Dimitrios Patelis | Revolutionary Unification (Greece)
1. Historical Emergence and Ideology of Fascism
Fascism arose during the general crisis of capitalism post-1917, serving as a tool for the most reactionary factions of monopoly capital to suppress workers’ movements and preserve capitalist rule. It is characterized by extreme nationalism, racism, anti-communism, and state terror. Georgi Dimitrov defined it as “the power of finance capital itself,” organizing terror against the working class and revolutionary forces. Historically, fascist regimes (e.g., Italy, Germany, Spain) emerged to manage capitalist crises, militarize economies, and pursue imperialist expansion.
Fascist ideology draws from irrational, reactionary sources like colonial racism, Nietzschean thought, and anti-Semitism, promoting myths of racial superiority, militarism, and “class harmony.” It manipulates populist demagogy to co-opt socialist rhetoric while advancing anti-socialist agendas.
2. Fascism in WWII: Imperialist Instrument and Defeat
During the interwar period and WWII, fascism functioned as a state-monopoly tool for imperialist powers (e.g., Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy) to crush socialism and colonize territories. The Anti-Comintern Axis aimed to destroy the USSR and suppress global revolutionary movements. The USSR’s Red Army played the decisive role in defeating fascism, bearing 77% of Germany’s losses and sacrificing 27 million lives. Imperialist powers like the U.S. and Britain, while part of the anti-fascist coalition, initially tolerated or supported fascism to direct it against communism (e.g., Munich Agreement, delayed Second Front).
Post-WWII, fascism persisted in neo-colonial dictatorships (e.g., South Korea, Greece under the junta) and apartheid regimes (e.g., Baltic states), often backed by U.S.-NATO to suppress anti-imperialist movements.
3. Fascism in WWIII: Transnational Imperialism and Proxy Warfare
Today, fascism is reconfigured under transnational monopoly capitalism, where global corporations and imperialist states (led by the U.S.) subordinate nations through economic and military coercion. Unlike 20th-century state-monopoly fascism, modern fascism is “exported” as a proxy force in hybrid wars:
• Ukraine: The 2014 coup installed a neo-Nazi regime, instrumentalized by the U.S.-NATO-EU axis to wage war on Donbass and Russia.
• Israel: A racist settler-colonial state acting as a U.S. bulwark in the Middle East.
• Baltic States: Neo-Nazi collaborator regimes enforcing apartheid against Russian minorities.
Fascism now merges neoliberalism, social Darwinism, and postmodern irrationalism, serving as a disposable “strike force” for imperialist domination.
4. Strategic Lessons for Anti-Imperialist Struggle
• WWII: The anti-fascist front prioritized defeating the Axis, leveraging inter-imperialist contradictions (e.g., USSR’s alliance with Western powers). Anti-fascism was the pathway to anti-imperialism.
• WWIII: The primary enemy is the unified U.S.-NATO-EU axis, which uses fascism as a weapon. Anti-fascism must be subordinated to a broader anti-imperialist front, uniting socialist forces (e.g., China, Russia, BRICS) and oppressed nations. Opportunists who reject this (e.g., KKE’s “imperialist pyramid” theory) undermine the struggle.
The Russian bourgeoisie, despite its capitalist restoration, is forced into anti-imperialist resistance due to NATO’s existential threats. However, its inconsistent ideology (mixing neoliberalism, tsarist nostalgia, and fascist elements like Vlasov glorification) limits its revolutionary potential. Only a proletarian-led movement can ensure consistent anti-fascism.
5. Conclusion: Crush Imperialism to Defeat Fascism
Fascism is inseparable from imperialism; both must be destroyed. The WWII victory proved that united popular resistance can triumph. Today, the World Anti-Imperialist Platform must coordinate global resistance, exposing the U.S.-led axis as the root of fascism. The legacy of 1945 inspires the coming revolutions:
Death to fascism and imperialism!
Defeat the U.S.-NATO-EU axis!
Victory to socialism and anti-imperialism!
Key Sources:
• Dimitrov’s analysis of fascism (1935).
• WWII historical data (USSR’s sacrifices, imperialist complicity).
• Modern fascist proxies (Ukraine, Israel, Baltic states).
• Transnational monopoly capitalism theory.
• Critiques of opportunism (KKE’s errors, Russian bourgeois vacillations).
