How fascism works

the politics of us and them

218 pages

English language

Published Feb. 2, 2018 by Random House.

ISBN:
978-0-525-51183-0
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OCLC Number:
1056981467

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4 stars (18 reviews)

As the child of refugees of World War II Europe and a renowned philosopher and scholar of propaganda, Jason Stanley has a deep understanding of how democratic societies can be vulnerable to fascism: Nations don’t have to be fascist to suffer from fascist politics. In fact, fascism’s roots have been present in the United States for more than a century. Alarmed by the pervasive rise of fascist tactics both at home and around the globe, Stanley focuses here on the structures that unite them, laying out and analyzing the ten pillars of fascist politics—the language and beliefs that separate people into an “us” and a “them.” He knits together reflections on history, philosophy, sociology, and critical race theory with stories from contemporary Hungary, Poland, India, Myanmar, and the United States, among other nations. He makes clear the immense danger of underestimating the cumulative power of these tactics, which include exploiting …

2 editions

Review of 'How fascism works' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book is absolutely essential reading. A concise exposition of fascist ideology and politics with historical and modern examples, this text contextualises the political developments in the US over the past decades and demonstrates why calling the current dominant ideology of the Republican party 'fascist' is neither ab exaggeration nor a slur, but a statement of fact.

Addendum: Those dismissing this book because of a "leftwing bias" or because it's "anti-rightwing" should really take a long hard look at what they actually believe themselves.

Review of 'How Fascism Works' on 'LibraryThing'

4 stars

I found this book a clear description of fascism. Scanning the table of contents summarizes the book's points, and I recommend that everyone read at least that much. The book's body, with its constant references to the politics of the day, scared the bejeezus out of me. I worry the references to current events may make the book quickly seem dated. That would be a shame.

Review of 'How fascism works' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Fantastic read. But the reality it reveals is somewhat depressing. There seem to be two completely incompatible views of people’s worth: for fascists, people are only valuable for what they procure for society or how they benefit the fascists. For liberalism: people have inherent value. These two disparate world views seem to explain fascists and supporters turning a blind eye to even unspeakable horrors.

Liberals are at a distinct disadvantage playing by the rules and telling the truth. Truth does not matter to fascists. In fact, this book explains how to understand even irrational narratives like pizzagate as a tool used to represent feelings and a consistent worldview — not at all intended to convey objective reality. The stories are useful for political purposes - not unlike the fascist supporters who eat up the lies authoritarians tell them, so long as they comport with their core beliefs (such as how …

Review of 'How fascism works' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Ten short and sweet chapters, delivering on the title. Written as an overview for a wide audience, this falls under the genre of handbooks for the current global climate, like Snyder’s On Tyranny and Gessen’s Surviving Autocracy. Like Snyder, Stanley is also a professor at Yale lending his cautionary advice to the current moment.

This is key reading for understanding the barrage of changes that accompany a power grab, and especially helpful in understanding those who support the attempts despite all odds. Each topic flows into the next, highlighting the power of creeping fascism. The author includes historical parallels and insight into modern applications. His topics aren’t anything new on the subject, but this is likely the clearest and most direct collection of them.

"The most telling symptom of fascist politics is division. It aims to separate a population into an 'us' and a 'them.’"

"...the invention of a …

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