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How Fascism Works

The Politics of Us and Them

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 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “No single book is as relevant to the present moment.”—Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen

“With unsettling insight and disturbing clarity, How Fascism Works is an essential guidebook to our current national dilemma of democracy vs. authoritarianism.”—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker staff writer

A Yale philosopher identifies the ten pillars of fascist politics, and charts their horrifying rise and deep history.

As a scholar of philosophy and propaganda and the child of refugees of WWII Europe, Jason Stanley has long understood that democratic societies, including the United States, can be vulnerable to fascism. In How Fascism Works, he identifies ten pillars of fascist politics—an appeal to the mythic past, propaganda, anti-intellectualism, unreality, hierarchy, victimhood, law and order, sexual anxiety, favoring “the heartland,” and a dismantling of public goods and unions—that amount to an urgent diagnosis of the tactics right-wing politicians use to break down democracies and a critical lens on the current moment.

Stanley 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, making clear the immense dangers of language and beliefs that separate people into an “us” and a “them.” By uncovering disturbing patterns that are as prevalent today as ever, Stanley reveals that the stuff of politics—rhetoric and myth—can become policy and reality all too quickly. Only by recognizing them, he argues, can we begin to resist their most harmful effects and return to democratic ideals. 20th Century Modern Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences Crime Social justice Liberalism Socialism Capitalism Thought-Provoking Interwar Period Refugee War Imperialism American Politics
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Another brilliantly written book that was difficult to read because of the state of the world right now. It is hard not to compare the points made in this book with the actions being taken currently by Trump and other Right leaning Western leaders. A very sad time. The predictions in the Epilogue were very well expressed and it’s incredibly sad that they already appear to be coming to fruition.

How Fascism Works

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Easy and accessible about the core trends of fascism, with pointers to both history and contemporary politics. Great as an introductory overview of what fascism is, and why it appeals and grows among the population. A warning for us today.

Excellent summary of core features of fascism

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informative and useful, easy chapters dealing each with separate elements of fascist politics.
using modern and historical examples.

listened to twice

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Regardless of your political leanings, this is a must read to appreciate the manners in which Fascism manipulates your perception of history, reality, and the future.

Read this to have insight into modern politics

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We'll worth a read/listen. It has a lot to say about politics in the modern era which allowed for a deeper understanding of subject matter.

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