2 thoughts on “Democracy’s Deserted temple: After 1933”
From the reading this week, ‘Anti-fascism and Democracy in the 1930s’ by Tom Buchanan, the differing types of democracy within Europe are explored. For example, the supposed ethnic superiority of Czechs in Czechoslovakia. In addition Buchanan discusses the ideas of Christian, socialist and industrial democracy, which highlights the difference between democracy in the 1930s and democracy today. One interesting question which was raised from this article was whether the socialists, communists and anarchists rallied together due to their support for democracy or instead due to their fear of fascism. Buchanan also highlights that democracy was scrutinised as the governments were seen as inadequate and unable to effectively handle the economic crisis.
The next reading for this week was ‘Fascism and Popular Front: The Politics of Retreat 1930-1938’, by Geoff Eley. Personally I found this reading the harder of the two, mainly due to it being within a chapter of a book, which left me having to research into who/what the author was talking about at times. The focus for this article was to discuss the rise of fascism, which led to the creation of united front parties, between Communist and Socialists, etc. Eley also highlights that the Communists had come to the realization that in order to gain a majority vote they would have to form alliances. The peoples front was then discussed by Eley who states the focus as aiming to reduce the spread of fascism, in addition to the left working collaboratively. The Popular Front aimed to unify workers in strikes, elections, etc. Overall, the antifascist movement was ultimately an attempt to stand against the increasing advancements made by Mussolini and Hitler in the 1930s.
Rhys McGowan
Thanks, Adriana and Simon, for the able summary of Eley (although I would not include the 1934 uprising within the chronology of the Spanish Civil War itself). I hope you managed to read Buchanan alongside Eley, because he provides an alternative and rich, complex understanding of democracy in this period.
You point to some of the difficulties in lining up antifascism and democracy here, Rhys. Many antifascists were not democrats in the liberal sense of the word, although anarchists and communists had their own definition of democracy.
I wonder what we make of the Popular Front: was it a ‘failure’? Does it tell us important things about the nature of politics in the late 1930s?
From the reading this week, ‘Anti-fascism and Democracy in the 1930s’ by Tom Buchanan, the differing types of democracy within Europe are explored. For example, the supposed ethnic superiority of Czechs in Czechoslovakia. In addition Buchanan discusses the ideas of Christian, socialist and industrial democracy, which highlights the difference between democracy in the 1930s and democracy today. One interesting question which was raised from this article was whether the socialists, communists and anarchists rallied together due to their support for democracy or instead due to their fear of fascism. Buchanan also highlights that democracy was scrutinised as the governments were seen as inadequate and unable to effectively handle the economic crisis.
The next reading for this week was ‘Fascism and Popular Front: The Politics of Retreat 1930-1938’, by Geoff Eley. Personally I found this reading the harder of the two, mainly due to it being within a chapter of a book, which left me having to research into who/what the author was talking about at times. The focus for this article was to discuss the rise of fascism, which led to the creation of united front parties, between Communist and Socialists, etc. Eley also highlights that the Communists had come to the realization that in order to gain a majority vote they would have to form alliances. The peoples front was then discussed by Eley who states the focus as aiming to reduce the spread of fascism, in addition to the left working collaboratively. The Popular Front aimed to unify workers in strikes, elections, etc. Overall, the antifascist movement was ultimately an attempt to stand against the increasing advancements made by Mussolini and Hitler in the 1930s.
Rhys McGowan
Thanks, Adriana and Simon, for the able summary of Eley (although I would not include the 1934 uprising within the chronology of the Spanish Civil War itself). I hope you managed to read Buchanan alongside Eley, because he provides an alternative and rich, complex understanding of democracy in this period.
You point to some of the difficulties in lining up antifascism and democracy here, Rhys. Many antifascists were not democrats in the liberal sense of the word, although anarchists and communists had their own definition of democracy.
I wonder what we make of the Popular Front: was it a ‘failure’? Does it tell us important things about the nature of politics in the late 1930s?