Mussolini´s intellectuals

 

Irish Traditionalist and (perhaps) fascist Keith Woods argues against the idea that fascism is “capitalism in decay”, an idea usually associated with Marxism-Leninism. It´s not entirely clear what Woods´ alternative thesis is, though. It´s also intriguing that he doesn´t mention the Strasser brothers, instead focusing on Joseph Goebbels (and Mussolini).

Naturally, the “socialist” rhetoric and populist appeal of both German Nazism and Italian fascism are mentioned. Woods argues that Mussolini´s regime was independent of the big business interests. German industrialist support for Hitler and the Nazis peaked around 1930, and had actually went down by 1933. Many backers of the Nazis were White Russian émigrés (i.e. White Guards), who were “feudal” more than capitalist and supported Hitler for ideological and geopolitical reasons (anti-Semitism, anti-Communism, etc). Woods argues that Henry Ford in the US (who apparently provided the NSDAP with funding) acted out of ideological conviction. He actually *lost* money due to a boycott of the Ford company.

That fascism can´t be an expression of “decaying” capitalism is also shown by the fact that the fascist movements sought to modernize the economies of their respective nations, and indeed often did so after taking power. Thus, the German economy experienced economic growth under Hitler, not “decay”. In general, fascism appealed to groups inside nations *with* “decaying capitalism” (or semi-feudalism) as a strategy to *overcome* it.

Despite the narrators clear pro-fascist (Nazbol-ish) sympathies, still an interesting take on things.