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oworthyfool's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Genocide, Gun violence, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Classism, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Murder, Deportation, Racial slurs, Blood, Hate crime, Death, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Transphobia, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Animal cruelty
frankie_s's review
3.0
An incredibly important and comprehensive book on the history of modern fascism, that does effectively draw a lot of points of connection between fascist ideology and other movements (anti-capitalism, ecology, Silicon Valley/tech culture, occupy Wall Street, occultism, punk, Portland, hipster culture are just some of my own reference points that get the fascist creep treatment, but the other obvious ones are there too - MRAs, 4chan etc.). My actual rating is more like 3 given that it doesn’t contextualise a lot especially in the beginning (same problem as Antifa by Mark Bray) which given the amount of information here made it pretty relentless. But I learnt so many things about fascism that feel close to necessary at this point in history, that I’m pushing it up a point.
I felt like there were further dots that could have been joined, in the end, to diagnose this moment. The role of Russia was underdiscussed, for example, and the book barely mentions climate disaster except as a motivation of accelerationists, rather than as a reality of garden-variety capitalism.
I felt like there were further dots that could have been joined, in the end, to diagnose this moment. The role of Russia was underdiscussed, for example, and the book barely mentions climate disaster except as a motivation of accelerationists, rather than as a reality of garden-variety capitalism.
mad_taylh's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
"...Fascism arose from the dissident movement of right and left elements using aspects of collectivism, individualism, nationalism, and syndicalism into a kind of aestheticized politics of power, elitism, and authority."
beepbeepbooks's review
4.0
A compelling and disturbing history of Fascist thought, and the creeping influence it has around the world again in the midst of neoliberal failure and leftist inability to respond. Know thy enemy.
lucien_david's review
4.0
Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the place of the alt-right and modern white nationalism in the history of fascism and similar ideologies. Ross reviews the history of fascism as a political force throughout Europe from the interwar period to the present day, focusing on the ways in which fascists borrow from both the "left" and "right" of the political spectrum. The author then discusses the similarities (and key differences) between these and modern far-right movements.
zachsw's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really useful intellectual history of fascist thinkers and movements a and field guide to contemporary fascisms. Reid Ross is particular attentive to how fascism attempts to enter and parasitically absorb left and anticapitalist/antiauthoritarian movements, from syndicalism to “deep ecology.”
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