plenty of extremism, but is it fascist extremism?

As we explore the precise makeup of fascism, I want you to consider some contemporary extremist groups, individuals, and ideas that might relate to it.

This needs to be updated. Links to YWC don't all work. On the other hand, the SPLC has some good overviews of groups like League of the South. I'm not clear just which of these groups/individuals I should focus on. 

• ISLAMO-FASCISM? Paul Berman, who published Terror and Liberalism (an excellent analysis of western responses to 9/11) wrote "The Philosopher of Islamic Terror" in 2003. It provides an analysis of Sayyid Qutb's writings. Is radical Islamist terror an expression of a type of "Islamofascism", as Christopher Hitchens insists?
• CHRISTO-FASCISM? Chris Hedges recently published American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, a study of Dominionist Christians in the US. In 2007 he published a piece in Harper's Magazine: "Soldiers of Christ: Feeling the Hate with the National Religious Broadcasters". Here's another piece he wrote--"The Radical Christian Right is Built on Suburban Dispair". Anthony Dick of the National Review counters that the dropping the "F-Bomb" is inappropriate. More literature on the Dominionists. This concerns a group called Joel's Army--"Arming for Armageddon".
• ANARCHIST FASCISM? There has been some recent interest in the development of groups calling themselves National Anarchists. According to one author, National Anarchists simply seek to "rebrand" fascism. In the case of this particular brand of extremism, it's worthwhile to look at Wikipedia as well (and consider following some of the links). Here is the link to the National-Anarchist network--the National Anarchist manifesto is on the right side of the page. 
• COLLEGE FASCISM? The SPLC accuses this college group, "Youth for Western Civilization" of flirting with racism. Their article is a HERE. Their own website is HERE (OOPS... since last year, they've made it a bit more difficult to find them). The Wikipedia entry provides a good introduction to the organization, and they even made it onto FOX news as well as MSNBC. More information is available through this site and at the Chronicle of Higher Education. Also note that YWC has a Facebook page--dig deep and type it into Facebook--there are multiple chapters and you should check out the photos--what do you learn from their iconography? 
• "CONSERVATIVE" FASCISM? Anders Behring Breivik acknowledges that he's "conservative", but he also says that Nazism is a "failed" ideology. Could he still be a fascist? Anne Applebaum (who wrote about Stalin's system of Gulags in the 90s) thinks the "racist" angle of much reporting is missing a core element of his world-view, the conviction that government is illegitimate --something extremists on the left also believe. Michael Burleigh comes right out and warns his readers that Breivik represents "Fascism behind a mask of morality". Was he a fascist or "something else" [be aware, this source is sketchy]? Breivik lays out his world-view in a 1500 page manifesto available on the MOODLE (under the link that brought you here) [don't try to read it all--but look at the table of contents and poke around. Don't forget to check out the photos he took of himself in "battle-dress" uniform of the Knights Templar.] Here's an overview of his beliefs in the British Mail "Vlad the Impaler was a Genius".

Germans anticipate Operation Valkyrie

And I thought that Tom Cruise's new film, Valkyrie, would only be important for his own future career. It seems that Germans have been holding their collective breath in anticipation of the film. Der Spiegel reports that Operation Walküre (the German title) has inspired heated debate for the past two years, particularly since Germans hope that a major Hollywood production will finally show the world the face of the "other Germany".
The Frankfurter Allgemeine wrote in 2007 that Cruise's film could "shape the picture of Germany throughout the world for decades". That seems a hysterical reaction to the potential impact of the film--particularly if it tanks.
Ultimately, Valkyrie is a vehicle for its star, and Cruise has no pretentions to reshape perceptions of German historical identity. In fact, the von Stauffenberg of the film is a convinced anti-Nazi and honorable to his core. In contrast, the real Stauffenberg wrote home to his wife from Poland, describing the population as "unbelievable rabble, many Jews and many half-breeds. A people that prefers living under the whip. The thousands of prisoners will be great for our rural economy."

History and Memory in Berlin

Students in "Fascism" know that I'm always interested in analyzing the way that history and memory intersect, particularly in film and monuments (what the Germans call Mahnmal). Here's a story at Deutsche Welle reporting on Germany's plans to construct a monument in memory of German unification. If you thought that a "Wende"(the moment of unification in 1989-90) monument would be simple, think again--the unification of Germany was never simple, particularly for East Germans who feared die Wende rendered their own historical struggles meaningless. What's more, there will certainly be discussions about what the monument means for German citizens who aren't ethnic Germans themselves.

This statue of Marx and Engels in former East Berlin. When I saw this statue in '91, someone had defaced it with "We're Sorry."

Private Ryan and American Self-Conception

The Wannsee Conference

This brief documentary is from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.



This is a scene from the HBO film Conspiracy, starring Kenneth Branaugh as Reinhard Heydrich.



Another--pretty intense--scene

Hitler as "Drummerboy"

Wow. Had no idea that this film existed. Here's a bit from a docu-drama on Hitler's early career. It's from a film called Hitler: The Rise of Evil.

Mr Hitler

Something to amuse you. Monty Python has fun at Hitler's expense. If the humor strikes you as odd... Well, it was the 60s.