Politics & Government
“No single book is as relevant to the present moment.”—Claudia Rankine,
author of Citizen“One of the defining books of the decade.”—Elizabeth
Hinton, author of From the War on Poverty to the War on CrimeNEW YORK TIMES
BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • With a new preface • Fascist politics are
running rampant in America today—and spreading around the world. A Yale
philosopher identifies the ten pillars of fascist politics, and charts
their horrifying rise and deep history. 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 a mythic version of a nation’s
past; propaganda that twists the language of democratic ideals against
themselves; anti-intellectualism directed against universities and experts;
law and order politics predicated on the assumption that members of
minority groups are criminals; and fierce attacks on labor groups and
welfare. These mechanisms all build on one another, creating and
reinforcing divisions and shaping a society vulnerable to the appeals of
authoritarian leadership. By uncovering disturbing patterns that are as
prevalent today as ever, Stanley reveals that the stuff of politics—charged
by rhetoric and myth—can quickly become policy and reality. Only by
recognizing fascists politics, he argues, may we resist its most harmful
effects and return to democratic ideals.“With unsettling insight and
disturbing clarity, How Fascism Works is an essential guidebook to our
current national dilemma of democracy vs. authoritarianism.”—William Jelani
Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope Read more

 

Genre Politics & Social Sciences