Do you really want to know? Okay.
Italian liberals allied with the right to form a “national bloc”, including Mussolini’s fascists in the 1921 elections of May.
You know what happened next? >
Italian liberals allied with the right to form a “national bloc”, including Mussolini’s fascists in the 1921 elections of May.
You know what happened next? >
After March on Rome the liberals joined the government. With exception of the socialists & communists, all parties sought rapprochement with the PNF and voted for Mussolini: despite only 35 fascist MPs the Italian parliament supported Mussolini’s investiture >
306-116. Giolitti - the great liberal icon of the time - was the sole politician capable of opposing Mussolini, but he supported him up to 1924. Democracy not only surrendered its powers to the duce it dutifully ratified them >
Then there’s Germany.
It took until 1932 for the economist Hjalmar Schacht, a guru of the German bourgeoisie, to convince business to support Nazism (which was now actually declining). Why did he do it? Because he saw in Hitler a force capable of unifying the state and society >
It took until 1932 for the economist Hjalmar Schacht, a guru of the German bourgeoisie, to convince business to support Nazism (which was now actually declining). Why did he do it? Because he saw in Hitler a force capable of unifying the state and society >
On January 30, 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor in complete legality by Hindenburg, who himself had been constitutionally elected president a year earlier with the support of the socialists, who saw as a backstop against… the Nazis >
The Nazis were a minority in the first government formed by the leader of the NSDAP.
And that’s when it got nasty. The March elections of 1933 were held against a backdrop of violence by both the storm-troopers and police, 288 NSDAP MPs were sent to the Reichstag while the KPD >
And that’s when it got nasty. The March elections of 1933 were held against a backdrop of violence by both the storm-troopers and police, 288 NSDAP MPs were sent to the Reichstag while the KPD >
retained 80 seats and the SPD 120.
The SPD was dissolved that June, independent trade unions before the end of 1933 (initially their leaderships thought they could get away with saying they were ‘apolitical’) >
The SPD was dissolved that June, independent trade unions before the end of 1933 (initially their leaderships thought they could get away with saying they were ‘apolitical’) >
Okay. Now Spain. Unlike in Italy and Germany the rise of fascism wasn’t entirely mediated through the democratic apparatus. In the other two fascism was actually enabled by swathes of the establishment.
Something similar happened in Spain, but earlier, with the >
Something similar happened in Spain, but earlier, with the >
Coup led by Primo de Rivera in 1923. It was welcomed by the king and an army/establishment worried about the rise of anarchism and radicalism. Blame was placed at door of parliamentary democracy with Rivera subsequently suspending the constitution. This was all done from an >
Agreed sense of political necessity. Sound familiar?
Unlike Mussolini and Hitler, however, Rivera was incompetent and nowhere near as ruthless.
There are literally dozens of examples of this replete throughout history.
Unlike Mussolini and Hitler, however, Rivera was incompetent and nowhere near as ruthless.
There are literally dozens of examples of this replete throughout history.
