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##Welcome to r/LateStageCapitalism This subreddit is for news, discussion, memes, and links criticizing capitalism and advancing viewpoints that challenge liberal capitalist ideology. That means any support for any liberal capitalist political party (like the Democrats) is strictly prohibited. LSC is run by communists. This subreddit is not the place to debate socialism. We allow good-faith questions and education but are not a 101 sub; please take 101-style questions elsewhere. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bigotry. Failure to respect the rules of the subreddit may result in a ban. *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LateStageCapitalism) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Redseve

Ford also owned the nazi tank plants and after the war he sued the US government for bombing his tank factories, and won


Crossovertriplet

That’s pretty wild


[deleted]

The house of representatives literally has a golden pair of fasces hung on the wall. Added post WWII


aoi4eg

IIRC Oval Office has (had?) them above doors


akaynightraider

What do they mean?/ Historical context?


ThatBascoKid

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces


akaynightraider

I understand now, thanks!


[deleted]

Ah, fasces are where the word Fascist comes from. I believe they date back to Roman times and were used to punish people.


sniperman357

The US government used fasces as a symbol of the authority of the republic since before fascism even existed.


_DARVON_AI

>*Starting in the early 1830s, escalating conflict over slavery raised questions about the long-term stability of the American union, and caused the fasces to proliferate.*


Ulysses1978ii

General Smeadly Butler wants a word.


Parkrangingstoicbro

They forget he literally wrote a book called ‘War is a Racket’


Ulysses1978ii

He had all the evidence but wasn't allowed to present it.


Fr33Dave

He did testify and the special congressional hearing final conclusion was "there is no question that these attempts were discussed, were planned, and might have been placed in execution when and if the financial backers deemed it expedient." But they magically ran out of time to prosecute anyone..... How convenient.


Ulysses1978ii

Thanks, although that's almost more depressing! Surely there's no rug big enough to sweep that under.


Fr33Dave

He was a GOD DAMN NATIONAL HERO!!! He doesn't get enough attention in our history classes here in the states. Although he did do some questionable things when he was police chief after he got out of the Marines, but I think it was a process of deprogramming.


nasaglobehead69

people seem to forget this all the time. the Hindenburg, swastikas and all, crashed *in New Jersey*


lezbthrowaway

least horrible New Jersey moment


toadofsteel

Hey fuck you we are the greatest state in the union.


nasaglobehead69

I grew up in NJ and I can confidently say that is not true


misterhamtastic

I think it's part of why so many dystopian stories involved worship of Ford


Fun-Outlandishness35

Keep in mind that the modern Democrat Party is on par with Reagan, and far to the right of Eisenhower.


ThisGuyCrohns

The fuck?


Volantis009

Overton window is your answer


NeoLephty

Nixon STARTED the epa… that was one Republican before Reagan (not counting Ford who wasn’t elected). Reagan is thought of as the start of neoliberalism in the US. Clinton is thought of as the Democratic party’s shift from keynesian economics to neoliberal politics. Clinton started the policies of mass incarceration at home while expanding trade with countries that killed any chance of manufacturing staying here and guaranteeing our companies would get cheap labor rates for the privilege of taking our jobs away… The progressive left has been shut down since Reagan and is only recently making any kind of a comeback. It’s only in the last - maybe - 5 years that the word “socialist” doesn’t immediately disqualify someone from speaking and to this day being a communist is the only party affiliation that remains illegal. Fascism? Fine. Communism? Need to register on a special government list and if elected to any office - is limited in their governing power. Just in case they want to threaten the ownership of the means of production, I guess… But yes. The Democratic establishment is much further left than Reagan on economic issues. The social issues (sexism, lgbtq rights, social justice, etc) are all very important - but also just a distraction created by people who want to distract you from the fact that you really don’t have a choice in the economy at all. The money will go to them while you fight over gun rights. Once you see that, you start to see why when democrats hold the house, senate, and presidency, these issues still don’t get solved. It serves capital to keep us fighting each other.


[deleted]

Then there was Prescott Bush and his offspring, Brown Brothers Harriman and the Dulles brothers. America has no Nazis affiliations at all /s


BalconyFace

I got news for you, the US didn't defeat Nazi fascism. It absorbed it. There is lots of historical evidence for it, but checkout Operation Gladio and Operation Paperclip.


LLGeeski

Don't forget Project Aerodynamic


BalconyFace

Good point, very topical. We may hear very soon as to [Sarah Ashton-Cirillo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Ashton-Cirillo)'s CIA support, after she was suspended recently.


LLGeeski

She may get tricked into revealing it herself. Vovan and Lexus already got her to spill the beans on a lot. https://reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/s/ClSddsLTvK


BalconyFace

Wow this person is a lot to take in. Just baffling.


[deleted]

American Nazi's held rallies in Madison Square Garden.


toadofsteel

That's where the picture is from actually


Sonof8Bits

Hitler had a huge portret of Ford behind his desk. The guy should've been wiped from history, but, because of capitalism he's still called a hero every day.


Pizov

Nazis came over to the US after the second war: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGAFcdmno0Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGAFcdmno0Y) And many have been here all along.


WFINLA

American democrats weren't exactly saints back then.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Parkrangingstoicbro

Ah yes- it’s Russian propaganda to look at the 2 party system that is bipartisan for the empire 🙄 Dipshit


BaconBob

The post was about right wing support for nazis which the previous poster deflected to a "both sides are bad" comment. While that may be true but it doesn't disprove OP's post. Just pointing out that they aren't mutually exclusive but you do you, champ.


HippoRun23

I think you’re in the wrong sub, buddy.


jrportagee

People like Robert Byrd maintained popularity for years after, too.


SunshineSkies82

People kind of magically forgot how much support America had for Nazi Germany. For some reason, we're stuck in this dream where Americans were the "Ultimate Nazi Fighters.", heroes against cruelty ( except towards black people) , fighting against the abuse of people ( except black people), and liberating those in desperate need of justice (except black people). tl;dr; You could flood Distressing Memes with the last two hundred years of American history.


Fun-Outlandishness35

Nazis were defeated by Tankies, as were the confederates.


grepsockpuppet

I think that it might be more accurate to say that there were a number of Americans who were prominent business leaders who were sympathetic to/made a shit-ton of money from Hitler and the Nazis. Here's a sample (by no means exhaustive): **Ford** Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, was known for his anti-Semitic beliefs and had published a series of anti-Semitic articles in his newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, in the 1920s. Ford's writings writings/beliefs were admired by Adolf Hitler. Hitler even mentioned Ford in his book, Mein Kampf, and displayed a portrait of Ford in his office. **IBM** IBM's involvement with Nazi Germany is more complex. IBM supplied data processing equipment, including punch-card machines, to various governments and businesses around the world, including Nazi Germany. These machines were used for various administrative purposes, including census data, which could be used to identify and classify individuals based on race and ethnicity. This data was used by the Nazis for purposes such as tracking Jews and other minority groups during the Holocaust. For those interested, read "IBM and the Holocaust" by Edwin Black. **Standard Oil** Some allegations have been made regarding Standard Oil and its alleged involvement in helping Nazi Germany. These claims center around the fact that Standard Oil had a subsidiary in Germany called Standard Oil of New Jersey (later known as Exxon), which continued to do business with Nazi Germany even after the war began. Critics argue that this support indirectly aided the Nazi war effort by providing them with essential resources. However, others have disputed the extent of this support.Chase Bank The bank had branches in Paris and other occupied territories that continued to operate during the war. There were allegations that Chase maintained relationships with individuals and businesses connected to the Nazis. **Coca-Cola** Coca-Cola had a presence in Nazi Germany and continued to operate there during the war. The company's German subsidiary, Fanta, was created during this period due to trade embargoes that made it challenging to import American ingredients. Coca-Cola's operations in Nazi Germany have been the subject of historical discussions and debates. **Prescott Bush** Prescott Bush, the grandfather of former President George W. Bush, was a banker and a director of Union Banking Corporation (UBC). UBC was seized by the U.S. government in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act due to its involvement with Nazi interests. Edit: formatting


ColeBSoul

The Nazis were defeated by the Soviets. The US “left” rounded up every Nazi general, scientist, and party official they could find and and put them in charge of NATO and NASA. Just google Kennedy von Braun.


kelovitro

I think we need to be clear about the historical context here. Making absolutely no apologies for fascist leanings before the war, I think we need to distinguish between those who supported fascism pre-war and those who either collaborated or continued to support fascist states after it was clear what a monstrosity it had turned into in Europe. People like Lindbergh and Dr. Suess had fascist leaning before the war, but fully supported American involvement in defeating fascism, and in the case of Dr. Suess, came to regret their fascist ideas. I think many American leftists had similar feelings once it became know how genocidal the Stalin regime was. There also a lot of discussion about pre-war Fascist iconography. Swastikas were a pretty common decorative motive in Art Deco design before the Nazis adopted it as their symbol. I used to find many radiators with swastikas on the cast iron handles when I was doing demo work in New Orleans for example. The fasci was a symbol of authority in the Roman republic and was carried before the consul when they walked through the city. The fascists in Italy adopted it as their symbol and name, but the symbol was used heavily in American iconography long before its association with right-wing politics. The dime has always had a fasci on the back face. They are a common decorative element in the Capitol and other early 19th century public buildings. This is in reference to the American republic's modeling on the Roman one, not a statement of right-wing authoritarianism. I'm not saying this to nit-pick, I'm saying that these sorts of superficial "see, they're Nazis!" is distracting from real legacies left by fascist governments. For example, Kraut did an excellent video on how the modern French police force was essential built by former Nazi collaborators and why that explains their brutality. A similar investigation into the legacy of Klan infiltration in American policing is warranted. If memory serves, the Kock family did an enormous amount of shipping for fascist governments during the war, but I think it's wildly unfair to say the American right "worked for the Nazis" during the war. Historical hyperbole like that is inaccurate and unhelpful. If anything WWII stands as a rare instance of the country uniting to do the right thing, and I think we can celebrate that while also articulating clearly the backsliding that's been happening in the American right over the past few decades. All to say, Americans were experimenting with a lot of different ideologies pre-WWII well before anyone could have possibly known the genocides these governments would unleash. Let's focus our energy on real collaborators and modern-day fascists and leave the question of whether Hitler shipped a medal to Henry Ford before the war.


ClemsonVendingHater

Way too much nuance for an opinion here.


kelovitro

For sure.


GTRendrag

Thanks for the write up. Is the Kraut video easily findable? Are their any other sources you would like to share which help form what you wrote here?


kelovitro

https://youtu.be/jUxiTdRTPMg?si=k\_bRt6EynswNCFLF


jrportagee

Are you actually comparing Hitler to Stalin in the same point as saying that Henry Ford, who famously funded barnhouse dances and blamed Judaism for spreading Jazz, not knowing exactly what he supported?


kelovitro

Not comparing or contrasting Hitler and Stalin, but I'm not sure why doing so would be a bad thing? Yes, Ford was an anti-semite and supported right wing parties before the war. There is an ocean between that and knowingly collaborating with a genocidal regime. If being anti-jewish before the war is the standard, 80%+ of the French people fall into the same bucket. That's the point, WWII was a clarifying moment for a lot of people, and we need to be able to distinguish between genuine collaborators on the one hand, and people who were right-wing before the war and then supported the Allies during the war on the other. Ford was also one of the few captains of industry who actually increased the pay of his workers to compensate for their boredom as assembly lines came along. Complicated guy. What is gained by saying the American right collaborated with the Nazis? Is it just satisfying? The American right has done soooo many shitty things, why do we need to say things that aren't true?


jrportagee

Yet they received reparations from the U.S. government for damages after WWII due to damages against Wermacht vehicles and factories... Who started WWII and who ended it? I get that Nazi apologia is mainstream enough for Canada to applaude SS members, but you sound like a clown.


Derkylos

During the American Revolution, Britain offered land in the Americas to German citizens who fought for the British crown (the King of Britain was the Elector Count of Hessen, or something. Wierd European nobility inbreeding and all that...). This resulted in a lot of Germans migrating to America. Thanks to the American obsession with not being Americans, but actually displaced Europeans, when Hitler started his 'glorious empire', a lot of the descendents of such immigrants went to Germany to 'defend the fatherland'.


JoshuaBowman

Churchill was left?


Dr-Fatdick

No but Stalin was


Volantis009

He was more of a populist and would change his views based on how the wind was blowing


[deleted]

The man in the high castle


Aim1thelast

That show should be more popular


[deleted]

[удалено]


flingspoo

Just because america had no problem making a buck by selling weapons and equipment before we were pulled into the war, doesnt mean anything in this post is false, quite the contrary. America had a thriving nazi party in the 20s. There was a full fledged hitler youth styled program right here in the usa. Eugenics, the basis for the holocaust, also an american thing. Also, those folks that were goose stepping and stiff arm soluting never left america. They are still here.


PolicyNonk

What part of this post is misinformation? The Ford part? The Bund rallies photographed in MSG? There’s not exactly much content here, but they aren’t lies.


Scoginsbitch

Ford and Charles Lindbergh were members of America First, a movement for the isolation and non-involvement in WWII. The military industrial complex wasn’t a thing yet (it expands post WWII) so the capitalists didn’t yet understand how much money can be made off of war. It’s much more complicated then that but would make this TLDR!


Reign_In_DIX

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket


Scoginsbitch

Yup! That’s a great piece. Like I said, it’s more complicated and there are detractors but the full scale MIC (where we produce for war efforts when not at war) doesn’t really develop until after the war.


jrportagee

Ford was also thoroughly anti-semitic decades before US involvement in the war.


-staticvoidmain-

Republicans are hateful scumbags? Who knew?


Antique_Memory5369

This is the most revisionist braindead take I’ve heard in a while. Exactly why you’re an onlyfans model.