While Nazism & Italian Fascism were not exactly the same thing, they were clearly kindred ideologies, and closer to one another than progressivism was to either of them. I think Charles McCann overreaches a bit when he tries to link Richard T. Ely to Fascism. Early on, some aspects of corporatism may have had an understandable attraction for people on the left of the political center--the idea that the state could ensure adequate access to health care, nutrition, education; promote full employment; and channel the profit-seeking activities of capital in directions that would serve not the narrow interests of capitalists but a wider social purpose. Put in those terms, fascism could well have a superficial appeal to lefties, and indeed this is partly how it advertised itself in its early years.

But for Hitler & Mussolini, lending support to Franco in 1936 was a no-brainer. Few if any left-of-center American & British intellectuals were on board with that--for obvious reasons which underscore the distinction between fascism & progressivism.

Charles ignores, though, the other defining characteristics of fascism and National Socialism: militarism and a virulent nationalism. Education was seen as a tool of propaganda to foster support for militarism, nationalism and colonialism. Nutrition & health policies were meant to breed canon-fodder; infrastructure spending strengthened the nation's economy, the better to enable the nation to throw its weight around in global politics--ditto rearmament. The resulting high employment would keep the masses docile.

Most thoughtful people are engaged in a constant struggle to see beyond the blinders that time & place impose upon everyone--economists are no exception. This ought to be kept in mind when we, as intellectual historians, try to reconstruct the thinking of economists past, and especially when we venture to pass moral judgments on them (as we cannot help, and sometimes ought, to do).

Gary

Gary Mongiovi, Co-Editor
Review of Political Economy
Economics & Finance Department
St John's University
Jamaica, NEW YORK 11439 (USA)

Tel: +1 (718) 990-7380
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Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 10:48 AM
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Subject: Re: [SHOE] allusion to Pareto

There's the problem -- conflating Fascism and National Socialism.  The one has little to do with the other, beyond the focus of both on state control.  Both were actually praised at the time by the Left.  And note that Einzig's book came out in 1933!!!

As to Progressivism, there is nothing liberal about that philosophy -- it was born of intolerance.  Eugenics policies, immigration restrictions, the need to prevent "race suicide," were Progressive notions.  The writings of Edward Ross, Richard Ely, et al. display gross intolerance, and advocate policies, political and economic, consistent with what would become known decades later as Fascism.

Charles McCann