It has become somewhat normal now to say in European political circles that the rise of the far-right, especially in countries such as France, mirrors the rise of the extreme-right of the 1930’s. At first glance, this cliché seems to have some merit. The extremist parties of the 1930’s rose to prominence with a very simple strategy: blame all of their countries’ woes on a weak and vulnerable minority. No matter what, the fascist parties of the 1930’s could not even countenance the idea that perhaps they themselves were responsible for the issues that faced their country. Instead, they increased people’s fears and prejudices by blaming anyone who did not fit their preconceived idea of the “norm”. Although a remarkably simple tactic, it ultimately proved successful and caused untold human suffering and destruction. The extreme-right of today, whether it be in America, France or anywhere else in the world, still uses the exact same tactic today: refuse any responsibility to actually try and find real solutions and simply blame the easy targets. One only needs to look at Marine Le Pen’s Front National and their recent call to ban the holding of dual-nationality as if the concept of someone holding joint Algerian and French nationality will tear the social fabric of the French Republic apart. So, should we all worry about the rise of a new political extreme that will take power just as we saw in the 1930’s?
In my opinion, no. It can be a dangerous mistake to try and show that history is repeating itself in order to make a political point. Although the extremist parties in Europe have made worrying gains in recent elections, there are crucial historical differences between the rise of the extremists of the 1930’s and of today. Although the E.U is much derided as an incompetent organisation that damages the weaker European countries’ economies, it should never be forgotten that the defining purpose of the E.U was to preserve peace in Europe and on that front, there is little doubt that it has succeeded. While during first half of the 20th century Western Europe was defined by slaughter and hatred, the second half the 20th century is instead defined by peace and economic negotiations. This newfound peaceful era of European relations came about by the E.U’s linking of countries’ economic prosperity with their neighbours. There are far fewer wars between countries that are economic partners. Another important divergence between the 1930’s and now is, obviously, the internet. I was once told that 95% of the internet is absolutely rubbish while 5% can be useful. While this may be true, no one can deny that the internet has opened up opportunities to learn about different peoples and cultures that simply did not exist in the 1930’s. This opening up of the world’s different cultures strikes sharply against the extreme-right’s tactics of division and fear-mongering.
So, if the two situations are so different, why do people worry that the people of Europe are currently living through a repeat of the 1930’s? Simply put, although the military conflicts of Western Europe ended long ago, the memory of these conflicts endures and when people see parties like the Front National succeed, they naturally worry. So what should we do? To put it bluntly, we should be honest. Are these parties racist? Yes. Are these parties xenophobic? Yes. Do these parties have fascist links? Undoubtedly, yes. People need not be afraid of the extremists, they should attack and criticise them. Cheap political tricks like rigging the electoral system, something for which the French political establishment is undoubtedly guilty, are not necessary. What is necessary is that parties and people who do not subscribe to the ideology of hate that the extreme-right espouses, are able to have the courage to fight back and not simply accept that we are re-living the history of the 1930’s. Although the phrase “the only thing to fear is fear itself” may come across as a cheap sound bite, when it comes to fighting the extreme-right in all countries, it could not be more accurate.