Introduction

As a historian, it is incumbent on me, using the tools delivered from the Mind of Dough, to ferret out fascism wherever it has occurred in history. That is the task of this blog.

What definition of "fascism" am I basing the discovery of historical fascisms on? Certainly not Mussolini's--you can't trust a fascist's definition. Jeez, what are you thinking? Rather, this will do: "an instinctual religious impulse that seeks to impose uniformity in thought and action throughout the entire society. All oars in a fascistic society must pull together." Also: "at the philosophical level, I think you can tell when a program or initiative is fascist by the motivating spirit behind it. If there’s a utopian impulse, if a “new age” or “new politics” are being promised, if the government is promising to create a kingdom of heaven on earth or “end” some basic feature of the human condition, then that policy is leaping out of the realm of problem-solving and into the realm of religion."

Of course, I'm working on stuff that requires me to read a lot about all kinds of stuff. There's simply no way I can read all of it, nor do I really need to. But if there are any real experts on everything out there—regardless of ideological affiliation—I'd love to ask you a few questions in case I'm missing something.

Now let's get to finding fascists!