Democracy, fascism, and the working class
The social and economic crises unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic have sharpened the mass understanding that began to develop in the wake of the Great Recession, with slogans like “We are the 99%” and “Banks got bailed out! We got sold out!” The U.S. ruling class proclaims itself the world’s leading force for democracy—but somehow, time and again, it protects billionaires’ wealth at the expense of the basic security and dignity of the vast working class majority. Even beyond their failure to provide for collective welfare, capitalist democracies now struggle to secure their own survival against the extreme-right and fascist movements growing within them.
As we deepen our engagement in the struggle against the fascist threat leading up to November’s crucial elections, we invite written and video contributions on the following questions:
What distinguishes fascism from bourgeois democracy?
And what is the connection between fighting for democratic advances now and winning socialism (that is, working class democracy and power)?
We want to hear from you!
We welcome written contributions and especially encourage participation via video or audio. Priority will be given to submissions of 1000 words/7 minutes or less. Check out the guidelines below, and send your thoughts to discussion@cpusa.org by October 29.
Click here to send us your ideas!
Resources for discussion and action
Here are some resources from CPUSA to get you thinking about the topic.
Unity against the extreme right (CPUSA program)
Fascism: a rising danger (Marc Brodine)
On Togliatti’s Lectures on Fascism (Vijay Prashad)