this post was submitted on 10 May 2024
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Did you know, in 1953, the US and UK governments overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran and installed a monarch after they voted to nationalize their oil industry to wrest control of it from BP?
Seems pretty fascist to me.
Is your definition of fascism essentially anti-democracy? Or military aggression/ colonialism? Honestly asking, because I’m not seeing what I’d consider hallmarks of fascism in your description.
That would be because they don't understand what fascism is. The unfortunate result of internet colloquialism.
Look up the definition of fascism. There are a few. Here is one:
What do you call it when the American government supports and imposes strongly authoritarian or dictatorial control of government even if in another country. Is that not fascism?
We did this in Guatemala too at the behest of the United Fruit Company. The CIA director Allen Dulles and his Secretary of State brother, John Dulles, were on United Fruit Company’s payroll for 38 years. In 1954, the CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Guatemala after they passed reforms to end exploitative labor practices by United Fruit Company that it saw as a threat to its profits.
Another definition of fascism involves the repressive use of government by business to ensure control of the market.
I’m certainly not arguing that the US’s behavior in this case is good, I’m just not seeing the connection to fascism.
Authoritarianism is about a government’s relationship to its own citizens, not its posture towards foreign governments. An authoritarian country can be completely isolationist, like North Korea, or warlike and expansionist like nazi Germany.
For fascism a hallmark is government capture of business within the country. It can take the form of cooperation like the US’s relationship with BP, but ultimately this kind of cooperation is about fulfilling the totalitarian regime’s goals, not the businesses.
Primary to fascism is NATIONALISM, like your second quote states. Arguably the US is well down the road to fascism, we have a cult of personality building around Trump, focused on making the US “great again”, demonizing and othering his opposition within the country. If he were to seize power I’d argue we’re there. I just don’t think our colonialist mindset towards other countries is a symptom or indication of fascism. It’s just yet another way we’re a garbage country.