The Free Radical

No, this isn’t an alternative history piece; this is what actually happened.

By allowing the Allies to declare victory, by letting the whole world buy into the idea that “Fascism has been defeated!” the fascists secured their ultimate victory… perhaps.

Because, as any child knows, you can’t defeat an ideology with conventional arms; you can’t nuke an idea. Just let everyone think that the problem has been taken care of; it’s been solved once and for all… and no one will ever bother to disturb your pretty little fascist schemes ever again… until it’s way past too late. Easy-peezy.

Fascism died in a bunker in Berlin, right?

Isn’t it interesting that when we’re first taught about WW2 in school, invariably one of the kids asks “How in the world did the Germans end up with Hitler in power?” It’s an obvious question, isn’t it? I mean, the Germans were no dummies. On the contrary, they were historically regarded as innovative, industrious and a rather intelligent people. So how did they end up with a fascist government headed up by frothing Adolf?

Well, they voted for him… because they sincerely thought that it was the right thing to do– you know, make Germany great again, and all that. And shit, it worked too! They kicked some serious ass in the first years of the war… blitzkrieging all over Europe!

So how DO you defeat a fascist ideology– or any ideology for that matter? Well, first and foremost, you teach successive generations how to recognize different ideologies; you teach them how something like fascism makes inroads in the collective psyche and rises to runaway populism during very difficult times. You teach them exactly how it happened in the past and what to look for in the future. You ensure knowledge and vigilance for each successive generation. That’s what any sane state-sponsored educational system would do. “Let’s make sure such despotism never rises again anywhere in the world!” Seems legit.

So why didn’t the Allied countries do that? Why doesn’t every country do that? Isn’t this important… even kinda crucial? I guess only if you think WW2 was a big deal.

Fascism, when it’s the in-your-face kind, relies on populism in order to come to full power. The people, as was the case in Germany, demanded it. When things are generally crappy for the common man for an intolerable length of time– like, oh say, eight or nine years straight– the common man may very well choose to invest his full trust and support in the obvious strength of an elitist faction– those who seem most able to deliver on promises of prosperity. Fascist governments love to rub elbows with powerful and proven industrialists; after all, they’re the ones who know how to make shit happen, even in a bad economy.

But there’s another kind of fascism too… the covert kind. The government still makes deals with industry; they just keep it mostly quiet… so as not to piss off the proles. Naturally, this kind of government keeps a lot of secrets. There’s really a ton of stuff that the voting public simply isn’t allowed to know; it’s in their best interests not to know… “Trust me.” This kind of covert fascism is generally referred to as western-style democracy. The people are told again and again that they themselves wield the power, while no one can point to a single example of where that’s actually true. The fascists are in control, and the longer their hegemony remains unquestioned or mostly covert, the more dominance and control they exert over the proles. In order for such control to become absolute, eventually the covert aspect of this type of fascism must finally be revealed, becoming overt. If it is revealed by the fascists themselves, then the fascist ploy of total control is deemed a success because it has only been revealed once it’s too late for the people to do anything about it. If, on the other hand, it is revealed prematurely by the people objecting to such absolute control, then the fascists get all pissy, take their toys, and go on home.

I’m of German descent, by the way. Both of my parents were alive in Germany during WW2. I grew up in Canada, watching Hogan’s Heroes, where the Germans were the idiotic bad guys.

Who do you suppose the idiotic bad guys are today?

How is any of this timely and relevant?

And why didn’t I even mention Project Paperclip– which brought all of the top Nazi intelligentsia into the fold of the American power structure at the ‘conclusion’ of WW2?

I’ll let you think on it… ‘cause, actually, thinking is the surest way to see through the ideologies being played, gamed and sold.

Or keep sucking at the teat of propaganda, and never be burdened by having to think for yourself ever again. Now, that’s some kinda choice!