Twenty-First Century Resurgence of Fascism

They say that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  That is the case with Fascism.  Commonly thought to be a phenomenon of the Twentieth Century, that is now extinct, as a governing system, Fascism has had a resurgence in the Twenty-First Century.  Why is it coming back unnoticed?  

"We cannot prevent another Holocaust from happening, if we do not fully understand the political system that led to the first one."

It is because the public, traumatized and horrified by the brutality of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime, chose to look no further than the atrocities.  No one was ready to examine the governing philosophy behind the genocide.  

"Fascism became a pejorative term, labeling an individual as bigoted and authoritarian..."

Furthermore, there was a planned propaganda campaign by Socialists and Communists, who had previously praised the likes of Mussolini and Hitler, to distance themselves from Nazi atrocities and label Fascism as a form of Right-Wing nationalism.  Communists in the Soviet Union called all capitalists and nationalists Fascist.  Western Socialists followed their lead and did the same.  Fascism became a pejorative term, labeling an individual as bigoted and authoritarian... an extreme Right-Winger.  But, as we shall see, Fascism originated and evolved within the political left, finding support among many would later denounce it.

"Federalism can serve as an antidote to Fascism and similar authoritarian philosophies"

As a Jew, it has been engrained deeply in my soul to never forget the victims of the Holocaust.  This belief extends beyond memorializing those who suffered, and perished, to speaking out for victims of current and more recent genocides and tyranny.  But few, even within the Jewish community, have questioned the political philosophy that led to the Holocaust.  I have always believed we cannot prevent another Holocaust from happening, if we do not understand the political system that led to the first one.  That is the purpose of this blog.  Together, we will explore what it means to be a Fascist, beyond the antisemitism and myth of racial superiority.  Here, we will examine the roots of its totalitarian ideals and how it has evolved to current day.  We will explore where and how it is having a comeback in the Twenty-First Century.  We will also look at how federalism can serve as the antidote to Fascism and similar authoritarian philosophies.  I implore you to keep an open mind and not fall for the propaganda of those who have sought to revise history for their own political purposes.

Samuel Griswold 

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