During World War II the US Government produced a series of pamphlets – called Army Talk – focussing on issues and politics. Orientation Fact Sheet 64 was called Fascism!

In a brief opening summary, the pamphlet said: “Fascism is not the easiest thing to identify and analyse; nor once in power, is it easy to destroy. It is important for our future and that of the world that as many of us as possible understand the causes and practices of fascism, in order to combat it.”

Fascism, it said is ‘government by the few for the few. The objective is seizure and control of the economic, political, social and cultural life of the state.

“The people run democratic government, but fascist governments run the people.

“The basic principles of democracy stand in the way of their desires -hence democracy must go!

“In place of international co-operation the fascists seek to substitute a sort of perverted ultra-nationalism which tells people they are the only people who count. With this goes hatred and suspicion of towards the people of all other nations.”

It said “fascism was hard to identify and analyse, nor, once in power, is it easy to destroy. It is important for our future and that of the world that as many of us as possible understand the causes and practices of fascism in order to combat it.”

The Pamphlet asked – can it happen here? “Some Americans would give an emphatic ‘no’ to the question ‘can fascism come to America after it has been defeated abroad?’ They would say Americans are too smart, that they are sold on the democratic way of life, and that they wouldn’t permit any group to put fascism over in America”. But today it is happening.

Sinclair Lewis in his famous book, It Can’t Happen Here, foresaw exactly all this.

The pamphlet went on to outline how readers could spot native American fascists at work. Included were: Putting religious, racial and economic groups against one another to break down national unity; hate campaigns against minorities; and, in place of international cooperation the fascists seek to substitute a perverted sort of ultra-nationalism which tells their people that they are the only people in the world who count.”

Truth is always the first casualty of fascism. The pamphlet outlined that fascists promised great power and prosperity; making the poor rich and the riche richer; unemployment would disappear and there would be jobs for all; businesspeople would enjoy greater security and bigger profits. To the whole nation they promised glory and wealth by conquest.

Trump has promised the same while slashing social services and health care provision. Meanwhile tech bros have become richer than Croesus while other Americans are struggling.

Another characteristic of fascism was its expansionist aims – conquering countries and subjecting them to fascist rule. Trump was elected promising to end America’s endless wars. Instead, he has launched new ones and threatened even more.

There is no pretence about seizing other nations resources. The fascists systematically stripped resources from conquered countries – just as Donald Trump is planning in Venezuela and Greenland.

Incidentally, despite the high-minded themes of the Army Talk pamphlet, it didn’t it mention much about at all about race and the African-American veterans came back to a racist country where African-Americans were denied fundamental rights and had to fight a new campaign to win them.

Now, after winning those rights and recognition the draft dodger, Donald Trump, rump is erasing references to African Americans and American First nations from war memorials and seeking to disenfranchise African Americans through gerrymandering and voting restrictions.

Hannah Arendt in her 1951 The Origins of Totalitarianism. “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist,” she wrote, “but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction…and the distinction between true and false no longer exist.”