How Fascism Works

The Politics of Us and Them

De: Jason Stanley

Narrado por: MacLeod Andrews

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.

a must read in today's troubled times

I thought going in that I would already know and agree with much of what this author had to say but he surprised me. I'll leave you to discover the content yourself. What I'll say here is that this book is short, easy, and extremely relevant. you should read it. as simple as that.

great book

I really liked this book. I felt it had a lot of light bulb moments that I thought were really interesting. a lot of stereotypes and bigotry can be traced back to Hitler.

Knolegebel with excellent daily sample

Good narataied, and explained for political fascism. great experience and learning, recommend for all people

This Machine Kills Fascists

A healthy fully functioning democracy is only 5 years away from total fascism. We must be ever watchful and remain vigilant for the signs of fascism.

Fascism and fascists can be fought on multiple fronts. Our first line of defense is the arts. Musical instruments, art, and books hold the power to keep fascism at bay. We must never shy away from our country’s uncomfortable truths; fascism is born from a country’s attempts at whitewashing and rewriting their history.

It’s every citizen’s responsibility to reject fascism. We can not look to our leaders or representatives to save us. We are responsible for making sure to only elect those who are strong anti fascists.

Once fascism takes root in a government it’s damn near impossible to eradicate it. It’s a hundred times harder to root out fascism than it is to take preventative measures. Like eating healthy, getting enough physical activity, wearing sunscreen, staying current on all vaccinations, taking time for your mental health, and getting enough sleep it can be difficult to remember to do all the preventative measures to keep our bodies healthy; we must be cognizant of the preventative measures to keep our country healthy. The saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is quite fitting.

An important work!

An insightful and thought provoking read. We must learn about it to recognize it, and know how to stand up to it. This is not the time to turn away and be silent, as this regime will come after everyone in the end.