Liberal fascism : the secret history of the American left from Mussolini to the politics of meaning / Jonah Goldberg.

[Old Saybrook, Conn.] : Tantor Media, 2008.

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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? A startling new perspective on the theories and practices that define fascist politics. Replacing myths with research, journalist Goldberg reminds us that the original fascists were really on the left. 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. The Nazis declared war on smoking, supported abortion, euthanasia, and gun control. They loathed the free market, provided generous pensions for the elderly, and campus speech codes were all the rage. These striking parallels don't mean that today's liberals are genocidal maniacs, yet it is hard to deny that modern progressivism and classical fascism shared the same intellectual roots. 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.

Secret history of the American left from Mussolini to the politics of meaning

Original

Audio / Online

English

October 20, 2016

Read by Johnny Heller.