0 Spend

Why do fascists and socialists both love Keynesian economics?
Its obvious if you have not studied Keynes or his economics, he was a severe socialist sympathizer and worked with many socialists including Bolshevik.

But it appears that both Fascists and socialists were big fans of Keynesian economics.

"Fascism has taken up an attitude of complete opposition to the doctrines of Liberalism, both in the political field and in the field of economics". –Benito Mussolini

Obviously Mussolini and Hitler were against free markets (Economic liberalism). They were anti-liberal but today it is called Classical liberalism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism

Mussolini personally set his approval and signature over a book which proclaims:

“Fascism entirely agrees with Mr. Maynard Keynes, despite the latter’s prominent position as a [so called] Liberal. In fact, Mr. Keynes’ excellent little book, The End of Laissez-Faire (l926) might, so far as it goes, serve as a useful introduction to fascist economics. There is scarcely anything to object to in it and there is much to applaud..”
http://www.keynesatharvard.org/book/KeynesatHarvard-ch07.html

Keynes himself admired the Nazi economic program, writing in the foreword to the German edition to the General Theory (1936): "[T]he theory of output as a whole, which is what the following book purports to provide, is much more easily adapted to the conditions of a totalitarian state, than is the theory of production and distribution of a given output produced under the conditions of free competition and a large measure of laissez-faire." – John Maynard Keynes
http://www.independent.org/pdf/tir/tir_13_02_1_raico.pdf

The chief Nazi newspaper, Volkischer Beobachter, repeatedly praised “Roosevelt’s adoption of National Socialist strains of thought in his economic and social policies” and “the development toward an authoritarian state” based on the “demand that collective good be put before individual self-interest.”
http://reason.com/archives/2007/09/28/hitler-mussolini-roosevelt

Hitler was named "Man of the Year" in 1938 by Time Magazine. They noted Hitler’s anti-capitalistic economic policies.
"Most cruel joke of all, however, has been played by Hitler & Co. on those German capitalists and small businessmen who once backed National Socialism as a means of saving Germany’s bourgeois economic structure from radicalism. The Nazi credo that the individual belongs to the state also applies to business. Some businesses have been confiscated outright, on other what amounts to a capital tax has been levied. Profits have been strictly controlled. Some idea of the increasing Governmental control and interference in business could be deduced from the fact that 80% of all building and 50% of all industrial orders in Germany originated last year with the Government. Hard-pressed for food- stuffs as well as funds, the Nazi regime has taken over large estates and in many instances collectivized agriculture, a procedure fundamentally similar to Russian Communism." (Source: Time Magazine; Jaunuary 2, 1939.)

Mussolini saw the connection of FDR and himself: In a laudatory review of Roosevelt’s 1933 book Looking Forward, Mussolini wrote, “Reminiscent of Fascism is the principle that the state no longer leaves the economy to its own devices. … Without question, the mood accompanying this sea change resembles that of Fascism.”

Does that mean the economics of fascism and national socialism (Nazism) is leftist just like the Fabian socialists?
gitrdone

Please be intellectually honest in this. This is dealing with economics. Your comment is naive.
Feyd

I am talking about economics here. My sources are cited. Please provide a thoughtful response on the economics of fascism and socialism.
ioerr

Central Banking (IE the Federal Reserve) and government policy created the Great Depression. It was not the result of "laissez faire" policy. I am far from the first to see and learn what caused it beyond just saying the usual "speculators" and "laissez faire". What you said is also what I was taught but the truth is out there.
http://mises.org/rothbard/agd.pdf
IOERR again
We have never had real "laissez faire" but were closer to it back then, yes. I must say, though they may be unintended, the consequences of any intervention go like this:

“All varieties of interference with the market phenomena not only fail to achieve the ends aimed at by their authors and supporters, but bring about a state of affairs which – from the point of view of their authors’ and advocates valuations – is less desirable than the previous state of affairs which they were designed to alter.” — Ludwig von Mises

Most would love for us to believe and be taught otherwise but is what I have found to be the truth.
FEYD

Thank you for the edit reply.

True liberalism is classical liberalism. Modern liberalism is really "progressive" and there is no one way or another to pin it down. No solid principles other than a collectivist philosophy of "whatever works" that commonly moves us in the direction of collectivism/statism of any stripe. As you can see, economic freedom is as important as any other freedom to me, not just for liberty but because its makes rational sense after years of study. At one time I believed the opposite was true. I’m an individualist so for me, any of it I will fight, dem or repub style "progressivism".
To answer: I am not saying that modern progressive liberals are Italian fascists or German National Socialists if that is what your asking. Though, I will say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The Republicans passed a set of National goals 15 years ago–you’d have to ask them.
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You do realize the difference between European fascism and American liberalism, don’t you? Fascists are xenophobic militaristic racists more akin to American conservatives

Ok, I can admit that the economic policies of fascism and socialism are similar. But you are also trying to link fascism to American liberalism. Can you admit the difference?
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Keynesian economics facilitates government intervention and regulation of the market. Thats why it appeals to socialists.
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It was the Nazi’s who threw Socialists, Communists and Union members behind bars. You obviously get your info from right-wing media, instead of non-partisan history books.
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Most economists like some flavor of Keynesian economics; most world governments practice it. The reason is simple: it allows them to create money out of thin air on demand.
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Socialist favor government take over of private sector, not methods that make free markets work. Marx predicted that Capitalism would fail because of the increasing severity of economic crisis and so welcomed economic problems. Both Fascist and Keynes were looking for a third way between socialist and the failing free markets and the fascist found one way, right wing populism and nationalism that put industry at the service of the state, but Keynes found another which used the government to stabilize the markets. Fascism failed because their policies lead to war which destroyed the national economy they were trying to save, but Kenyne’s approach succeeded although he did not get the details right
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All the major governments of the world adopted policies opposed to laissez faire capitalism in the last half of the previous century.

This was not some kind of like minded global conspiracy. It was a matter of necessity, because of the global economic crises that laissez faire capitalism itself had precipitated in the previous decades.

It is "intellectually dishonest," to use your own criteria, to attempt to cast doubt on modern American liberalism by pointing to the fact that it was a reaction to the same economic injustice, (that is, laissez faire capitalism) that in other places provoked more malignant reactions.

You might as well say FDR was the same as Hitler because they both wore pants. What the hell are you wearing.
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