Cyclical Evolution of the Global Right

Abstract

An understanding of the current right-wing national and transnational social movements can benefit from comparing them to the global and national conditions operating during their last appearance in the first half of the twentieth century and by carefully comparing twentieth-century fascism with the neofascist and right-wing populist movements that have been emerging in the twenty-first century. This allows us to assess the similarities and differences, and to gain insights about what could be the consequences of the reemergence of populist nationalism and fascist movements. Our study uses the comparative evolutionary world-systems perspective to study the Global Right from 1800 to the present. We see fascism as a form of capitalism that emerges when the capitalist project is in crisis. World historical waves of right-wing populism and fascism are caused by the cycles of globalization and deglobalization, the rise and fall of hegemonic core powers, long business cycles (the Kondratieff wave), and interactions with both Centrist Liberalism and the Global Left. We consider how crises of the global capitalist system have produced right-wing backlashes in the past, and how a future terminal crisis of capitalism could lead to a reemergence of a new form of authoritarian global governance or a reorganized global democracy in the future. RésuméLa compréhension des mouvements sociaux nationaux et transnationaux de droite actuels peut bénéficier de leur comparaison aux conditions

Pre-Emptive Decline

“…Though globalization (in the form of both increased trade and more open finance) is well understood to generate significant inequalities favoring holders of capital, they may do so regionally and not just along existing economic cleavages, or they may generate demands for compensatory tax systems that would impose real costs on high earners and their corporations (Rodrik 2018). Chase-Dunn et al (2019), following Goldfrank (1978), note that while fascism is understood as a movement created and led by non-elites, contemporary neo-fascism, also called "populist nationalism," is an offshoot of authoritarianism, created by members of the existing political and economic elite and dependent upon them for funding, political latitude, message, organization, and leadership. This is a top-down movement fostered by existing political classes as they see their positions, or the positions of their organizations, deteriorating (Goldfrank 1978;Chase-Dunn et al 2019).…”

“…Chase-Dunn et al (2019), following Goldfrank (1978), note that while fascism is understood as a movement created and led by non-elites, contemporary neo-fascism, also called "populist nationalism," is an offshoot of authoritarianism, created by members of the existing political and economic elite and dependent upon them for funding, political latitude, message, organization, and leadership. This is a top-down movement fostered by existing political classes as they see their positions, or the positions of their organizations, deteriorating (Goldfrank 1978;Chase-Dunn et al 2019). Rodrik notes that immigration or drives for equality provide a foundation for right-wing movements.…”

Forging a diagonal instrument for the global left: the vessel

“…21 Human rights and anti-racism have been central in the network of movements participating in the social forum process. Global Indigenism (Chase-Dunn, Grimes, & Anderson, 2019;Hall & Fenelon, 2009) has been an increasingly important issue for the global left. The rights of colonized peoples, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, and queer people are central to the inclusive concerns of the global left.…”

Movimentos de extrema-direita e violência contra as minorias no contexto do Brasil: Discursos de ódio e colonização do imaginário

“…Essa diferença é uma das razões pelas quais alguns estudiosos preferem o termo "nacionalismo populista" ao "neofascismo". Outra diferença importante é com relação ao expansionismo militar.»22…”

“…Todavia, o racismo não está circunscrito ao cenário brasileiro, e fatos emblemáticos relativos ao assassinato de George Floyd nos Estados Unidos exemplificam de modo bastante contundente essa questão. Tal como pontua Borras Junior, o racismo constitui uma das características centrais das manifestações atuais da extrema-direita, bem como a xenofobia, o nacionalismo, o sexismo e a misoginia 39 , em consonância com outros trabalhos que acentuam que as políticas de hipernacionalismo, xenofobia, racismo e sexismo são âncoras que atuam no populismo de direita e neofascismo40 . Robinson acentua que o fascismo do século xxi é marcado pela instalação crescente de um Estado policial global, induzido pelo bloco do capital transnacional e que estaria conduzindo ao desenvolvimento e implantação de sistemas de guerra, controle social e repressão, o que ele denomina de acumulação militarizada41 .…”