IYSSE Special Event: The Danger of Fascism: Political Lessons from 1930s Germany

IYSSE Special Event: The Danger of Fascism: Political Lessons from 1930s Germany
A lecture by German Trotskyist Johannes Stern

Thursday, November 16, 3:00pm
370 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley

Throughout the world, far-right movements are on the rise: The Trump administration in the United States, the Alternative for Germany, the UK Independence Party, the National Front in France. Organizations promoting extreme nationalism have benefited from a political vacuum created by the absence of any challenge to the capitalist system from the left.

The growth of fascistic movements has provoked anger and opposition throughout the world. However, workers and young people face critical political questions: Why is the far-right benefiting from the crisis of capitalism? What are the social and political origins of fascism, and how can it be combated? What are the lessons of history?

In this meeting, Johannes Stern will speak on the rise of fascism in Germany in the 1930s and its lessons for today.

Johannes Stern is a member of the National Committee of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, the German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International. He writes for the World Socialist Web Site on German politics and history.