Fascism
| From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944 |
| "Fascism, according to my knowledge of it, is the desire of certain inhabitants of an economically straitened state to return that state to a usually mythical pervious golden age, by whatever means of violence and prejudice may best be used." --Pohl.
"It must be remembered that ... fascism is purely destructive in its aims ... to reduce labor to the status of slavery; to wipe out any and all social reforms, to halt the advance of science ... And what is the purpose. To maintain forever wealth and power in the hands of those who now have it. Fascism is 20th century reaction" --Lowndes. In justice to Lowndes, it should be explained that the Marxistic interpretation of fascism is that it is the last effort of the class in power to prevent a revolution, by sponsoring the bringing on of a foreign war to which to divert the people, by appealing to their patriotism, and also to use up the surpluses of overproduction and maybe win new marks to be exploited; with the further advantage that a large, well-disciplined army would be useful tin putting down any revolt. Rothman defines it much more simply. Speer sometimes used the nickname "Fascist Speer" because of his pseodu middle initial and because, having mistaken ideas about such subjects as world trade, and an Emersonian liking for the strong man, he supported the "have-not" powers in their Ethiopian, Spanish, and Austrian adventures. >From time to time he issued denials that he was a fascist concerning the US, but rather believed in socialism of the New Deal. The Wollheimist party was probably aware of these denials at the time of the 1938 FAPA elections, when they charged him with being an avowed "Fascist," and therefor opposed to freedom of the fan press, etc. His 1938 opinion Fascism was that it was simply a highly nationalistic socialism that arose in the have-not countries and will pass as soon as they become "haves." The Futurians continued from time to time to try to prove him a fascist or a fascist unconscious", but Lowndes finally retracted, and the change was heard little more. |
Note: This (written by Jack Speer) is a bit incoherent, but reflects some of the political nonsense going around fandom at the time.
| Fanhistory | 1940s |
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