I don’t think it is possible for a Fascist State to exist in the world today, not only because of the techno-informatic revolution in telecommunications but there's also globalization, especially in the economic arena, that has allowed us to put Fascism behind us. There can exist Fascist movements, but not States.

George_1950

Of course fascism can exist. This partial exposition is from Wikipedia: "Fascists opposed what they believe to be laissez-faire or quasi-laissez-faire economic policies dominant in the era prior to the Great Depression.[27] People of many different political stripes blamed laissez-faire capitalism for the Great Depression, and fascists promoted their ideology as a "third way" between capitalism and Marxian socialism.[28] Their policies manifested as a radical extension of government control over the economy without wholesale expropriation of the means of production. Fascist governments nationalized some key industries, managed their currencies and made some massive state investments. They also introduced price controls, wage controls and other types of economic planning measures.[29] Fascist governments instituted state-regulated allocation of resources, especially in the financial and raw materials sectors.

"Other than nationalization of certain industries, private property was allowed, but property rights and private initiative were contingent upon service to the state."

Communists believe in state ownership of property, and fascists believe in private ownership, with government control. You may not recall Nixon's wage and price controls, around 1970, which were a monumental failure. The proposed universal health care in the US is nothing but fascism; Hugo Chavez is just a contemporary practitioner of fascism; one might argue that is what Putin is doing in Russia, as well.

Dark_crow

One of the characteristics of a fascist society completely suppresses all civil society and creates a society with one voice; Culture is completely reduced to advertisements and propaganda, education is reduced to propaganda. For instance like Russia was under Stalin and Germany under Hitler. Today I hear many voices coming out of Russia as well as Venezuela. You can still have authoritarianism and despotic regimes with-out them being Fascist.

michealb

North Korea?

George_1950

Dark, I believe you are making a semantical distinction; where has civil society ever been completely suppressed? Fascism is an principle of societal and governmental organization. Chavez is no less a fascist because the Catholic Church exists in Venezuela, just as the Polish Communist government was no less communist because of Catholics residing there. Realistically, we will never see a completely fascist government, completely communist government, or completely democratic government. Similarly, we will never see a completely free press in the US. My guess, concerning Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany, as long as one was willing to kiss the ring, one could co-exist. It is when one denies authority that one invites serious trouble.

Dark_crow

That is what philosophers do…make semantical distinctions in order to get closer to the truth. I’m simply attempting to make distinction between authoritarianism, despotic regimes and fascism.

Choux

That is the crisis in American Politics today....will America become a Fascist State??? Bush/Neo-Con/Christian Republio-Fascists versus the Democratic Liberal Movement.....the Republicans continue working for a Corprorate/Government alliance spreading the "American Empire" all over the globe(under the guise of spreading democracy, how ironic!) so that our economic system can continue to expand and bring in corporate profits. Our economic system will succeed or fail depending on a few variables...a couple being the price and availability of oil, and continued rise in the stock market thru Yuppie retirement, future resource wars, etc..

A fascist dictatorship is the best way for America to go according to quite a few......

Dark_crow

It’s certainly one of the most authoritarian and secretive nations around on the verge of collapse.

George_1950

Choux: "will America become a Fascist State??? Bush/Neo-Con/Christian Republio-Fascists versus the Democratic Liberal Movement....."

I would not want to be close by if you were handling dynamite.

tomder55

Baathist Iraq was a fascist state .

It was only this week that the NY Slimes posted some telling comments by Evita about strong state regulation of the economy .
Reflecting what her aides said were very different conditions today, Mrs. Clinton put her emphasis on issues like inequality and the role of institutions like government, rather than market forces, in addressing them. ... “If you go back and look at our history, we were most successful when we had that balance between an effective, vigorous government and a dynamic, appropriately regulated market,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And we have systematically diminished the role and the responsibility of our government, and we have watched our market become imbalanced.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/us...HI2Cm3e95kkMMA

Of course her policies would be a failure and the ruin of the economy .That may be DC's real point......that even if a nation is fascists ,it cannot ultimately succeed . We know Venezuela will be an economic basket case before Chavez is finished. There are many Russians who are second guessing Putin's reforms as being inefficient . If they survive the polonium coctail perhaps they will make a difference there .