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Contributions by Don Hamerquist, J. Sakai, Anti-Racist Action Chicago, Mark Salotte
$12.95, 170 pp., September 2002
Chicago and Montreal: ARA Chicago, Kersplebedeb, Arsenal
Ever since Italy's fasci di combattimento rocketed Benito Mussolini to power in 1919-22, leftists have been grappling with the question of fascism -- what it is and how to fight it. Fascism is a complex, contradictory enemy. It murders and vilifies leftists but often calls itself the true force for socialism and revolution. It bolsters oppression and supremacism, but overturns old hierarchies and feeds on real grievances against elites. It rules by violence and fear, but depends on active mass support to win and keep power. It glorifies a romantic image of the past, but proclaims a New Order and remakes itself against and again to fit new circumstances and opportunities.
Unfortunately, leftist discussions don't usually deal with fascism's complexity. More often, they fall back on simplistic formulas, such as the belief that fascism is just an extreme form of capitalist repression. This kind of thinking is dangerous because it tells us little about what gives fascist movements their appeal or what kind of threat they pose.
Confronting Fascism: Discussion Documents for a Militant Movement takes a fresh look at an old question. It argues that fascism isn't just a ruling class puppet or policy -- it's an independent political force that capitalists may manipulate but can never fully control. While many leftists have an image of fascism that's stuck in the 1930s, Confronting Fascism brings the concept into the 21st century, discussing movements ranging from the World Church of the Creator to the Taliban. And Confronting Fascism also spells out why anti-fascists need to develop a revolutionary outlook and analysis -- and why fighting fascism needs to be part of building a revolutionary movement.
The book is built around Don Hamerquist's essay, "Fascism & Anti-Fascism," which criticizes traditional leftist ideas (and current leftist complacency) about fascism, points to dangerous new potentials within the current neo-nazi scene, and offers a range of ideas for building a radical movement against both fascism and the capitalist state. J. Sakai's piece, "The Shock of Recognition," picks up on Hamerquist's discussion of fascism, grounding it in more historical and global analysis and more discussion of class...