In 20th-Century the term fascist was first applied to a political movement combining ultra nationalism with hostility both to the left and to established conservatism by Mussolini in 1919. Three years later Mussolini came to power at the head of a coalition backed by conservatism. In 1926 he began to establish a full-scale dictatorship. By this time Fascism was widely admired by a plethora of distinguished political and literary figures outside Italy, not all of them on the right. During the economic, social and political crisis beginning in 1929 Nazism made its break through and came to power in January 1933. While Mussolini set out to create a totalitarian society, Hitler embarked on the creation of a racial Utopia, a dream that entailed the elimination of Jews about six million from Germany and military conquest of Eastern Europe. Meanwhile significant fascist movements emerged in many other European countries and in Brazil. We have witness to how the political class & institution have been misusing nationalism to serve their own vested interest.
Increasingly, the struggle between fascism and its opponents dominated the political landscape. Popular front against fascism won power in France & Spain. Even in countries where there was little indigenous fascism, such as Sweden.
After 1945 fascism legacy continued to structure the political landscape, Political leaders in the Allied countries drew legitimacy from their role in defeating fascism, while governments in Italy & Germany claimed descent from the antifascist resistance. The left accused conservative anti communists of being fascists, while the right equated communism with fascism. Given that fascism has become an all-purpose term of abuse.
Along with Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, Socialism and Democracy, Fascism is one of the great political ideologies that shaped the 20th century. Why? What made the twentieth century, particularly the fifty years from 1904 until 1953, to bloody? That this era was exceptionally violent may seem Paradoxical. After all, the hundred years after 1900 were a time of unparalleled progress. In real terms, it has been estimated, average per capita global domestic product- an average individual’s income, allowing for fluctuations in the value of money- increased by little more than 50 percent. By the end of the twentieth century, thanks to myriad Technological and Scientific advances improvement in knowledge, human being on average lived longer and better lives than any other time in history. In a substantial proportion of the world, men succeeded in alluding premature death, thanks to improve nutrition and conquest of infections diseases.
In my life time I could not see my grand father & grand mother since I am the youngest in my family though I was born in the mid-20th century. When I was a schoolboy, the history text books offered a variety of explanations of twentieth-century violence. Sometime they related it to economic crisis, as if depression and recessions could explain political conflict. Then there was the theory that the century was all about class conflict- that the Socialist Revolution were one of the main causes of violence. But were not ethnic divisions actually more important than the supposed struggle between proletariat and bourgeoisie? Adolf Hifler ‘Seizure’ of power, which in turn was supposed to explain the Second World War. But I wonder, might not rapid economic growth sometimes have been just as destabilizing as economic crisis?
But were not religious & ethnic divisions actually more important than the supposed struggle between proletariat and bourgeoisie? Another argument was that the problems were the consequences of extreme versions of political ideologies, notably communism & fascism, as well as earlier evil, notably colonialism and imperialism. But what about the role of traditional system like Religions or other apparently non-political ideas and assumptions that nevertheless had violent implications?
In the books, read as a boy, the leading roles were always played by nation states : Britain, Germany, France, Russia, United States and so on. But was it not the case of that some or all these politics were in some measure Multinational rather than National- were, indeed, Empires rather than states?
But ultimately good always triumphed over evil. The two World Wars and the Cold War were thus morality play on a global stage. World Peace Council developed under the leadership of honest & educated people around the globe. But after the collapse by USSR, peace movement almost dies down. But were they? And did the west really win the hundred years war that was the Twentieth Century?
By the middle of the century many organization developed under the leadership of America like NATO, IMF, World Bank, even OIC etc. After the fall of colonies, power game developed and Martial Law dictators take over about 70 countries under the connivance of USA. In the Middle of 20th century the world witness the rise of nationalist politics in the developing world for national liberation and establishment of new states. Nationalism during those years represented the anti-imperial emancipatory role that helped legitimize the struggle of the oppressed peoples.
What will happen in the Twenty-first century? Now America wants to dominate the whole world. They have become the most Imperialist Power. After 9/11 in 2001, Terrorism has developed all over the world. Now the whole Middle Estate is burning, after Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya now Turkey & Syria. Entire Europe is affected by refugees and their economies are already in limbo.
Only the war Industries are thriving. America wants to keep the world in war-war situation to sell their war arsenals. America even using OIC wants to escalate war in Europe & Russia. OIC defecto endorses terrorist action in Ukrainian activists and nationalist as well as the Crimean Tatar radical groups which are carrying out hostility, hatred, starvation & suffering of the Muslim in Crimea. Now all the Muslim Refugees are starving & suffering in Europe. It will affect the European economy. But America is safe due to Atlantic Ocean. Even two world wars did not affect USA.
USA which practices unilateralism as an instrument of its diplomacy. Preserving the moral health of body polity and maintaining the ecological balance are conditions present to survival and growth of this entire earth. If it is not done in time, we will continue to suffer from the consequences of the unresolved dilemmas of the nuclear age. The dilemma of the nuclear age is how to use Nuclear Weapons diplomatically so that they are not used militarily. History will thus be defined as a process of interaction between people & the power structure existing at a given time and in a given country with its culture & civilization specificities. Such an interactions historically evolved in that country. If, as a result of this interaction the overwhelming mass of people finds their passions & values, being neglected, one can confidently predict that a process of alienation would gather momentum & the power structure would collapse. In our twentieth century we have seen the collapse of Empires specially the British Empire. Finally, the utter destruction of the USSR also because it fell victim to the denial of legitimacy to ‘Human Passion’ and ‘Permanent Values’ embedded in like ‘Bread & Liberty’.
Now only future can say, how America behave under Donald Trump, its Imperialist policy & one world theory which they followed in last century, where fascism & terrorism dominate the entire world. Trump may bring Peace or War. Trump is an unpredictable fellow :
The fact remain that ultra-nationalism is intolerant. Intolerance places democracy under siege. A liberal democracy accepts the fact that in a free country one can have different opinion and should have equal rights. This is pluralism and tolerance is its ultimate rationale. Even the preamble of the charter of UN underlines the need to ÒPractices tolerance and lives together in peace with one another as good neighbours.Ó What will be the fate of Mankind in Twenty-first century : will it be Hegemony of Ultra-Nationalism as a New World Order or a Humane World Order, only time can say.
17 December, 2016