By Daniel Nardini
I am really getting tired of hearing the word Fascism. Now there is yet another scholar on youtube giving a lecture that I saw on what Fascism is all about. I will not name the person, but it seems we have a whole plethora of people who are “experts” on what Fascism is. There are two things which stand out in my mind about these so-called experts. First, they are NOT old. The generation that remembered what Fascism was is the World War II generation and those who survived the Holocaust. But for all due purposes they are gone. The Second World War ended almost 81 years ago. How do any of these scholars remotely know what Fascism was or is? One thing I can tell you, and that is there were three Fascist holdovers from after World War II. We do not think of them, but essentially they were Fascist. One was Portugal under Antonio Salazar. He ruled the country from 1933 until his death in 1970. Then there was Spain under Francisco Franco. He ruled from 1939 until his death in 1975.
Finally, There was the Republic of China in Taiwan under Chiang Kai-shek. Under his Nationalist Party of China, Chiang had initiated a wave of mass terror known as the White Terror. Under this, there was only one political party, and the Nationalist Party’s main ideological point was ultra-nationalism. In this extreme ideology, the Chinese people were considered racially, morally, and culturally superior to all. Sounds familiar? Everything from business to civil groups had to serve the state, and religion was freely permitted as long as it benefited the state and the Nationalist Party. The state had no problem with anybody and everybody making money, and the Nationalist Party had no problem with private property. In the view of the Nationalist Party, it all strengthened the state and it was a bulwark against Communism. But in my view, this state was Fascist/Nationalist, and ruled Taiwan with an iron fist.
I bring this up because the White Terror lasted until 1992, and I saw it. So I am not speaking as a scholar or as an exercise in philosophy or theories. I am talking as someone who essentially was among the last to see what Fascism really looked like, and how it really operated. Despite what most Americans think, Fascism did not die in World War II, but lived on until almost to the end of the 20th Century. Let that one sink in. This monster survived longer than all of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Yes, Fascism survived within many peoples’ lifetimes, and I saw it. For my readers, I highly recommend reading about the White Terror in Taiwan and what it meant. This period lasted from 1949 to 1992—yes a long time. In fact, the White Terror actually outlived the Soviet Union. Truth be told, Fascism has in so many ways never left this earth at all. The one thing that has changed is that almost everyone who knew what it was from experience are gone. In my view, Fascism has really not died, but is making a real comeback less than a generation from when it was here. Personally, I am just sad that those who knew what it was are long gone. We may soon however get a dose of this deadly poison again. A does we may never forget.
Another Scholar on Fascism Heard From
By Daniel Nardini
Finally, There was the Republic of China in Taiwan under Chiang Kai-shek. Under his Nationalist Party of China, Chiang had initiated a wave of mass terror known as the White Terror. Under this, there was only one political party, and the Nationalist Party’s main ideological point was ultra-nationalism. In this extreme ideology, the Chinese people were considered racially, morally, and culturally superior to all. Sounds familiar? Everything from business to civil groups had to serve the state, and religion was freely permitted as long as it benefited the state and the Nationalist Party. The state had no problem with anybody and everybody making money, and the Nationalist Party had no problem with private property. In the view of the Nationalist Party, it all strengthened the state and it was a bulwark against Communism. But in my view, this state was Fascist/Nationalist, and ruled Taiwan with an iron fist.
I bring this up because the White Terror lasted until 1992, and I saw it. So I am not speaking as a scholar or as an exercise in philosophy or theories. I am talking as someone who essentially was among the last to see what Fascism really looked like, and how it really operated. Despite what most Americans think, Fascism did not die in World War II, but lived on until almost to the end of the 20th Century. Let that one sink in. This monster survived longer than all of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Yes, Fascism survived within many peoples’ lifetimes, and I saw it. For my readers, I highly recommend reading about the White Terror in Taiwan and what it meant. This period lasted from 1949 to 1992—yes a long time. In fact, the White Terror actually outlived the Soviet Union. Truth be told, Fascism has in so many ways never left this earth at all. The one thing that has changed is that almost everyone who knew what it was from experience are gone. In my view, Fascism has really not died, but is making a real comeback less than a generation from when it was here. Personally, I am just sad that those who knew what it was are long gone. We may soon however get a dose of this deadly poison again. A does we may never forget.