The Problem of “National Communism”

One of the more insidious dangers in political analysis is to name things too soon. Faced with events or situations that are essentially without precedent, we are tempted to pin down their novelty with a phrase. Everyone can provide his own examples, but the one that seems most relevant at the moment is “National Communism.”

“National Communism” is today being used to describe, or obscure, the meaning of political tendencies as diverse as those embodied in men ...