Premature anti-fascist

In the US volunteers who fought for the republic in the Spanish civil war (1936-1939) were labeled as "premature anti-fascists" by the FBI. It was the trigger to assign them to non-combat units or inactive fronts in the second world war (1940) and deny them promotion.

In praise of Mussolini

• Churchill (1927): If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with Signor Mussolini from the start to finish in his triumphant struggle against the bestial appetites and passions of Leninism.
• Ghandi: he is the saviour of Italy
• Mussolini came out second (afther Edison) in a poll for "greatest man of our time" in Algemeen Handelsblad in 1927.

Now Italy, cradle of fascism, is rallying behind Berlusconi.

Rise of the bolsheviks

In 1917, Lenin, leader of the Russian bolsjeviks (majority, opposite of mensjeviks=minority) lived in exile in Switzerland. His secret political address book only contained ten active members in Russia.
After the Russian revolution in february the Germans let Lenin go to Russia and in april he arrives in Moskou.
With loads of German money allowing them to print the Pravda newspaper in huge numbers, the party swells to 200.000 members by august 1917.
In october the bolsjeviks take over and repression and civil war begin.

It is dazzling how radical actions by individuals can change history.

Before the second world war an initially small fraction like the nazi's will again take control over the masses, using terror.

EC Veto

The League of Nations was a precursor to the United Nations. It was founded after the first worldwar to find a peaceful way to solve conflicts.
Jean Monnet was deputy to the secretary-general. On the failure of the League of Nations (we wouldn't have had a second world war if it had succeeded) he said:
The veto is at once the cause and the symbol of the inability to go beyond national self-interest.

- In Europa - Geert Mak

After the second world war Monnet became an important architect of the European Community.
With the current discussion on the European constitution, the veto is still haunting his brain child.

tram

De Weense tram is een glanzende schommelende doos, een machine waarin een paar honderd kilo mensen heen en weer wordt geschud om toekomst van hen te maken. Honderd jaar geleden zaten zij met net zulke gezichten in de postkoets, en over honderd jaar zal er god mag weten wat met hen aan de hand zijn, maar zij zullen er als nieuwe mensen in de nieuwe toekomstapparaten precies zo bij zitten.

Robert Musil, 1914 (uit In Europa - Geert Mak)