Originally Posted by chaosfeary
Never thought about it like that before, but it's true really - Hitler and Stalin were very open about their twisted beliefs and actions compared to their modern-day counterparts in such things as the BNP (outwardly attempting to be very "respectable" while admiring the Nazis and making hate speeches).
I see this as a good thing. The BNP is a complete fucking joke mocked by all who love freedom. I believe to have a free country, you let these groups exist and show them to be the madmen they always were. If they take up arms, you nip them in the bud.
If the true beliefs of fascism and the Nazis had been less obvious about the atrocities they committed and the beliefs behind them, the reaction against those two forms of fascism would've been very likely to be less, and maybe even more widely accepted. In that way, we were all lucky more skilled dictators didn't come to lead.
Exactly.
Unfortunately those "vicious ideologies" aren't completely dead, just beaten for now - most countries seem to have at least one form of a fascist, racist or nazi-like party. In today's times they are unlikely to be elected but they are much more wise to the public view now, and keep their true beliefs mostly under wraps (again, the BNP "British national party" is an example), presenting themselves as an "alternative party" and encouraging people to overlook their true nature.
Only a small group of foolish people buy into this facade. By giving them a modicum of freedom, you see who they are and take them down should the need arise.
Groups like that thrive off desperation, Germany was in terrible shape and this helped the Nazis to power, it's impossible to predict what could happen if there was a global Depression.