The Anatomy of Fascism

The Anatomy of Fascism
Author: Robert O. Paxton
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0307428125

What is fascism? By focusing on the concrete: what the fascists did, rather than what they said, the esteemed historian Robert O. Paxton answers this question. From the first violent uniformed bands beating up “enemies of the state,” through Mussolini’s rise to power, to Germany’s fascist radicalization in World War II, Paxton shows clearly why fascists came to power in some countries and not others, and explores whether fascism could exist outside the early-twentieth-century European setting in which it emerged. "A deeply intelligent and very readable book. . . . Historical analysis at its best." –The Economist The Anatomy of Fascism will have a lasting impact on our understanding of modern European history, just as Paxton’s classic Vichy France redefined our vision of World War II. Based on a lifetime of research, this compelling and important book transforms our knowledge of fascism–“the major political innovation of the twentieth century, and the source of much of its pain.”

Fascism Viewed from the Right

Fascism Viewed from the Right
Author: Julius Evola
Publisher: Arktos
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2013
Genre: History
ISBN: 1907166920

In this book, Julius Evola analyzes the Fascist movement of Italy, which he himself had experienced first-hand, often as a vocal critic, throughout its entire history from 1922 until 1945. Discussing - and dismissing - the misuse of the term 'fascism' that has gained widespread acceptance, Evola asks readers not to allow the fact of Italy's defeat in the Second World War to distract us from making an objective analysis of the ideology of Fascism itself, since the defeat was the result of contingent circumstances and the personalities of those who led it, rather than flaws that were inherent in Fascism as an idea. Evola praises those aspects of Fascism which he believes to have been in accordance with the best traditions of European governance, in particular the Classical Roman tradition, while he remains critical of those aspects which ran contrary to this ideal, such as its socialist, proletarian and totalitarian tendencies, as well as what he saw as its petty moralism. Evola also distinguishes between the Fascism of the 'Twenty Years' between 1922 and Mussolini's overthrow in 1943, and the 'Second Fascism' of the Italian Social Republic, which he considered as much more problematic. He likewise criticizes the Fascist racial doctrine for being based on false principles. Frequently quoting Mussolini's own words, Evola presents the core of the Fascist ideal, arguing that, for all its flaws, it remains superior to the political system which has since arisen to replace it. Julius Evola (1898-1974) was Italy's foremost traditionalist philosopher, as well as a metaphysician, social thinker and activist. Evola was an authority on the world's esoteric traditions and one of the greatest critics of modernity. He wrote extensively on the ancient civilizations of both East and West and the world of Tradition, and was also a critic of the political and spiritual movements of his own time from a traditional perspective.

The Seduction of Unreason

The Seduction of Unreason
Author: Richard Wolin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2019-04-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0691192103

Ever since the shocking revelations of the fascist ties of Martin Heidegger and Paul de Man, postmodernism has been haunted by the specter of a compromised past. In this intellectual genealogy of the postmodern spirit, Richard Wolin shows that postmodernism’s infatuation with fascism has been extensive and widespread. He questions postmodernism’s claim to have inherited the mantle of the Left, suggesting instead that it has long been enamored with the opposite end of the political spectrum. Wolin reveals how, during in the 1930s, C. G. Jung, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Georges Bataille, and Maurice Blanchot were seduced by fascism's promise of political regeneration and how this misapprehension affected the intellectual core of their work. The result is a compelling and unsettling reinterpretation of the history of modern thought. In a new preface, Wolin revisits this illiberal intellectual lineage in light of the contemporary resurgence of political authoritarianism.

Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds
Author: Ronald Beiner
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2018-03-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0812295412

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and demise of the Soviet Union, prominent Western thinkers began to suggest that liberal democracy had triumphed decisively on the world stage. Having banished fascism in World War II, liberalism had now buried communism, and the result would be an end of major ideological conflicts, as liberal norms and institutions spread to every corner of the globe. With the Brexit vote in Great Britain, the resurgence of right-wing populist parties across the European continent, and the surprising ascent of Donald Trump to the American presidency, such hopes have begun to seem hopelessly naïve. The far right is back, and serious rethinking is in order. In Dangerous Minds, Ronald Beiner traces the deepest philosophical roots of such right-wing ideologues as Richard Spencer, Aleksandr Dugin, and Steve Bannon to the writings of Nietzsche and Heidegger—and specifically to the aspects of their thought that express revulsion for the liberal-democratic view of life. Beiner contends that Nietzsche's hatred and critique of bourgeois, egalitarian societies has engendered new disciples on the populist right who threaten to overturn the modern liberal consensus. Heidegger, no less than Nietzsche, thoroughly rejected the moral and political values that arose during the Enlightenment and came to power in the wake of the French Revolution. Understanding Heideggerian dissatisfaction with modernity, and how it functions as a philosophical magnet for those most profoundly alienated from the reigning liberal-democratic order, Beiner argues, will give us insight into the recent and unexpected return of the far right. Beiner does not deny that Nietzsche and Heidegger are important thinkers; nor does he seek to expel them from the history of philosophy. But he does advocate that we rigorously engage with their influential thought in light of current events—and he suggests that we place their severe critique of modern liberal ideals at the center of this engagement.

Ride the Tiger

Ride the Tiger
Author: Julius Evola
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2018-07-13
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1620558505

Julius Evola’s final major work, which examines the prototype of the human being who can give absolute meaning to his or her life in a world of dissolution • Presents a powerful criticism of the idols, structures, theories, and illusions of our modern age • Reveals how to transform destructive processes into inner liberation The organizations and institutions that, in a traditional civilization and society, would have allowed an individual to realize himself completely, to defend the principal values he recognizes as his own, and to structure his life in a clear and unambiguous way, no longer exist in the contemporary world. Everything that has come to predominate in the modern world is the direct antithesis of the world of Tradition, in which a society is ruled by principles that transcend the merely human and transitory. Ride the Tiger presents an implacable criticism of the idols, structures, theories, and illusions of our dissolute age examined in the light of the inner teachings of indestructible Tradition. Evola identifies the type of human capable of “riding the tiger,” who may transform destructive processes into inner liberation. He offers hope for those who wish to reembrace Traditionalism.

Modernism and Fascism

Modernism and Fascism
Author: R. Griffin
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 467
Release: 2007-05-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0230596126

Intellectual debates surrounding modernity, modernism and fascism continue to be active and hotly contested. In this ambitious book, renowned expert on fascism Roger Griffin analyzes Western modernity and the regimes of Mussolini and Hitler and offers a pioneering new interpretation of the links between these apparently contradictory phenomena.

A Fascist Century

A Fascist Century
Author: R. Griffin
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2008-08-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 0230594131

Ten essays on the nature of fascism by a leading scholar in the field, focusing on how to understand and apply fascist ideology to various movements since the twentieth century, Mussolini's prophesied 'fascist century'. Includes studies of fascism's attempted temporal revolution; Nazism as extended case-study; and fascism's postwar evolution.

Cooperativism and Democracy

Cooperativism and Democracy
Author: Bartlomiej Blesznowski
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2017-09-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9004352465

The Cooperativism and Democracy, edited by Bartłomiej Błesznowski is not purely a scientific book, but rather a guide which shows how scholars and activists wrote about the community, social participation and the politics in Poland in the early 20th century. The book contains a selection of texts in socio-political thought, led by the work of one of most important Polish thinkers – Edward Abramowski, socialist, philosopher and psychologist. Polish cooperativism can be inspiring to both contemporary researchers and political activists in Europe post the economic crisis, which brought about a crisis of faith in political and economic institutions. These works have a chance to become a significant voice in the debate over the relationship of contemporary economics and politics. Contributors are: Edward Abramowski, Fr. Stanisław Adamski, Bartłomiej Błesznowski, Zygmunt Chmielewski, Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska, Maria Dąbrowska, Jan Hempel, Jerzy Kurnatowski, Romuald Mielzarski, Remigiusz Okraska, Maria Orsetti, Adam Próchnik, Marian Rapacki, Franciszek Stefczyk, Edward Taylor, Stanisław Thugutt, Stanisław Wojciechowski, and Jan Wolski. First published in Polish as Kooperatyzm, spółdzielczość, demokracja. Wybór pism by Wydawnictwo Uniwerstytetu Warszawskiego in 2014. The current work includes an additional chapter ‘Through Cooperatives to the Future Order’ by Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska.

The Cambridge History of Communism

The Cambridge History of Communism
Author: Norman Naimark
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 700
Release: 2017-09-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781107133549

The second volume of The Cambridge History of Communism explores the rise of Communist states and movements after World War II. Leading experts analyze archival sources from formerly Communist states to re-examine the limits to Moscow's control of its satellites; the de-Stalinization of 1956; Communist reform movements; the rise and fall of the Sino-Soviet alliance; the growth of Communism in Asia, Africa and Latin America; and the effects of the Sino-Soviet split on world Communism. Chapters explore the cultures of Communism in the United States, Western Europe and China, and the conflicts engendered by nationalism and the continued need for support from Moscow. With the danger of a new Cold War developing between former and current Communist states and the West, this account of the roots, development and dissolution of the socialist bloc is essential reading.