Fascism in America: Born in the USA

Fascism’s growth is much like viral spread rather than a linear progression over time

Like many Boom Generation kids my father served in WWII. As part of the nostalgic “Greatest Generation”. He was among the millions who served and ostensibly vanquished the Nazis and helping to destroy an unimaginable world threat of Fascism.

My Father circa 1944 - 75th INF Forward Observer.Served at the Battle of the Bulge and aftermath until Germany‘s Surrender.

Not well recognized in all this “The Good War” nostalgia is that there were plenty of Americans of great wealth and power who really were, just fine with Nazi ideology and who felt not the least bit reticent to say that, “We can do business with Hitler.” Some of you may buy into the the fact that, sure, there were a some Americans sympathetic to say, the American Nazi Bund. Most educated people today know of the likes of Father Coughlin who was a sort of the mashup of todays’s Hannity/Tucker Carlson/Rush Limbaugh. Then of course there was Charles (Lucky) Lindbergh who loved the Nazis from the early 30’s. One of the greatest Capitalists of the era, Henry Ford, was a virulent and dedicated anti-Semite and acolyte of the Nazis. He is the only American mentioned by name in Mein Kampf and a recipient of the Nazi Order of the Gold Eagle.

Today, there is a huge amount on the specifics of who the Nazi and Fascist lovers of that era were. as well as many who are currently sympathizers today, Men like the former President is the best known example. We’ll get into the new Nazis farther down the proverbial road, as we explore more about the rise of Neo-Fascism in America.

For now let’s examine the history and Fascism beyond the usual linear path associated with the arrival of Nazi Germany, Italy/Mussolini and Franco’s Spain. Let’s consider something even deeper and far more revealing about why we today are facing the end of Democracy and the ascendency of Fascism in Amerika and the world.

The fundamental ideologies that comprise Fascism originated in America and were “exported and imported” back and forth between Europe and the U.S. This churning process ratcheted up these beliefs and even more as a framework of a world vision

In some sense the history that emerges to as Fascism today is even far deeper than the graphic above suggests. In my next post I’ll begin to flush out the Fascist framework. I promise not to mention Hannah Arendt,Umberto Eco or memes popular when Trump ran in 2016.