August 15, 2004
PARADISE?
Sun rapidly setting on German paradise (Michael Czinkota, Aug. 16, 2004, The Japan Times)
My summertime in Germany with family and friends gave me the warmth and many pleasures of the visitor. On the level of the economy, unfortunately, my visit provided me with the pains of the outside spectator who sees things unfold with the distinct impression that the prognosis is not good.After having long been a symbol of economic progress, Germany has now had more than a decade of poor economic performance, and unemployment hovers above 10 percent. But the long decline has not yet led to enough learning to offer hopes for a better future. Here are some examples.
To whom was Germany ever a symbol of progress other than folks like Churchill and Lindbergh who mistook Nazism for fascism? Posted by Orrin Judd at August 15, 2004 11:12 PM
France--full employment for valets & waiters.
Posted by: Noel at August 15, 2004 11:15 PMOK, I'll bite: Nazism wasn't fascism? They sure seemed to think so.
Posted by: PapayaSF at August 16, 2004 12:00 AMhttp://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/1367
Posted by: oj at August 16, 2004 12:07 AMOwen Wister
Posted by: Harry Eagar at August 16, 2004 1:55 AMIt may be too late for German dreams of regaining its glory through conquest. The troops would insist on six weeks of vacation and a 35-hour week.
Posted by: Dave Sheridan at August 16, 2004 4:01 AMThe problem with Germany is that it's never been a place which took the concept of limited government, deregulation and free markets very seriously.
The concept of the state having an active role in intervening in industry goes back a very long way probably further back than Bismarck.
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at August 16, 2004 5:30 AMChurchill???
Posted by: Chris Durnell at August 16, 2004 11:33 AMWhat was the name of author who produced The Clash of Civilisations? Did he saw Germany as part of west and progress or I misunderstood something? And if Germany is nothing but Nazism or fascism, how about the leader of the west-USA, is USA turning left or far right these days? And what is the word for extreme right politics? Patriotism? C’mon.
Posted by: nedim at August 18, 2004 9:55 AMNazism is often (but incorrectly) used interchangeably with Fascism. While Nazism employed stylistic elements of Fascism, the only serious similarities between the two were dictatorship, territorial irredentism, and basic economic theory.
In a economic sense, Nazism and Fascism are related. Nazism may be considered a subset of Fascism, with all Nazis being Fascists, but not all Fascists being Nazis. Nazism shares many economic features with Fascism, featuring complete government control of finance and investment (allocation of credit), industry, and agriculture. Yet in both of these systems, corporate power and market based systems for providing price information still existed. Quoting Benito Mussolini: "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power."