Fascism and the Modern Left

There is much dispute over whether the Fascists were a movement of the right or of the left. In the end, such a discussion is meaningless, since the terms “left” and “right,” taken out of a specific political context, a specific time and place, are almost meaningless. I think it is more profitable to point to specific common features between Fascism and the modern American/Canadian/European left. Here's my list:

1. Both embrace nationalism. This is the second element of Fascism, the thing that distinguishes it from orthodox Marxism. But in this, Hitler was simply ahead of the curve for the left. Stalin followed him into nationalism soon after, as did Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, Tito, and, most dramatically, the Kims in North Korea. While nationalism is also found on the right, in Canada, the right is for free trade, the left against it; the left in Quebec seeks separation, the right is against it. In Ireland, India, the Basque lands, Scotland, and most of the Third World, the left is the nationalist option. 
2. Both are big on Darwin. Hitler’s whole racial theory was the application of Darwin to human society. No doubt the modern left would not touch “social Darwinism” with a ten-foot pole; they see Darwin instead (as Hitler also did) as a stick with which to beat religion and conventional morality. But the embrace of Darwinism as an antidote to conventional morality opens the door wide, down the road, to atrocities like those of the Nazis. It's survival of the fittest, after all. 
3. Both are hostile, as above, to conventional morality. Both love Nietzsche. Both believe in moral relativism. This opens the door to moral atrocities. 
4. As a necessary corollary, both are hostile to the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, aka “ethical monotheism.” Both have distinctly New Age interests, in paganism and in a rather distorted version of eastern religions, as a substitute. That’s where the swastika comes from. Perhaps not significant in itself, but a creepy parallel. 
5. Both are big fans of nature and the natural. As in, ecology, environmentalism, and so forth—notably in opposition to the demands of business. Remember, Hitler was a vegetarian; being “one with nature” was a big part of the Nazi ideal. 
6. Both believe in sexual libertinism—a strong draw for gaining popular support. There is a common misconception that Fascism was morally straightlaced. This is entirely wrong; if you were Aryan, you were encouraged to have sex whenever possible, with whomever possible. Prostitution was not just legal in Nazi Germany: it was state-sponsored. 
7. Both believe in the power of the state, and seek to increase that power. As Mussolini summed up Fascism: “everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” Even the personal was political. 
8. Both believe in cultural relativism. 
9. Both believe in collectivism and are hostile to individualism. 
10. They share many of the same constituencies: both claim to represent the interests of the common working man, but both gain their strongest support from within the government bureaucracy and the schools and universities. Both seem to have a special appeal for the young. Sadly, both also have a strong following among artists. Demographically, it’s the same guys in both movements. 
11. Both believe that everything is political, and everything is based on power relationships. In practice, this can justify anything: “I’m just doing it to him before he can do it to me.” That sums up the main argument of Hitler's Mein Kampf. 

So there you are. Offhand, the only elements of Fascism that do not seem to me evident in the modern left are overt racism and the full-blown leader principle—the ideal of absolute one-man rule. That said, I think it is fair to say that the modern left is more racist than the modern right—with their racial quotas, their tendency to see people not as individuals but as members of groups, and their hostility to certain identifiable groups, notably Southern US whites, straight white males, WASPS, and so forth. Yes, they will argue that this is okay because these groups are socially powerful. Hitler said the same of the Jews.

On the other hand, I really can’t think of a single similarity between the Fascists and the modern right. Perhaps you can.