Manic Street Preachers
"If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next"
Key words
- Lyricist: someone who writes words for songs, especially pop songs
Some of the money would go to composers, lyricists and so on.
- Syndicalism: a system of economic organization in which industries are owned and managed by the workers
The first known use of syndicalism was in 1906.
- Direct Democracy: democracy in which the power is exercised directly by the people rather than through representatives
Other forms of democracy - direct democracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy and digital democracy - are growing at the local level.
- Homage: an expression of great respect and honor
We pay homage to him for his achievements in medical research.
- Catch-all: a very general description that is intended to include everything or many different things
"Graffiti" is used as a catch-all for a lot of things, from incredible street art to annoying scribbles.
Read the article to find the answers
- When was the song "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" released?
- When was the Spanish Civil War?
- What did Benito Mussolini abandon after WWI?
- How is the word fascism used?
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
The song "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" was released by the Manic Street Preachers in 1998. The title of the song comes from a propaganda poster used during the Spanish Civil War, and the lyrics were inspired by the stories of Welsh volunteers who fought in Spain from 1936 to 1939.
Nicky Wire, the band's bassist and lyricist, said that he was particularly proud of writing the song's opening line: "The future teaches you to be alone, the present to be afraid and cold." James Dean Bradfield, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, said that the song was about the need to act when faced with oppression, rather than remaining neutral. The band expressed surprise at the song’s success, as its historical references and dark themes are not typical for mainstream hits. One famous line is, "If I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists."
Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (Official Video)
Fascism
Benito Mussolini, the founder of fascism, began his political career as a socialist and anarchist in Italy before World War I. After the war, he abandoned international socialism in favour of national syndicalism, which sought to merge the interests of workers and employers within corporations that served national goals. Mussolini characterised fascism as a form of direct democracy, claiming that the collective will of the nation was expressed through its national syndicates, which acted as organs within the body of the state.
The Spanish Civil War was a complex conflict between Republicans and Nationalists. The Nationalists were united under the leadership of Francisco Franco, who combined traditional conservative values with national syndicalism. The Republicans included an uneasy coalition of Stalinists who received substantial support from the USSR; Anarcho-Syndicalists, who wanted to create a stateless society; and International Socialists, who were foreign volunteers like George Orwell.
George Orwell on Fascism
The line in the song "I've walked Las Ramblas, but not with real intent" refers to George Orwell, who fought with the POUM (Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) in the Spanish Civil War and wrote about his experiences in his book Homage to Catalonia.
In his essay "What is Fascism?" Orwell noted that the word had become a meaningless catch-all insult applied to almost everyone, whether or not they agreed with the fascist ideology of national syndicalism. In Spain, Orwell witnessed the internal rivalries within the Republicans who labelled each other as fascists. Fascist! is still widely used as an insult in politics today, with little regard for its socialist origins.
Discussion questions
- Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
- Have you ever been to Spain?
- Have you ever read anything by George Orwell?
- Has your country ever had a fascist government?
- Would you rather be a member of the body of the state or the body of Christ?
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