Fascism: A Very Short Introduction

I’m guessing that sales of Fascism: A Very Short Introduction (by Cardiff University professor Kevin Passmore) have spiked since the election of Donald Trump!That is certainly why I chose to read this book. We on the Left are very fond of bandying about the word “fascist” (count me guilty as charged!) so I wanted to educate myself a little more about what fascism is, at least so I can be somewhat intellectually honest should I seriously brand someone a fascist.Passmore goes to great lengths in pointing out that fascism is not easily defined (Fascist/Fascism- with a capital F- refers specifically to Mussolini’s Italian political party) but that fascism can entail a number of traits. By giving a history of political parties and movements that might be labeled fascist, he shows that there are often differences between the goals, methods and make up of these parties.(Interestingly Nazism differs from fascism primarily in its racist policies. While fascists are generally racist, anti-immigrant and may even believe in a hierarchy of races, the actual pursuit of a policy of racial extermination like the Final Solution differentiates Nazism from fascism. And recent right-wing leaders like Thatcher and Messrs. Reagan and Bush Jr are more correctly defined as Neo-conservatives.)So what are some of the hallmarks of fascism? Some of the more obvious ones are ultranationalism, racism, a cult of personality/charismatic leadership, anti-constitutionalism and a level of violence. In addition, a true fascist movement will often have its own paramilitary wing. A strong element of Social-Darwinism pervades fascism as well (and the irony of American Evangelical voters supporting Social Darwin-like Republican economic policies is rich to me!)It can get a little more complicated when it comes to economics and fascism. While fascists often appeal to the working classes with a pro-worker sort of populism (particularly where socialist parties have failed in leadership or simply don’t exist), fascists are often corporatist. They cosy up to big business for a variety of reasons, and as big business naturally lacks a moral compass besides that of making a profit, it will often tolerate fascist political leadership.The book also discusses fascism’s often fluid relationship to religion and the role of women in a fascist state, fascism usually having an aura of machismo.Fascism of course didn’t die with the defeat of Hitler and Mussolini and it has taken various forms in disparate places and populations around the globe since.It was interesting (and disheartening) to consider that while this book was revised and reprinted in 2014 and the author discusses various right-wing political movements especially across Europe, I don’t think even he anticipated the rapid growth of parties like UKIP in the UK, the FN in France, etc.While the far-right parties today that may indeed be fascist, none really ever embrace the term openly. Ultimately, this book succeeded for me in that now I better understand fascism’s history, what fascism is (and is not) and its place in contemporary politics. I am far more comfortable in using it to describe one when I see one.A few final thoughts on the book itself. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject but while it’s a relatively short and very engaging read, it does assume a fairly good knowledge base of 20th Century history and politics. Also, and this might sound silly, but it is important for context: the book is written with and embraces the assumption that fascism is in fact a BAD thing!

As the title promises, this is not a long book, but be aware that it is dense. The author holds the reasonable view along the lines of "fascism is a contradictory set of interrelated and contested ideologies and practices" and thereby states that simple definitions of fascism would be misleading. While he does have a definition page, he explains the many forms of fascism and analyses these along themes, such as race, gender and class,and as it has manifested in many coutries throughout the book. I find this approach sound and convincing, particularly as the author pulls no punches in examining coutries less renowned for past fascist leanings. While expert on fascism's history and exponents, the author is generally condemning with statements such as: "the science of fascism is little more than bigotry erected into a system".The eclectic approach of the author certainly suits this subject but it does make the book hard work. I accidentally opened the book a hundred odd pages further than I had read and, because of the paragraph by paragraph development of arguments, read for a minute before becoming aware of my error. "Syndicalism" is a term I had not remembered encountering but could interpret after several appearances - it was eventually defined more or less along the lines of my expectations on page 142 but not referenced there in the index. These issues are not necessarily problems and perhaps are to be expected in an essay style of presentation. The author's analysis remains logical and the themes he chooses are perennial and generally aid comprehension.I purchased this book because I wondered about the emergence of some elements of fascism in global society and in particular in the society in which I live (please note that I now know that to only take some elements of fascism probably means that it is a different `ism' anyway). This is a thorough introduction to help develop insights and, more importantly, draw connections with historical examples that may help show where contemporary behaviour may take us if unchecked.

This is the first book on Fascism that I have read so far. I was curious about Fascism because it was the prevailing political and economic system in both Germany and Italy at the beginning of World War 2 and that war is one of my favorite reading subjects.I found the book readable, detailed and, very clear. The book carries a lot of information for being only an introduction to Fascism. You will find out that Fascism is a broad term that, nonetheless, did not fully describe any system defined as such (fascist) in any of the countries where it is recognized that it took hold. Fascism is related to many concepts such as: corporatism, ultra nationalism, paramilitarism, anti-feminism, racism (or at least xenophobia), autarky, totalitarianism, rule by terror, messianic message, tight control of unions and labour, presence of both radical and conservative social and economic measures, cult of personality (of a strong, supreme leader), and bent on welfare and total employment for the "true" nationals. Sometimes it bordered on Paganism (as in Nazi Germany) and sometimes it was firmly bound to a religion (Catholicism in Franco's Spain and the Christian Orthodox Church in Romania).The author also presents an outlook of the current political movements throughout Europe (mostly) that could be termed fascist like. This is indeed a thorough introduction to Fascism. Five stars for this book.