Fascism: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

What do we mean when we use the term “fascism”? Do we apply it only to Europe in the first half of the 20^th century? What is the relationship, if any, to autocracy, post fascism and neo-fascism? Fascism is a word often used to describe anything oppressive, a term of opprobrium that conjures up the odor of sulphur. But does using it that way lead to muddled thinking? Fascism not only has roots in Europe but in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. How can we use our history to analyze the present political moment and peek into our future?

Gregory Diamant is a lifelong social justice activist and writer and sometime actor in SMA. He was a private student of Howard Zinn and likes the way jokes can often shed light on knotty issues.