(The following article is from the April 16-30, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

People's Voice Editorial

Even in these times of corporate media empires, a few mainstream columnists manage to write thought-provoking commentaries. One of these is Thomas Walkom, whose March 28 piece in the Toronto Star provided some insights into "the lure of fascism."

     Walkom notes that "During the Great Depression of the 1930s, two of the world's most `successful' economies were those of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany." In both cases, trade unions were crushed to block working class action for higher wages. Hitler and Mussolini invested heavily in vast military buildups. Those workers who weren't in concentration camps had jobs, unlike the millions of unemployed in the capitalist democracies. The program of the dictators drew the admiration of other capitalist leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Fascist parties had large followings in many capitalist countries. As Walkom concludes, the Great Depression showed that capitalism does not need democracy to be successful - for the capitalists.

     As the economic crisis becomes prolonged (as many predict), millions of working people will turn to radical, socialist ideas. But the ruling class will use every possible tactic to break working class resistance to their attack, including efforts to promote the fascist "alternative". This approach includes racist scapegoating of migrant workers and other minorities, wide media access to far right demagogues like Rush Limbaugh, and orchestrated campaigns to spread fear of crime.

     In short, there will be no "automatic" turn to the left during this crisis. The dominant ideology of any class-divided society is that of its ruling class, and our capitalists will turn to fascism and war if necessary to preserve their control. It will take a conscious, determined effort to win working people for a revolutionary alternative, and the price to pay for failure would be catastrophic.