Social Democracy and Fascism

The distinction of Social Democracy and Fascism is no less important to understand than the parallelism. Both are instruments of the rule of monopoly capital. Both fight the working-class revolution. Both weaken and disrupt the class organisations of the workers. But their methods differ. Fascism shatters the class organisations of the workers from without, opposing their whole basis, and putting forward an alternative “national” ideology. Social Democracy undermines the class organisations of the workers from within, building on the basis of the previous independent movement and Marxist ideology, which still holds the workers’ traditions and discipline, in order more effectively to carry through the policy of capital and smash all militant struggle. Fascism accordingly requires for its full realisation the “totalitarian” terroristic class-State.

Social Democracy controls the workers most favourably and successfully in the liberal-parliamentary class-State, utilising its own “internal” methods of discipline, and occasional State coercion, for the suppression of all militant struggle.

Fascism operates primarily by coercion alongside of deception.

Social Democracy operates primarily by deception, alongside of coercion.

Rajani Palme Dutt

1896 - 1974