Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Change

Jonah Goldberg

Broadway Books, 2009 - History - 503 pages

“Fascists,” “Brownshirts,” “jackbooted stormtroopers”—such are the insults typically hurled at conservatives by their liberal opponents. Calling someone a fascist is the fastest way to shut them up, defining their views as beyond the political pale. But who are the real fascists in our midst?

Liberal Fascismoffers a startling new perspective on the theories and practices that define fascist politics. Replacing conveniently manufactured myths with surprising and enlightening research, Jonah Goldberg reminds us that the original fascists were really on the left, and that liberals from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to Hillary Clinton have advocated policies and principles remarkably similar to those of Hitler's National Socialism and Mussolini's Fascism.

Contrary to what most people think, the Nazis were ardent socialists (hence the term “National socialism”). They believed in free health care and guaranteed jobs. They confiscated inherited wealth and spent vast sums on public education. They purged the church from public policy, promoted a new form of pagan spirituality, and inserted the authority of the state into every nook and cranny of daily life. The Nazis declared war on smoking, supported abortion, euthanasia, and gun control. They loathed the free market, provided generous pensions for the elderly, and maintained a strict racial quota system in their universities—where campus speech codes were all the rage. The Nazis led the world in organic farming and alternative medicine. Hitler was a strict vegetarian, and Himmler was an animal rights activist.

Do these striking parallels mean that today’s liberals are genocidal maniacs, intent on conquering the world and imposing a new racial order? Not at all. Yet it is hard to deny that modern progressivism and classical fascism shared the same intellectual roots. We often forget, for example, that Mussolini and Hitler had many admirers in the United States. W.E.B. Du Bois was inspired by Hitler's Germany, and Irving Berlin praised Mussolini in song. Many fascist tenets were espoused by American progressives like John Dewey and Woodrow Wilson, and FDR incorporated fascist policies in the New Deal.

Fascism was an international movement that appeared in different forms in different countries, depending on the vagaries of national culture and temperament. In Germany, fascism appeared as genocidal racist nationalism. In America, it took a “friendlier,” more liberal form. The modern heirs of this “friendly fascist” tradition include theNew York Times, the Democratic Party, the Ivy League professoriate, and the liberals of Hollywood. The quintessential Liberal Fascist isn't an SS storm trooper; it is a female grade school teacher with an education degree from Brown or Swarthmore.

These assertions may sound strange to modern ears, but that is because we have forgotten what fascism is. In this angry, funny, smart, contentious book, Jonah Goldberg turns our preconceptions inside out and shows us the true meaning of Liberal Fascism.

What people are saying

Review: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning

User Review  - Marcelaine - Goodreads

I am putting this on my to-read list because a friend recommended it. Honestly I'm pretty apprehensive because it sounds a little too Glenn Beck-like for me, but we'll see.

Review: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning

User Review  - Williamsjdjr - Goodreads

Fascism was first alive in the US under Woodrow Wilson. The instinct is alive today in the progressive movement. Just ask NYC Mayor Bloomberg.

About the author

JONAH GOLDBERG is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and contributing editor to National Review. A USA Today contributor and former columnist for the Times of London, he has also written for The New Yorker, Commentary, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Change
• Author: Jonah Goldberg
• Publisher: Broadway Books, 2009
• ISBN: 0767917189, 9780767917186
• Length: 503 pages
• Subjects: History / General; Political Science / History & Theory; Political Science / Political Ideologies / Conservatism & Liberalism; Political Science / Political Ideologies / Fascism & Totalitarianism