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Old 10-20-2008, 07:55 PM
UGAalum94 UGAalum94 is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam View Post
Communism also lies on the left, just not as extreme left as Marxism as it requires government.

The left side of the model (in more complete detail) tends to read:

Marxism -> Communism -> Socialism -> Liberalism

I would say a handful, at least. My grad school was a mixed bag because it offered Masters' Degrees in Public and International Affairs (Global Political Economy, Security and Intelligence Studies, and Human Security), Public Affairs, and International Development. Those who were not SIS professors, I don't know.

I do know, however, that several of MY professors voted for Bush both times. As far as McCain goes, with some of the problems plaguing that campaign and with my distance from the school now, not sure.

If Marxism is the extreme left (the accepted view, purveyed by Marx himself) and fascism is the opposite of Marxism, then fascism is in its correct place if it's at the extreme right. I'm not understanding your problem with the model.
My problem is that Fascism isn't the opposite of Marxism in any real sense, nor does it really reflect the extension of many aspects of the right, anymore than the dissolution of the state reflects an extension of the left.

We can set it there because it's convenient to do so, but if you really start thinking about it and you have any sympathy for the right, problems emerge almost immediately.

At this point, we all just accept that spectrum for theoretical purposes and I know it would be the right answer on a college test, but it doesn't hold up when you start thinking about it, particularly if you are thinking about it economically, unless the idea that underpins your thinking is that Marxism would have these good ideal traits: economic equality and complete freedom from other aspects of the state. What would be the opposite bad traits? We'll call that fascism and put it on the other end. The right deserves the opportunity to put forth its own idealized standard to oppose Marxism, rather than being saddled with a system that by its very definition is totalitarian. Libertarianism makes as much sense as an economic opposite of Marxism.

Last edited by UGAalum94; 10-20-2008 at 08:00 PM.
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