EPTOn March 13 2009 03:14 MoltkeWarding wrote:
Spain's case is more complicated.It's not true that Spain fell into the Fascist orbit, or even that Franco was a fascist. The Falangist movement was essentially conservative and reactionary. Fascism and National Socialism were essentially not. The political association of Franco with Hitler and Mussolini during the Spanish civil war has no ethical implication beyond what is pushed by leftist smear propaganda. (Hitler would later on more than one occasion remark in private that he regretted not aiding the reds.)
Spain's case is more complicated.It's not true that Spain fell into the Fascist orbit, or even that Franco was a fascist. The Falangist movement was essentially conservative and reactionary. Fascism and National Socialism were essentially not. The political association of Franco with Hitler and Mussolini during the Spanish civil war has no ethical implication beyond what is pushed by leftist smear propaganda. (Hitler would later on more than one occasion remark in private that he regretted not aiding the reds.)
Fascism as in a government in which glory is given to the state, enterprises fall under major government regulation (though they would promote such large corporations), militarism is promoted, and political suppression and etc is rampant. Falangism preserves for the large part many of these ideologies, whether or not Franco had anything beyond a short military alliances with the Nazis or Fascists.
