"What if "liberals" attacked "conservatism" as the greatest threat? THAT'S nothing to worry about?
"

Possum, that's not threatening. That's normal! As I can tell you from 20 years of experiencing such attacks. It's no surprise that Herr Doktor Stern is attacking 'conservative intellectuals' as nazis - that also is routine. No, what's surprising is that Doktor Stern is being a little more subtle about it that the usual broadside attack. 'Conservative intellectuals' lead inexoriably to national socialism is his implied argument.

That's a little rich because if EPA tracked the numbers of 'conservative intellectuals' on the faculty of American universities they would be required to declare them an endangered species.

Let's not forget that US academia have been far more conservative than the current crop in times past - yet national socialism has not reared it's ugly head in the US.

Unless one counts Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, reagan, Clinton, and both Bush's as national socialists. Quite a few of todays academics do just that (not remotely a majority). Nevertheless it's tyhings like these which help form the impression that overindulgence sniffing airplane glue was a major life forming experience of large numbers of university academics....

The basic question is Can "it" happen here? ("it" being a political movement with similarities to National Socialism, Fascism, or the Falange.

The answer just as clearly is 'yes'.

Having gotten that far the likes of Fritz Stern seem to believe that the debate is finished - when actually it has not yet begun.

There is a non-zero chance of national socialism occurring in any nation on earth. Including (apologies to our hosts) Germany, Italy, Spain, and the US. The true question is 'how likely is it?'.

To answer that one has to look at history and try to divine the stresses which brought these movements to power. If we can do that we can then look at the modern situation and try to divine where it may happen again.

National Socialism came to aobsolute in only two major countries; Germany and Italy. The Falange formed part of the Franco government - but Franco himself wasn't a Falangist. They were influential but did not rule.

^There were small national socialist type movements in Britain and France. Whether national socialism took any significant political root in the US depends upon whether one views Huey Long as fascist or not. There was also the isolationist movement including the German-American Bund prior to WWII - but they were always a small organisation.

Germany and Italy (and Spain) were in many ways opposite cases. Germany was a superpower down on it's luck whilst Italy and Spain were the 'poor men' of continental Europe at the time - and had eben for a long time. One could also say that Italy and Spain were 'superpowers' down on their luck - but only if one measures the timeframe in centuries rather than decades (as in the German case). Spain and Italy had been European superpowers - but not since the 17th century.

Nevertheless I think a connection can be made here; national socialism had it's biggest successes in three countries which had been great but were so no longer. This is not enough of course; one could say the same about France and Nederlands - yet national socialism never took deep root in either place.

There is an element of economic stress as well. All three NS countries were under great economic stress with large political, cultural, economic, and sometimes religious gaps between city and countryside.

How does this apply to the present day? Look for countries which have been great but are no longer and which are under a ton of economic and cultural stress. Look for nations which are 'poor relatives' in the club of rich countries - or nations whose relative position in the 'rich' nations has taken a long-term fall.

Judging by these criteria I don't belive the US is a promising candidate. Italy, Poland, France, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and the Baltic states would all seem much more likely candidates judging on historical criteria.

Under other circumstances I might add Germany and Austria to the list - but I judge that other historical factors make that outcome extremely unlikely for at least another generation.

Outside of Europe I might look to South Africa, Brazil, and perhaps India or China might make the list.

What factors might turn the US national socialist? Look for a major long-lasting economic dive. I decline measured in decades. The US was arguably hit the hardest of any country on earth by the Great Depression but did not become fascist - so presubably it would take longer than a decade for this to change.

Yup, David - he did. He sees the 2% similarity and misses the 98% difference.

I think he's the kind of chap who would see the return of the Third Reich in whatever place he hives. He lives in the US. Lucky us.