Fascism, always homegrown

Sarah Churchwell, cultural historian, in the PBS documentary Nazi Town, USA (dir. Peter Yost, 2024), which tells the story of the German American Bund:

“Fascism is ultra-nationalist. In other words, there’s no such thing as foreign fascism. Fascism is always homegrown.”

The documentary is streaming at PBS. An appropriate supplement: A Night at The Garden, Marshall Curry’s seven-minute assemblage of archival footage of a 1939 Bund rally at Madison Square Garden. The 20,000-strong event was advertised as a “Pro-American Rally.” Draw your own parallels and conclusions.