Fascism and the Planned Economy: "Neo-Socialism" and "Planisme" in France and Belgium in the 1930s

Historians of fascism have tended to point to the two "pianists," Déat in France and De Man in Belgium, as typical examples of the common transition from the left to fascism. And it is true that under the Nazi occupation both men, and some of their followers, were enthusiastic supporters of the New Order for Europe. However, contrary to the accepted view, their prewar activities had been generally perceived by contemporaries as respectable and parliamentary. Many of those attracted to their policies in the 1930s included leading figures in European socialism, who were in no way fascist. How can one explain this? While the planning theories of "directed socialism" were not fascist in themselves, they were contingent upon a strong state, and were also at odds with socialist ideology. This in part explains the enthusiasm for the undemocratic, un-socialist European Union among so many respectable, "socialist," former followers of de Man.