Joel A Lewis Youth Against Fascism.pdf

DEMOCRACY
Another component of the YCL's definition of fascism identified the potential disparity
between military interests and the broad interests of the nation. The YCL argued that
democratic control of national defense was vital to prevent fascist influences from
undermining American security. The YCL believed that pro-fascist and pro-war elements
existed within the US military. 182 Democratic civilian control became the litmus
test of how the YCL judged most government programs, especially on the issue of
national defense. In an article on rearmament, the YCL extolled its outlook on the
interplay between defense, arms, and democracy:
Communists are not pacifists… we have never and do not now oppose armaments as a
matter of principle.... But armaments by themselves do not necessarily constitute
strength in the fight against fascism. Arms can be used in two ways—either for or
against fascist aggression, either for or against the people. Therefore arms by themselves
are not a safeguard, but a threat. If they are to be a safeguard, guarantees must be
established that these arms will be used against the aggressor and not against the victim....
An antiseptic against the fascist microbe within our national organism must be
consistently applied if the arms of the nation are not to be used against the interests of
the nation and its people.... There is no place in the US Army for pro-fascist antidemocratic
officers. 183
To counter fascist trends in the military, the YCL urged "democratic groups to take a
greater interest in the welfare of the soldiers, sailors, marines" stressing that the "men
who defend our country should not be left to the mercy of those who would betray it." 184
Democratization was the only solution to implement and sustain a consistent anti-fascist
national defense policy.
YCL propaganda worked to address the international dynamics of anti-fascism and the
defense of democracy. One of the greatest challenges of the YCL was to overcome
traditional US isolationism while explaining that collective security did not advocate a
"people's war" against fascism. Isolationist and pacifist sentiment was prevalent
throughout the American youth movement. The YCL clarified that such sentiments in
practice helped to strengthen fascism and serve the cause of reaction:
It is clear that the fight against fake "isolation" and "neutrality" is the fight against the
most reactionary militarists in America. Hearst, De Pont, Morgan and their cohorts are
the sponsors of war budgets; they are the enemies of collective security; they are the
apostles of "no foreign entanglements," a slogan to conceal their own identification with
the fascists abroad, a slogan so plainly echoed by the fascists in Europe today. 185
Reactionary forces manipulated isolationist sentiment to lend support to domestic and
international fascism. International cooperation was the key to defending democracy at
home and abroad since the "United States is a powerful, influential nation, and her
cooperation with the democracies of the world, with the Soviet Union, would materially
alter the course of events." 186
The YCL utilized open dialogue with youth to critique and clarify diverse opinions on
the interrelationship between Roosevelt, democracy and collective security. This dialogue
would "help clarify and direct thousands of young people who are ready and
willing to defend our democracy." 187 The YCL stated it was their role "to answer many
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