a wounded environment. This government asks everything but gives nothing, and yet we cheer loudly and sign up for more of it. How did we get here? Will we ever escape?
interesting blog, I offer some food for thought.
The Diety of Communism is the party, which is the state. Socialism has all the tenents of a religion, and with its intolorance of dissenting opinion, the murder of over 100 million of its own subjects in the last century, the term 'fanatical' comes readily to mind. The poorest, most polluted, starved, and unfree places on the planet are socialist, or were recently socialist.
If there is no 'left' in this country why do so many Democrats, Professors and journalists quote, paraphrase and push the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and even Hitler? To be fair, many have no clue they are doing so, but they might as well, for the effect they have.
The Nazis were socialists who believed in state control of privately owned industry and property. It is the Dems and the greens, as well as some 'moderate' Republicans who push Nazi policies and methods.(National Health Care, gun registration, strictly regulated business.)
While I don't think any of our personal liberties need be or should be given up to win this war, most of these initiatives were put forth origionally by the Clinton Administration with the support of those who are gnashing and wailing about the Bush Administration doing it now. You might also want to bear in mind that capitalism is personal economic freedom.
I have a few more 'fair boast(s) of the American system' for you. Most of the scientific and medical advancements have come from our system. No system has offered more upward mobility, wealth creation, and prosperity for more of its' citizens. Our 'poverty stricken' are more likely to be overweight than not. No system has produced more food than ours. No system has given away more of its' wealth to others, nor spilled more of its' blood defending others from injustice and aggression.
Your knowledge of history, like most people's, is exceptionally limited.