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From: bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Fascism/Communism
Message-ID: <470@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 1-May-84 19:09:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.470
Posted: Tue May  1 19:09:51 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 2-May-84 06:37:15 EDT
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 43

<.....>

I'm interested in the theoretical and practical (effective)
similarities and differences in fascism and socialism/communism.  
In particular, the differences between the Soviet system and the 
National Socialist (Nazi) system of 30's and 40's Germany.  Other
systems (Franco dominated Spain, Mussolini in Italy, Mao in China)
may be considered, too.  I'd like to hear what people think, and
what they think that other people think, too.

Some similarities come readily to mind.  
(i) Single party state
(ii) Economic system dominated by the government [I don't really
know the practical differences here, so I'd welcome informed
comments]
(iii) A class enemy (?) Jews in Nazi Germany, the middle (and rich)
classes in the S.U.--differences here, of course, as the Nazis
emphasized racism.  To my knowledge, anti-Semitism (sp?) is not
publicized in the S.U., while it was played up in Nazi Germany
(although the Nazi death camps were shrouded in secrecy).

In the S.U., a person is completely unimportant compared with the
state--was this true in Nazi Germany (hereafter abbreviated N.G.)
also?

Theoretical (?) differences
(i) N.G. emphasized nationalism (Ein Volk)--the unification of all
German speaking peoples.  The S.U., I think, emphasizes the
internationalism of the "workers' struggle", although apparently
the Russians are somewhat more favored than the Ukranians, say.
(ii) Is the bureaucracy in the S.U. more important than it was in
N.G.?  Hitler seems to have had more personal power than, say,
Kruschev (I'll have to learn how to spell some of these names, I
guess), but Stalin seemed to have comparable power.  Perhaps it was
because a war tends to concentrate power in the hands of fewer
people?

Comments welcome.

Sam Hall, UCB
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