>From: "dhkc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >(The following is a DHKC document on fascism in Turkey, aimed at >contributing to discussions on this subject. It was presented at the PTB >(Workers' Party of Belgium) International Communist Seminar this year. The >document, which is over 9,000 words long, is being sent in three parts, in >the hope that in this way it is not too large to be distributed.) > >DHKC > >FASCISM IN TURKEY > >When fascism is mentioned, what comes to mind are images of massacre, >tortures, blood and tears. But these are not all that fascism is about. >Fascism is not only about the cities which were wiped out by atomic bombs >and the thousands of people who were burnt in crematoria. >Fascism is not only about the students who are beaten by fascists, whether >the latter are in uniform or in civilian clothes. Nor is it only about those >who were killed or maimed by torture. Certainly fascism is not simply about >disappearances, massacres, torture and prisons. >We come across the bloody face of fascism so often and we are well >acquainted with it. This encounter happens sometimes through television, >newspapers, books, films and on other occasions as a part of everyday life. >For example, it is always at close range in the schools, the factories, the >shantytowns, the streets and in the villages where the struggle is at its >hottest. Each time these encounters happen our hearts become full of sorrow, >hatred, rebellion and a desire for justice. >Yes, fascism is a blackness which engulfs the peoples of the world in blood >and sorrow. It is a disgrace marring the entire history of humanity, so that >it is the summit of a tyranny which has continued over centuries. The >reality of fascism, which is forced on the peoples in the interests of a >handful of individuals, has taken various shapes and forms starting in the >early 1900s and continuing up to the present. >We encounter this reality sometimes in the form of imperialist countries >like the USA, Germany, Italy, France and sometimes in the form of the >Susurluk state. Sometimes we come across it in the shape of Hitler, Catli, >Cakici (fascist-mafia chiefs) or at other times Pinochet, Zia-ul Haq or >Evren (head of 1980 military coup, the Pinochet of Turkey). Sometimes they >take the form of the mafia, police, military, MIT (National Intelligence >Organisation), JITEM (Gendarmerie Anti-Terror Intelligence), and sometimes >Ford, ITT, Sabanci and Koc (leading collaborationist monopolies in Turkey). >And each time we witness that the tyranny of fascism and the regime of >exploitation are connected to each other as if by an umbilical cord. >Today in our country, fascism as concretised in the Catlis and Cakicis, that >is, in the form of the Susurluk state has been a problem of our people for >years. But this is not fate. It is merely an ongoing reality. >In order to defeat fascism, we need to know what it is by taking into >account the conditions. >SO WHAT IS FASCISM?. >Fascism: is the repressive dictatorship of the most reactionary, chauvinist, >aggressive, murderous section of the monopolist bourgeoisie. >Now we will try to explain this definition through our own experiences. >The first thing that we realise through this definition is that fascism is a >form of rule. Fascism came into being during the imperialist era, which is >the uppermost and final stage of capitalism. It is the most reactionary and >chauvinist form of dictatorship. What does this mean? >Chauvinism in its essence is the policy of making people slaughter one >another. One of the most striking examples of the chauvinism of fascism took >place in our country in 1978 - in the Maras massacre. This massacre was >engraved on the minds of our people and has become the clearest description >of the reality of fascism. >The Sunni people in Maras were stirred up against the Alevi people and many >were savagely slaughtered under the supervision of fascists. The message >that we have to derive from this example is that the system uses the policy >of chauvinism to incite hatred between sections of the people, such as >Alevis vs. Sunnis, Turks vs. Kurds, manual workers vs. office workers, >supporters of secularism vs. supporters of Sharia, or even fans of rival >football teams. >Despite the fact that the chauvinist policy of fascism takes different forms >in different periods, the aim is always the same. It is to suppress the >peoples by dividing them and to prevent their waging struggle in a united >form against imperialism and fascism. >What is the meaning of fascism being the most repressive and murderous form? >When fascism is mentioned, first of all Italy and Germany come to mind. >Hundreds of books and documents were written about the true face of fascism >in Italy and Germany and the details of savagery were exposed in the eyes of >the rest of the world. >"The corpses were piled in a room on top of each other so that if the door >could not be closed the arms, legs or heads of the corpses were severed to >make the bodies fit inside. Those arrested were forced to dig ditches so >that the fat from the burned human bodies could be collected in them. This >fat was scooped out by the same prisoners and poured onto the bodies again >so that the corpses burned 'better'. If the prisoners were not sufficiently >careful, one of the Nazi officers would push him or her into the boiling >fat. Part of this fat was turned into soap. The smell from the ovens was >overpowering. And every day, day and night, thousands of human bodies were >disposed of in this manner. >"Near the crematoria graves were dug which were a couple of metres wide and >hundreds of metres long. Those who were to be killed were completely >stripped. Then they were forced to lie down in these ditches. They were mown >down with machine-guns. Then the second and third and fourth groups. This >continues." >The first condition of fascist power was, sooner or later, the destruction >of those who came to the concentration camps. Nobody could leave these camps >alive and no eyewitnesses were permitted. Because dead bodies tell no tales. >Tens of thousands of pairs of babies' and children's shoes as well as >slippers and bags were left as reminders. These are the mute witnesses to >the killing of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children. >The wife of a Nazi general every day checked the Jews in one of these camps. >She selected those who have nice skin. She had as her hobby making >lampshades from human skin. She claims that "those who have nice skin >reflect the light better" (The Death Factory, K. Simonov). >This savagery of fascism and the sorrow of the peoples were told from one >generation to another. Fascism was condemned by the entire peoples of the >world. During the Second World War Hitler's fascist (Nazi) rule was defeated >by the Red Army. The power of fascism was wiped out but millions of people >still condemn it. Therefore today, no-one can openly defend fascism. But >they only refuse to defend its name. Because today the conditions which >caused the rise of fascism still exist. There are fascist individuals, >institutions, parties and regimes which do not use the name of fascism. In >other words, nothing is different in principle. As we mentioned above, the >Maras massacre in Turkey happened years after fascism came to power in >Germany (1933) and Italy (1922). But the image of savagery was the same. >Hundreds of human beings were burned, dismembered, cut to pieces and made to >disappear. >Today we are also witnessing the savagery of fascism and we will continue to >witness it, because fascism cannot be described as only Hitler in Germany, >Mussolini in Italy and Alparslan Turkes in Turkey. Fascism cannot be >explained only as the brutality of certain individuals, because fascism is >not independent of the state. The idea of fascism as being independent of >the state means the refusal to accept fascism's class character. >Fascism is a form of administration, a form of state. The most significant >character of fascism is that it is dependent on the monopolist bourgeoisie >and is the most open and terrorist dictatorship of the monopolist >bourgeoisie. >Not all repressive administrations and dictatorships are fascist. For >instance, from centuries ago people were repressed by systems of rule and >much blood was spilt. But we do not call these systems fascist. Because >fascism occurred in the 20th century as a form of rule by the monopolist >bourgeoisie. When we analyse history we see that there is no state which did >not use oppression and spill blood. >THE STATE: is the dictatorship of a class over another class and the tool of >repression. But it is not an institution which has been in existence since >the beginning of history. The state came into existence with the division of >society into classes. >CLASS: is a large group of people whose interests differ from those of >others in relation to the share of social wealth. >For instance, in primitive communal society, there is mutual production. >Wealth is shared equally. In other words, there is no private property. >Therefore, there are no different classes such as rich and poor. There is >also not a state. >Whenever there were two different classes which could not reach a >compromise, then the necessity for a state arose. >When we look at the societies that succeeded the primitive communal society; >In slave society, as the exploiting class there are masters and as an >exploited class there are slaves who are bought and sold. At that time the >state belonged to those masters as the ruling class. >In feudal society, lords replaced masters and serfs replaced slaves. Again, >the state was in the possession of the feudal lords. >And later on in capitalist society, with the development of technology and >the increase of production, the owners of capital (that is, the bourgeoisie) >formed and the exploited class was the proletariat (working class). And the >state is in the possession of the bourgeoisie, as the ruling class. Since >the 18th century, the bourgeoisie has been in charge of the state, and >formed the bourgeois dictatorship by using the state. But we do not call the >initial period of the bourgeois dictatorship fascist. >Why not? >Let us remember once again that not every dictatorship is fascism. Also, in >order to take power, the bourgeoisie fought against feudalism together with >the working class and peasantry. They took power from the feudal landlords >by spilling blood and paying the cost. Therefore, at the beginning of the >hegemony of the bourgeoisie, it had to give certain rights and liberties to >workers and peasants. The working class and peasants defended their rights. >Meanwhile, the bourgeoisie developed the means of production during this >period. >During this era we can talk about the progressive nature of the bourgeoisie. >Anyway, we cannot speak of a united bourgeoisie at that time. It was still >weak. There was major rivalry between them. We call this the era of free >competition of capitalism. >At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th this period of >capitalism came to an end. From then on, the monopolies determined economic >life, and the uppermost stage of capitalism, the era of imperialism, begins. >And therefore there were changes in the structure of the bourgeois class. >THE FORMATION OF THE MONOPOLIES >The bourgeoisie who were continuously in competition with each other >developed in their own areas of production. This caused the intensification >of production and a concentration and centralisation of capital. And so >production was carried through by a monopoly. This wiped out the conditions >for competition. With each crisis of the state, many companies could not >resist and went bankrupt. But others who did not suffer from crisis became >stronger. In short, this was a case of big fish eating smaller ones. This >was how the monopolies arose. >At the same time, the banks were also taken over by these monopolies. From >then on, the entire economy, production, markets and also the state were >under the control of these monopolies. >The function of the state under the control of the monopolies is to regulate >economic life on behalf of these monopolies and to open new markets. >Naturally political life was also under the control of the monopolist >bourgeoisie. This is the era when the monopolist bourgeoisie became >reactionary and aggressive. Since then, the monopolist bourgeoisie has been >in fear of being unable to uphold its rule. >What is the source of this fear? >During the imperialist period of the capitalist system, it is in crisis and >cannot find a solution. This situation creates tension as well. >The crisis created by surplus production also creates unemployment, >inflation, high prices together with an imbalance between production and >consumption. The economic crisis brings social and political crisis with it >and starvation, poverty and unemployment extend to all sections of the >working class. The masses are discontented and react against this, and the >monopolist bourgeoisie cannot cope with protecting its own system. The >monopolist bourgeoisie's fear made it step up repression and also slow down >the development of technology. This is the sign of the bourgeoisie being a >reactionary force, and fascism is the most concrete form this takes. This is >how the most reactionary, chauvinist and aggressive regime in history was >created. This form of rule conquered power for the first time in Italy and >then in Germany. >How did fascist rule conquer power in developed capitalist countries such as >Germany and Italy? >Monopolies are in crisis. To overcome their crisis they need to open new >markets, and because of the fight for markets, the first war to partition >the world started in 1914. But this war could not yield the result that was >expected. The crisis remained and on top of that starvation, poverty and >unemployment grew worse. >While the monopolist bourgeoisie was trying to spread its hegemony, beyond >its control the working class developed a will of its own, and in 1917 the >first proletarian revolution in the world took place in Russia. This limited >the area available for imperialism to exploit. >Also in other countries, where the influence of revolution in Russia was >felt, the class struggle increased and national liberation wars achieved >victories. In Hungary and Germany, soviets were formed. The struggles of >workers and peasants in Italy intensified. The effect of socialism spread >rapidly. During the same period national liberation wars in Iran, China and >Turkey took place. >Imperialism started to lose its colonies one by one and lost power, becoming >more aggressive in the process. Imperialism was cornered. With a manoeuvre >it created new slogans which denied its own system, for example, the fascist >parties were portrayed as being the enemies of capitalism and in favour of >the working class. It tried to gain ground by using unemployment, starvation >and poverty which are the results of economic and social crisis. This >deception by fascism finds supporters in the middle strata of the >bourgeoisie, lumpens, peasants and sections of the working class. Because >fascism promises work and income to the people in return for their support. >In Germany, which was defeated during the first war to partition the world, >and Italy, which was on the winning side but dissatisfied with its gains in >proportion to its losses, the masses came under the influence of the >chauvinist and nationalist propaganda of fascism. The "Great Roman Empire" >in Italy and the Third Reich in Germany appealed to the nationalist emotions >of the petite bourgeoisie. > > >_______________________________________________ >Leninist-International mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To change your options or unsubscribe go to: >http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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