Want to understand Authoritarians? Political author Max Blumenthal recalls and exchange between Erich Fromm (The True Believer) and Dwight Eisenhower during the latter’s term that shines considerable light.5 The quotes below are of a piece with that exchange:
“Those who join the ranks of an Authoritarian cause to resolve inner turmoil and self-doubt are always its most fervent, rigidly ideological and loyal members. They are often its most politically influential members, as well.” ~Fromm
“The mental stress and burden that animates such movements is admonition to beware the danger posed to democracy by those who seek freedom from the necessity of informing themselves and making up their own minds concerning these tremendous, complex and difficult questions.” ~Eisenhower
“The lust for power is not rooted in strength, but in weakness; it is the expression of the individual self to stand alone and live. It is the desperate attempt to gain secondary strength where genuine strength is lacking.” ~Fromm
“Eisenhower observed the early development of the early American right with anxiety. His experience in Europe had taught him that the rise of extreme movements could be explained only by the psychological yearnings and social needs of their supporters. He understood that these movements were not unique to any place or time; Authoritarianism could take root anywhere, even in America. Eisenhower did not believe that an American exceptionalism immunized the country against the spoors of extremism.” ~Max Blumenthal
“I doubt that citizens like yourself could ever, under our democratic system, be provided with the universal degree of certainty, the confidence in their understanding of our problems, and the clear guidance from higher authority that you believe needed. Such unity is not only logical but, indeed, indispensable in a successful military organization; but in a democracy, debate is the breath of life.” ~President Dwight Eisenhower, in a letter to terminally-ill veteran Robert Biggs, Feb. 10, 1959
“Free societies do not necessarily perpetuate freedom. Many citizens would be far more comfortable under a structure that provides rigid order and certainty about all aspects of life. The mental stress and burden which this form of government imposes has been particularly well-recognized in a little book about which I have spoken on several occasions. It is The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer. You might find it of interest. In it, he points out that dictatorial systems make one contribution to their people which leads them to tend to support such systems: freedom from the necessity of informing themselves, and making up their own minds concerning these tremendous, complex and difficult questions.” ~President Dwight Eisenhower, in a letter to terminally-ill veteran Robert Biggs, Feb. 10, 1959
“There is no greater mistake and no graver danger than not to see that, in our own society, we are faced with the same phenomenon that is fertile soil for the rise of fascism anywhere: the insignificance and powerlessness of the individual.” ~Erich Fromm, Escape from Freedom
“The function of an Authoritarian ideology and practice can be compared to the function of neurotic symptoms. Such symptoms result from unbearable psychological conditions, and at the same time, offer a solution that makes life possible; yet they are not a solution that leads to happiness or growth of personality. They leave unchanged the conditions that necessitate the neurotic solution.” ~Erich Fromm, Escape from Freedom
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