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This exploratory article is intended to inform the business community about Antifa (anti-fascists); the analysis of Antifa is in three parts: (1) conduct a literature review to provide a better understanding of Capitalism, Marxism, Socialism, Fascism, and Nazism; (2) describe Antifa's core beliefs per an interview and literature review, and (3) provide insights and recommendations to business owners. This research focused narrowly on American Antifa seeking to better understand why most of the world is transitioning from socialism to capitalism, yet Antifa wants to eliminate capitalism. This exploratory research focuses on applied economics as related to violent threats against businesses.
Keywords: Antifa, Crime, Capitalism, Fascism, Socialism, Marxism, Nazism
INTRODUCTION
In 2020, in Seattle, Washington, Anti-Fascist (Antifa) organizers occupied a police precinct, naming it the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP), and subsequently the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), declaring four square blocks within the city autonomous from the United States (Silva, et al., 2020; Nadales, 2020). Antifa violence was targeted at destroying the private property of innocent Americans because Antifa members allegedly hate capitalism and therefore what America stands for (Nadales, 2020, p. 8). This research is exploratory with foci on applied economics as related to violent, domestic business threats.
This research is not methodologically straightforward as the typical quantitative study, because the grounded theory approach to synthesis and analysis seeks to tease out and define underlying relationships through an inductive and intuitive interpretation of the data (Baker, 2004, p. 177). In addition, this case study analyzes Antifa by focusing on political, social, and economic factors. Depending on the media's worldview, American Antifa might be described by mainstream media reporters as either freedom fighters or terrorists. Hence the following research questions will be investigated using both comparative economic analysis and a grounded theory approach.
Research Question 1: How do Antifa's core beliefs align with historical economic, social, or political theories?
Research Question 2: How should business owners respond to Antifa's violent behavior?
This article is intended to inform the business community, who are typically experts in finance, accounting, and management, but not necessarily attuned to socio-economic-political theory. So, this paper aims to review the violent period of 2017 to 2021 related to Antifa uprisings in three parts: (1) conduct a literature review to provide a...