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[–]LGBTQIAIDSAnally Injected Death Sentence 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'm not 'fascist', either, since I've always seen it as too Left-wing (especially after reading the program of March 23, 1919, which reads as libertarian socialist/Lib-Left, including republicanism and even universal suffrage at a time when many liberals and democrats would have opposed it). In 1924, the Italian Communist Party (PCI) leader even praised the fascists.

Similar things can be found in Germany between the KPD and the NSDAP at various points until 1933. The KPD was among the opposition parties driven underground that year. However, I get the impression that the NSDAP was more 'Right' (predictably, the KPD's relations were much more rocky, constantly shifting between co-opting NSDAP talking points and positions to opposition and back again, largely depending on Stalin's directives from Moscow) than the Italian Fascists were 'Right' (the PCI probably saw fascism as a step closer to what they wanted, at least for some time).

I think this is a part of the confusion surrounding the famous sociologist Pareto and why he seemed to support the early fascists, something which confuses academia. Most evidence points to Pareto being a libertarian/classical liberal (which fits nicely with the early fascists), whereas Pareto would have witnessed their Rightward shift (which fits nicely with why he clearly made anti-fascist statements later in life; for example, when it reached the stage that the fascists banned Marxism in universities, Pareto was opposed to this). Academics simply can't figure this out because they assume that the late Mussolini and early Mussolini must have been the same, but the story that I outline here is quite coherent and feasible, i.e. that fascism underwent a sort of Rightward drift from its position on the Left as a sort of synthesis of anti-Marxist Leftists, including Leftists falling out with Marxism, and certain traditionalist or reactionary types like Maurras.

The 'Mussolini/Fascists are Right-wing' narrative must have been a later development (i.e. around the time of Mussolini's association with many of the [actually] Right-wing groups that would later become the Axis), such that we end up with today's demonological Off-the-charts-Extreme-Reactionary-Far-Right Fasssccciisssuuummm that is the supposed 'antithesis' of today's Left-wing nutjobs, and which all Left-wing nutjobs gravely overestimate the threat of today. But the Italian Fascists, at least in the late 1910s and most of the 1920s, would have been closer to radical liberals and communists than to the likes of Codreanu and the Iron Guard or Szalazi and the Arrow Cross.

As for my opinion on the specific quotes that I find interesting:

1. Yes, this is thoroughly disagreeable to anyone outside of the Left-wing nutjob box. Prime de Rivera and other early fascists had the exact opposite opinion: Socialism was more agreeable until Marxism, not because of it. I should add that the pre-Marxist socialists weren't very appealing either: Fourier was a sick degenerate as well as a very early advocate for homosexuality and feminism, and some of Saint-Simon's followers were sick degenerates who promoted 'free love' and other nonsense (I'm not sure about him personally, although he promoted feminism). The Saint-Simonians essentially became a cult, especially after his death.

5. To this I only have to add that Pareto was philo-Semitic, which probably also explains his early indifference or mild support for fascism. In a personal letter, Pareto even lambasted a personal friend for sending to him an 'anti-Semitic' book.

6. The notion that one of the world's most invasive groups needs to be left 'alone' reeks of ignorance. A most obvious retort is that they plain and simply won't leave you alone. Of course, they'll be even less likely to leave you alone if they see you as a threat, but that doesn't justify meekly appeasing them, it justifies prevailing over them.

7. This one almost makes me laugh: the notion of an ultra-modernist and materialist like Marx being deified even though he was 100% opposed to such things. Just as Mussolini describes this quasi-spiritualistic attitude towards Marx, a growing number in China believe that Mao brings good luck. Both Marx and Mao would be horrified, I suspect.

Finally, Marx turned out to be wrong on countless things, so the notion of him as a sort of atheist's prophet also amuses me. The atheist's version of a false prophet he was and he remains, however.

[–]DragonerneJesus is white[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

In 1924, the Italian Communist Party (PCI) leader even praised the fascists.

Do you have a source for that one? I would appreciate it greatly