1-SAFEGUARD AGAINST FASCISM
2-THE NATURE, MEANS and ENDS of POWER
From: Choose Life (A Dialogue)
Arnold Toynbee and Daisaku IKEDA.
Adapted by: Frantz Rimpel
Dear friends, I think these two chapters can help you see through what politic is about. specially what is at stake in a country like Haiti.
Hoping that this oversight will offer you a platform of correct understanding.
1- SAFEGUARD AGAINST FASCISM
IKEDA: Recently, in countries like the United States where administrative controls extend in an increasing number of social areas, there has been some concern about the danger of a turning into fascism. Though fascism and democracy are fundamentally opposite, fascism does sometimes wear a mask of democracy. Indeed, democracy can be the soil in which the seed of fascism grows.
(This is what is prevailing in Haiti now)
I think that at this point we could advantageously turn to this question to try to find out two things: the issues on which most caution must be exercised if we are to prevent the rise of a new fascism: the areas in democracy that might most easily lead to the rise of fascism. Because of the danger that democracy can degenerate into
(mob rule,) we must be constantly watchful.
TOYNBEE: Democracy has certainly sometimes degenerated mob rule. A notorious instance is Athenian democracy in the century B.C. The poor majority of the citizens voted the taxes that the rich had to pay, and when Athenian democracy was discredited by a defeat in a great war. the rich seized the opportunity to set up a violent fascist regime. (This again is what we undergo in Haiti)
This regime was quickly overthrown, and democracy was reestablished at Athens, but the abuses associated with democracy were not corrected.
(We’ve been doing that for years to no avail in Haiti)
IKEDA: As long as the number of people who are desperately disappointed in democracy remains small, there is little worry about the political system, but should profound dissatisfaction become the prevailing attitude, fascism might find a footing.
Modern history proves that the true nature of fascism is never apparent at the outset. Historically it has often arisen without announcing itself and has at first assumed a perfectly legal platform within a democratic society. Therefore, it is essential to spy out its traits before any of them has a chance to develop into
full-scale fascism. (Haiti)