In his works, the author and award-winning journalist Paul Mason not only describes the basic features of a coming economy, but also how societies are drifting back into fascism. How have his analyzes changed as a result of the global pandemic, the advancing climate crisis and the war in Ukraine? He will discuss these and other questions tomorrow, Friday, from 7.30 p.m. in the Museum of Working World with the author and journalist Robert Misik.
In his book Post-Capitalism, Mason attempted to outline “Outlines of a Coming Economy” as he saw neoliberalism at the end. In his new book, which has now been published in German, he deals with “Fascism. And how to stop it”. Austria and the conditions in which National Socialism spread here in the 1930s are part of it.
But Mason is not interested in historical studies: “Fascism is back without anyone having to help.” He begins his book with a thought experiment: in its final days, the Nazi regime shot an SS unit into the future with a time machine . This squad lands in Europe in March 2020 and finds out: the appearance has changed, but the ideas of the past have settled everywhere and are in the process of gaining ground. “They buy popcorn, relax and enjoy the hilarious spectacle.”
failure of capitalism
Right-wing extremism, right-wing populism, authoritarian conservatism have flourished, the firewall against fascism has “caught fire”. Apparently there is no need for mass unemployment, no specific class dynamics and no lost war. Fascism is “a recurring symptom of system failure in capitalism,” Mason writes, describing belief in “ethnic exchange,” the suppression of social and democratic achievements, and increasing skepticism about science and the media as unmistakable symptoms. His book also wants to be a guide. That’s why there’s a big red emergency stop button on the cover. “If you’re reading this book on the train, in a coffee shop, on the beach, or in a classroom, its cover has already politicized the space you’re in.”
Source: Nachrichten
