As a fresh-faced (well, actually middle aged) socialist, I assume that most in the movement look back upon their “Aha!” moments with fondness. Reading this book has been one of mine. I assume many brand new to the movement are like me and came in through a general sense of ennui, empathy for humankind, some tough life experiences and some chance encounters through social and popular media. And while this is as valid an entry point as any other, it does leave one with a head full of frustration, worry and many unformed thoughts and ideas — and with nowhere to put them.
The Fight Against Fascism and the Far Right: Voices from the front lines provided me with some of the grounding and structure for these worries, thoughts and ideas to settle and find a home. Through repetition — which some may find just that, repetitive, but I found extremely helpful — and the piece-by-piece explanation of fascism — its threat, its motives and its methods — I now understand not only that capitalism and fascism are inextricably entwined but how and why. Fascism is the boot capitalism uses to step on the throats of the working class, when it fears our revolt. It’s how this system tries to crush us before we can destroy it.
I learned why fascists and the far right attack trans people, women and people of colour. More importantly, I learned why it is so important that we defend our people, because their oppression oppresses us, because their liberation raises us.
Most importantly, I learned how to effectively combat this oppression. The words “united front” had never crossed my mind until I read this book. If you had asked me earlier what it meant, I couldn’t have told you. Now I understand what it is, what it does, how it does it and why. Above all, I learned that it must be led by us, the working class.
I see why we as socialists work as we do as a grassroots, community-led, democratic organisation accountable to our class. I see that my worries for a future, as a father in a crumbling system, can be turned and put to good use. I have read that whenever a united front has worked, we’ve won victories far more consequential than they first appear. Shutting down National Action’s Fawkner “bookstore,” for example, stopped these Nazis from recruiting in Melbourne’s north and ousted them from Victoria. And this lay ground for future successful organising. Hitler said it himself: “Nazism could have been stopped if its nucleus had been destroyed before it could grow.” This gives me a sense of purpose, of “revolutionary optimism” — something I didn’t have before.
The writing itself is clean, clear and straight to the point — very easy to understand, even for someone brand new to the movement. Its rough chronological order and procession through history, its step-by-step analysis of fascism, the united front and episodes when the two have conflicted were not only interesting, they were enlightening. I found myself compulsively turning each page, hanging on sentences that particularly struck me.
It’s also a wonderful history of the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women in Australia and their achievements, and it gave me no small amount of respect for the authors, who were a part of the stories that make this book. In a way, it is a story about the people in the movement, on the front lines. It’s many lifetimes’ worth of achievements and proof of what we can do if we work together around shared principles.
As a New Zealander who lived in Australia for many years, someone who is separate from but still a part of the country, it has left me wondering what to do next. I once believed that we kiwis were, for the most part, profoundly politically apathetic. But I have found, after taking part in my first protests, that we are not. Working class people are what make this entire world function, and there are plenty among us who want to make it work for us, not profit. We just have to find each other, use of the lessons from the fighters before us, and organise. We need united fronts all over the world, working together.
I now need a new copy of The Fight Against Fascism and the Far Right to lend to friends, because mine is full of highlighter and frantically scribbled notes. May I suggest an audiobook version of this wonderful book?
The Fight Against Fascism and the Far Right: Voices from the front lines is published by the Feminist Education Association. Contact freedom.socialist.party.australia@gmail.com to purchase a copy.
