--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As bitter as it may be, the fact remains…" description: "\"“As bitter as it may be, the fact remains: It is the irresponsibleness of masses of people that lies at the basis of fascism of all countries, nations,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/wilhelm-reich-2565_1969_as-bitter-as-it-may-be-the-fact-remains_2711846.jpg" --- # As bitter as it may be, the fact remains: It is the… ![“As bitter as it may be, the fact remains: It is the irresponsibleness of masses of people that lies at the basis of fascism of all countries, nations, and races, etc. Fascism is the result of man's distortion over thousands of years. It could have developed in any country or nation. It is not a…” quote by Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/wilhelm-reich-2565_1969_as-bitter-as-it-may-be-the-fact-remains_2711846.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/wilhelm-reich-2565_1969_as-bitter-as-it-may-be-the-fact-remains_2711846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/wilhelm-reich-2565_1969_as-bitter-as-it-may-be-the-fact-remains_2711846.jpg) > ““As bitter as it may be, the fact remains: It is the irresponsibleness of masses of people that lies at the basis of fascism of all countries, nations, and races, etc. Fascism is the result of man's distortion over thousands of years. It could have developed in any country or nation. It is not a character trait that is confined specifically to the Germans or Italians. It is manifest in every single individual of the world. The Austrian saying "Da kann man halt nix machen" expresses this fact just as the American saying "Let George do it." That this situation was brought about by a social development which goes back thousands of years does not alter the fact itself. It is man himself who is responsible and not "historical developments." It was the shifting of the responsibility from living man to "historical developments" that caused the downfall of the socialist freedom movements. However, the events of the past twenty years demand the responsibility of the working masses of people. If we take "freedom" to mean first and foremost the responsibility of each individual to shape personal, occupational, and social existence in a rational way, then it can be said that there is no greater fear than the fear of the creation of general freedom. Unless this basic problem is given complete priority and solved, there will never be a freedom capable of lasting more than one or two generations.”” [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues fascism stems from collective irresponsibility and historical distortion, not limited to any nation. **In simple terms:** Fascism arises from human irresponsibility across history. Key Takeaway Address personal and collective responsibility. Themes politics psychology history social theory Mood critical urgent Type philosophical political When to use this quote - education - activism - community building - policy reform Key Concepts authoritarianism collective behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster responsible citizenship? - What role does education play in preventing fascist tendencies? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize individual blame. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character trait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-trait/) [Fascism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascism/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Irresponsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irresponsibility/) [Social development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-development/) ## Related quotes > [“ Without the power to put them into practice, truths are of no use. They remain academic. 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It could have developed in any country or nation. It is not a character trait that is confined specifically to the Germans or Italians. It is manifest in every single individual of the world. The Austrian saying \"Da kann man halt nix machen\" expresses this fact just as the American saying \"Let George do it.\" That this situation was brought about by a social development which goes back thousands of years does not alter the fact itself. It is man himself who is responsible and not \"historical developments.\" It was the shifting of the responsibility from living man to \"historical developments\" that caused the downfall of the socialist freedom movements. However, the events of the past twenty years demand the responsibility of the working masses of people. 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