Capitalism in Decay
Fascism is capitalism in decay. As with anticommunism in general, the ruling class has oversimplified this phenomenon to the point of absurdity and teaches but a small fraction of its history. This is the spot for getting a serious understanding of it (from a more proletarian perspective) and collecting the facts that contemporary anticommunists are unlikely to discuss.
Posts should be relevant to either fascism or neofascism, otherwise they belong in !latestagecapitalism@lemmygrad.ml. If you are unsure if the subject matter is related to either, share it there instead. Off‐topic posts shall be removed.
No capitalist apologia or other anticommunism. No bigotry, including racism, misogyny, ableism, heterosexism, or xenophobia. Be respectful. This is a safe space where all comrades should feel welcome.
For our purposes, we consider early Shōwa Japan to be capitalism in decay.
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I'd like to hear Lemmygrad's thoughts on nationalism (and, separately, ultranationalism and irredentism) as a criteria for spotting fascism and other harmful ideologies.
Fascist and fascist adjacent nationalism tends to define the "nation" in a way that excludes and endangers entire demographics who often wield little power to begin with.
I'd argue that nationalism itself isn't inherently bad though. Many anti-colonial movements are nationalist, and AES countries have nationalist traits.
I believe Stalin's "Marxism and the National Question" wrestles with this but I am yet to read it.
Agreed with the anti-colonial national liberation struggles being reasonable, although I am critical of (for example) present-day Chinese nationalism among civilians (or perhaps more specifically when it becomes national chauvanism, which from what I understand may be unfortunately widespread). While stories I've heard of the Korean War suggest a healthy class consciousness and a certain empathy towards oppressed groups among the US PoWs, a couple of Chinese citizens I've spoken to nowadays report that US racism has crept in among the nationalists (racial stereotyping about wealth and criminality which I'd rather not repeat, and attitudes towards interracial relationships reflecting those differing stereotypes).
This is a bit of a disjointed rant, but my point is that nationalism is a dangerous road, although I haven't studied it enough to know what situation or amount or type is fine (if any), and how to ensure socialism remains relevant in an anti-imperialist nationalist revolution.
You make a good point. Nationalism in socialist projects still deserves scrutiny.