Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning [Hardcover]

 

 

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In his book, Liberal Fascism, Goldberg argues that fascism clearly belongs on the left side of the spectrum.

Upon reading this thesis I instinctively found it disturbing as if it seemed to go against the natural order of things. Of course the Nazi's and the Italian Fascists were on the far right. Are they not our society's very definition of the far right?

Yet why, asks Goldberg, if the Nazis were so far right on the political spectrum, did they brand themselves as socialists? Indeed, the very word Nazi comes from a shortening of the party's official name, die Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, - German for the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Similarly, why did Mussolini, whose parents read Das Kapital to him as a child, consider himself a 'socialist' right up until the moment of his execution at which his acolyte shouted, "Long live Mussolini, long live socialism!"

Goldberg argues, with considerable backing, that fascism began very much as a left-wing movement, with the added embrace of nationalism. In fact, Goldberg suggests that the first categorizing of fascists as right-wing only occurred after Stalin put out the directive that all opponents of the his rule of the Soviet Union, including Trotsky, were to be labeled as such in a bid for control of Germany.

Fascism, says Goldberg, was born of a "fascist moment" in Western civilization, when a coalition of intellectuals under various labels - progressive, communist, socialist - believed the era of liberal democracy was drawing to a close. Leaving little doubt with him that fascism was a project of the left.

Consider Cuba, prods Goldberg. Who can legitimately contest the fascist tendencies of its supposed leftist totalitarianism with its nearly lifelong military dictator Fidel Castro; its religion of fidelity to the state; the beatification of its martyr Che Guevara; and the brand of patriotism promoting "socialism or death"?

As to why he wrote the book, Goldberg, admits in part to a simple emotional impulse. As a conservative, he is tired of those on the left refusing to debate him on awkward facts, instead calling him a fascist, thus undeserving of consideration. The word fascist is more than just a modern synonym for evil; it puts a complete stop to all discussion. With its associations to the Nazi-ordered Holocaust, to be called a fascist is to be told your views are so repugnant they are not worthy of debate. (Ironically, the use of the label 'fascist' in modern debate is in itself becoming a fascist tactic to ending discussion.)

This book is of great importance, particularly as a healthy, open political debate is long overdue. With this book Goldberg has perhaps launched the political discussion that could rock our society's current thinking to its core.

With its clear writing, solid research and truly thought-provoking arguments, this book should be a must-read addition to every self-respecting political junkie's library.

Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, this book very much merits a look and a read it is one of the most startling polemics I have read.

I suspect the two intensely negative reviews (just how many books of this type are truly one-star awful?) are a reaction to Goldberg's overall conclusion rather than a realistic indication of the book's quality. Goldberg has written a scholarly and challenging work that raises some very good points about the reality behind many of our political labels. Yes, what is today called liberalism (not the liberalism of Gladstone and Arnold) has some strong authoritarian tendencies, as have some supposedly progressive movements in the past. Of course so have some conservatives--but that's a different book and one cannot criticize Goldberg for not writing it any more than one can criticize, e.g., Naomi Wolfe for not writing a book about the positive side of business. It's one-sided, but then polemical books are always one-sided. However, it does make good arguments backed by good data.

This is a surprisingly subtle and carefully researched account of "collectivism" in European and American political thought over the last hundred years. It brings together information that is known but perhaps not widely appreciated - the extent to which the Nazis (NSDAP) were a socialist movement, for example, or the association of "New Age" ideas with fascism, in particular through Guido von List and Lans von Liebenfels.

Most surprising to me is Goldberg's analysis of Hillary Clinton as a political thinker.
He takes her very seriously indeed. Unfortunately she interprets the catchphrase "it takes a village to raise a child" as necessitating massive government intervention into individual and family life - in Goldberg's interpretation at any rate.

There are many good reviews on Amazon.com and the interested reader should consult them.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The road to Fascism is paved with best intentions
There are a few things that we've learned as kids and have since taken for granted: the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, the birds fly south in the Winter, and north in... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Dr. Bojan Tunguz

3.0 out of 5 stars A Boook About Labels
"Liberal Fascism" speaks of the relationship between the Fascist intellectual tradition and practice and the Liberal-Progressive movement in Twentieth Century America. Read more

Published 20 months ago by James Gallen

5.0 out of 5 stars It elevates the level of discussion
Essentially, the thesis of this noble book is that the American Liberalism has more in common with Fascism than the right does. It's all good. Read more

Published on Aug 6 2009 by Winston

5.0 out of 5 stars Nanny state gone wild
In the intro, Goldberg discusses the confusion surrounding the term 'fascism' with reference to Roger Griffin, Emilio Gentile, Gilbert Allardyce, Ernst Nolte, Stanley Payne, Roger... Read more

Published on Jun 19 2009 by Pieter

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fascist Side to Liberalism
Goldberg, a regular contributer to the conservative National Review, takes on the liberal-progressive establishment in this book. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2009 by Ian Gordon Malcomson

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Researched and Articulated, if slightly Over-Done
Goldberg's book is a well-researched account of the dominant political philosophy of the last 200 years - collectivist fascism of one sort or another. Read more

Published on April 14 2008 by Adam Adamou

5.0 out of 5 stars Alternate Title: How to De-Program a Liberal Arts Graduate
I suspect that the ivory tower elites will despise this book. University acadamia and the media always equate conservative governments such as the USA under Dubya and Canada... Read more

Published on Mar 20 2008 by GRH "Ex WHA Jet"

1.0 out of 5 stars Sleight-of-hand for the the terminally gullible
Written as if it were a high school term paper, this tome yields no new ground. It is simply another Rovian attempt to identify what is worst about a movement (authoritarian... Read more

Published on Jan 17 2008 by James R. Parrett

5.0 out of 5 stars Response to Mr. Billard.
As the Book Description notes, the word "Nazi" derives from "National Socialism" (German: Nationalsozialismus). Read more

Published on Jan 16 2008 by Parity

1.0 out of 5 stars Mindless Garbage
Has the Neo-con right completely lost their senses. The propagandist literature that now represents the far right in America has gone into Orwellian newspeak. Read more

Published on Jan 12 2008 by Brian Billard

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