The menace of Fascism: What it is and how to fight it

by Ted Grant

78 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 1978

About the author

Edward Grant (born Isaac Blank; 9 July 1913 – 20 July 2006) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain. He was a founding member of the group Militant and later Socialist Appeal.

Reviews

[Diogo Botas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, originally from 1948 (I read a Portuguese translation), Ted Grant lays out the events that lead to fascism in Italy and Germany, and that almost lead to fascism in the UK in the 30s. Fascism is a counterrevolutionary movement whose purpose is to eradicate any possibility of workers orgazining themselves and achieving a truly democratic society. Once the fascists are in power, it's under their rule that capitalism thrives, with the ever growing accumulation of capital, overt exploitation of the working class, and decimation of any organized working class movements, such as political parties, revolutionary organizations, unions, etc.

In the UK, fascism was defeated (at the time) due to the mobilization of the working class against the rise of the fascists, which were being propped up by the state (e.g. being protected by the police, projected by the media, funded by big insurance companies and banks). In one instance, about 2.5k fascists marched in London (the march wasn't prohibited by the state, it was instead supported, as it sent about 10k police members to protect the fascists, which were led by Mosley). The march was disbanded due to half a million workers showing up in a counter protest. They set up barricades and anything that would block the fascists and the police from marching, and eventually forced the police and the fascists to leave.

I leave the following quote from the book, in Portuguese:
"A democracia burguesa, dizia Trotsky, significa que todos têm o direito de dizer o que quiserem, desde que o capital financeiro decida o que é feito. Mas uma vez que os trabalhadores se erguem para assumir o controle democrático real, então os capitalistas decidem que chegou a hora de abolir a democracia por completo."