National Unionism

National Unionism is a political ideology combining political and social fascism with economic communism. It is the state ideology of Großgermania, and is represented in that nation by the National Unionist Party of Großgermania. It was developed over a period of several months by the combined efforts of Michael von Preußen and Generalissimo Rivera. Its policies as a political and economic doctrine are codified in the Constitution of Großgermania.

The following essay was written by von Preußen on 21 March 2009. It outlines the basic principles of National Unionism from his point of view, written in order to inform those outside Großgermania about the nation's political and economic culture and to promote its institution elsewhere.

The Principles of National Unionist Thought
Throughout history, there have been conflicts arising from all manner of disagreements both profound and mundane. Wars have been fought for land, for principle (which includes revenge), and for profit. Of these three most basic of reasons nations, as well as classes of people, war with one another, by far the most prominent cause of struggle is that of principle. Whether it be revenge for land captured in a previous war, or the belief that God has divinely willed the slaughter of millions of people, it is belief in the righteousness of a war, in accordance with one's principles, that is the cause of the majority of conflict.

It stands to reason, therefore, that by eliminating the conflict inherent in those ideologies and principles that most vehemently oppose each other, the majority of conflict can be eliminated. I do not, and would never attempt to, hope for the end of all conflict. Everything I've seen in humanity has shown be that this is impossible. It seems to be in human nature to fight, whether it be a schoolyard fight or a world war, people are drawn to conflict.

The Flaws of Marxism
I approach life from a very pessimistic perspective, and perhaps this is why I see this where others don't (or pretend not to). It's the primary reason why Marxism, an ideology I once claimed to adhere to, does not work. Marxism is based off of the naïve idea that all of humanity will be able to get along fine without any law, government, or state. Marxism is an ideology based in the assumption that humanity has as its primary goal the end of conflict. More than that, it is an ideology based in the assumption that people are willing to take the initiative to work together to promote peaceful coexistence. Marxism does not account for the fact that the vast majority of the population is relatively or wholly uninterested in politics. By giving the worker what he wants, the ability to reap the rewards of, and make decisions relating exclusively to, his own labor, Marxism is indeed helping the proletariat. By promoting a directly democratic government as a first step towards the abolition of statehood (and thus the achievement of anarchy, an impossible goal), Marxism is forcing those it claims to help to make decisions regarding the collective whole - decisions which the majority of people have no inclination to make.

Anyone who has studied Marxism, or, for that matter, associated to any degree with Marxists, knows that the goal of Marxism is the creation of a stateless, classless, society. Marx invisioned a world where all of humanity would come together under the banner of the common man. What Karl Marx forgot, however, is the need to accommodate the uncommon man. Not every member of the working class is a politician as well. Furthermore, I am amazed by the Eurocentrism of Marx, who desired the abolition of states and believed that 'nationality' was little more than an arbitrary separation between people. Marx was blinded, purposely or otherwise, to the fact that different people view things differently, or had a right to view things differently, than he did. This led to the development of communism as an extremely absolutist ideology.

Ask any Marxist to consider the merits of an ideology other than Marxism and you will find yourself first ridiculed and then ignored. Attempt to present communism to them as a flexible ideology, one that can be adapted to fit the needs of people in various parts of the world, and you will get a standard response: 'The needs of the working class are universal'. They will not for a minute consider that workers in an auto manufacturing plant in Detroit will have different needs than workers in a mine in Inner Mongolia. Nor will they accept that some people may want a state to keep law and order in a society, something I, for one, do enjoy having.

The Problems with Fascism
Fascism has always upheld the importance of the state. More than the state, fascism has, historically, upheld the nation as the single most important influence to unify people. And it has shown itself as such. Every nation-state, and even some civil states, utilizes nationalism to some degree. But it is the power of the state that truly makes fascism the most powerful political ideology ever known to mankind.

Centralized political power, such as that under fascism, is the only way to destroy that most vile of forces acting in any state: bureaucracy. By allowing one person the ability to make decisions quickly and forcefully, any problem can be remedied and any enemy can be defeated. The problem that fascism inevitably runs into, however, arises from the lack of checks and balances in the system. The ruler, whoever he may be and whatever title he may hold, inevitably makes a mistake, as all people are prone to do. When this occurs, it results in the nation, state, or group of people that he controls meeting a unified opposition.

The other failure of fascism is in the economic sphere. Arising from my initial embracement of communism, I still believe that every worker should have the right to reap the rewards of his own labor, and make decisions relating to the results of his labor. Fascism, as well as modern variants such as corporatism and national state capitalism, exist to benefit the already wealthy at the expense of the workers and the lower class. This runs counter to the needs of the worker, counter to the needs of the impoverished man, and is counter to the needs of society as a whole.

Defining National Unionism
In defining National Unionism, there are several key aspects of the ideology which may seem like contradictions to political philosophers. In many senses, National Unionism is an ideology of contradictions. It is both a left-wing and a right-wing ideology. It is fascist and communist. It is democratic and totalitarian. It is rule by one and by many. It is, simply put, the perfected example of a paradox.

The method by which National Unionism achieves this paradox in a workable fashion is by separating economic and political power. Long has it been assumed that the two go hand-in-hand. Fascist nations establish the supremacy of the so-called 'free market', communist nations (both ones that claim to be communist and those that more or less are) establish the economy entirely under the control of the government as a representation of the worker, and bourgeois socialist nations grant their governments the right to place limits on the 'free market'. And yet, no perfect ideology has been found. Perhaps none ever will - I am, by no means, an ideological chauvinist. But my interpretation of the reason fascist and communist states alike have failed is because of their dangerous combination of politics and economics.

Political Foundations of National Unionism
Following the example of fascism, and specifically Martenism, National Unionism is established on the basis of political power being concentrated in the hands of one ruler with few limits on his power. However, as was stated earlier, unlimited power inevitably leads to destruction, as shown by the failure of fascist states throughout history. National Unionism provides for an assembly elected by the population. The assembly shall be able to cancel decisions made by the ruler, in a way a reverse veto power. This will allow the assembly to effect moderation on the ruler, therefore providing protection against serious errors on his behalf.

The assembly should be the body to elect the ruler. The ruler-elect should not be a member of that assembly, in order to prevent corruption by the assembly. The assembly should also have the ability to impeach the ruler via a vote of no confidence where an extraordinary proportion of the assembly has lost the confidence of the ruler. Should this occur, the assembly should be given another opportunity to reverse any or all of the decisions made by the ruler while in office.

Economic Foundations of National Unionism
Economically, National Unionism utilizes a hierarchy of councils not unlike the soviets of many communist states. Workers at various labor institutions form councils to govern those institutions. Councils are formed at local, regional, and national levels as well, in order to govern economic matters relating to the whole of those communities and regions and the nation as a whole. Councils are formed by all workers at the local level, by representatives from the communities at the regional level, and from regional representatives at the federal level. As the collective well-being of the national economy, say, is more important than that of a single region, community, or labor institution, decisions made by higher councils overrule those made by lower councils.

Conclusion
Let, then, the doors of the world be opened unto us, that the People's Empire may finally show itself to humanity as not only the destiny of the world, but the only way to save it. Politics and economics separate at last, the people will free themselves of the evils of corporatism and bureaucracy at once. This is our World View. This is the future of the common man; the proletarian. Let the worker control his own destiny by the council, and let the destiny of the nation be vested in one: for the masses delude themselves, but the individual spark of genius may set them on the path to self-actualization.