Signs of the times - Nazism?

Seeing the signs held at Tea Parties and the 9/12 March on Washington was something of a rude awakening. Protesters exclaimed that President Obama and the Democratic Congress were Fascists, Nazis, Socialists, or Communists. It’s been a while since we were in school, but we’re pretty sure not all of these could be true, because they mean dramatically different things. The signs also indicated that the Obama agenda would mean the end of capitalism.

Judging by the man-on-the-street interviews with protesters, these folks do not have the education to understand what they were asserting. We’ll go even farther – the elected representatives speaking to them didn’t know what they were talking about either.

More than half of all Americans were not alive for fascism and Nazism, and clearly have no idea what they actually were. On the other hand, socialism is alive and well in many democratic states, and there are still a few communist states – notably China and Cuba. And surprising as it may be, capitalism can actually be mixed into some of the other systems.

Whoaaaa! How can this be?

Let’s start with the basics. Definitions. According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:

Fascism - a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

Nazism - the body of political and economic doctrines held and put into effect by the Nazis in Germany from 1933 to 1945 including the totalitarian principle of government, predominance of especially Germanic groups assumed to be racially superior, and supremacy of the führer

Socialism - 1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods; 2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property; b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state; 3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done


Communism - 1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private property; b : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed; 2 (capitalized) a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production; c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably

Capitalism - an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market

Wikepedia (for those of us who have any confidence in it) gives more elaboration on all four. Here are a few of those comments:

Fascism - Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in conflict against the weak.

Nazism - Nazism is often considered by scholars to be a form of fascism. While it incorporated elements from both left and right-wing politics, the Nazis formed most of their alliances on the right. … Among the key elements of Nazism were anti-parliamentarism, Pan-Germanism, racism, collectivism, eugenics, antisemitism, anti-communism, totalitarianism and opposition to economic liberalism and political liberalism.

Socialism - Contrary to popular belief, socialism is not a political system; it is an economic system distinct from capitalism.

Communism - The term "Communism", usually spelled with the capital letter C, is however often used to refer to a form of government in which the state operates under a one-party system and declares allegiance to Marxism-Leninism or a derivative thereof, even if the party does not actually claim that the society has already reached communism.

Capitalism - typically refers to an economic and social system in which the means of production (also known as capital) are privately controlled; labor, goods and capital are traded in a market; profits are distributed to owners or invested in new technologies and industries; and wages are paid to labor. The extent to which different markets are free, as well as rules determining what may and may not be private property, is a matter of politics and policy and many states have what are termed "mixed economies.”

Historically, Americans like the idea of everybody owning their own stuff and doing whatever they want – as long as they don’t hurt other people. Technically, that doesn’t qualify us as pure capitalists, socialists, fascists, nazis, or communists.

What President Obama has claimed as his agenda – health care reform, re-regulating the banks and stock markets to fix our economy, removing some social restrictions like gay civil unions and military service, removing subsidies from banks who fund government backed student loans, etc. – is not, by any educated interpretation, fascism, Nazism, socialism, or communism.

One could argue that former President Bush’s administration came closer to fascism than what our current president proposes. (Go back and re-read the definitions if you doubt it.) Don't recall seeing any signs saying that -- oh, wait, that's right. When President Bush appeared, any negative signs were banned to places a mile or two away from the TV cameras.

At the risk of going too far, you could even argue that the "one-party state" that characterizes communism is vaguely reminiscent of the vision of many right wing leaders who tried to engineer the demise of the Democratic party and establish dominance of the Republicans for all future generations.

Our education system has apparently let us down in the civics/political science/history department. Just remember – don’t believe everything you read – especially if it’s on a protester’s sign.