politics

Holy disinformation, dude, wtf!

Being pro-fascism is also anticapitalist

The opposite is true: fascist regimes worked hand-in-hand with big business. Many companies thrived under fascism, like IBM making the Holocaust more efficient, Mercedes-Benz used over 30,000 forced laborers in their factories, and major corporations like Ford, GM, and IG Farben made massive profits from Nazi war production. Rather than destroying capitalism, fascist "corporatism" actually destroyed labor unions while preserving private property and business profits. Fascist economic programs "favored the wealthy far more than the middle class and working class" — their anti-capitalist rhetoric was just propaganda to win support, not actual policy. The reality is that fascism represents capitalism's authoritarian mode during crisis, not its replacement.

And that’s not even the kind of critical analysis a socialist would put forward.

Fascism and capitalism work hand in glove. Capitalism is a key aspect of fascism.

How have 30+ people upvoted this? Are people that misinformed?

I just heard the other day that Mussolini supposedly said “Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power”, but this is apparently not something that can be found that he has said. Still, it's not really wrong.

From duck.ai:

The Disputed Quote

The quote "Fascism should be called corporatism" is most likely an unconfirmed internet attribution that cannot be definitively traced to Mussolini's actual writings or speeches. Specifically:

Verification Status: Unconfirmed
    According to sources like SourceWatch, the quote is considered an "internet hoax"
    Researchers like Chip Berlet (noted as Cberlet) have stated that no one can find an actual citation for this specific quote

Conceptual Context
    While Mussolini did develop theories about the relationship between state and corporate power, this exact phrasing appears to be a modern paraphrase rather than a direct quote
    The concept of corporatism was indeed central to fascist ideology, which emphasized a tight integration between state power and economic institutions

Historical Interpretation

The misattributed quote reflects a genuine historical insight about fascist political philosophy:

Fascism, particularly in Mussolini's Italy, promoted a model where:
    The state had extensive control over economic institutions
    Corporations were seen as extensions of state power
    Economic entities were organized into state-controlled syndicates or associations

Modern Scholarly Perspective

Contemporary scholars like David Graeber have noted that the structural similarities between different political systems (social democracy, fascism, state communism) are more complex than traditional narratives suggest. The quote, while likely apocryphal, captures a kernel of truth about how power can be distributed between state and corporate entities. Conclusion

The specific quote is an unverified attribution. While it captures something meaningful about fascist ideology, it should not be presented as a direct Mussolini quote without rigorous historical verification.