How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them

If you think "It can't happen Here", read this now! Stanley knows what he's talking about. I recently read an excellent book called "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them" In it Jason Stanley, a professor of philosophy at Yale University lays out in detail the 10 pillars of fascism at work today. It's available on Amazon. Here are the chapter titles. 1. The Mythic Past. "We" descend from a glorious patriarchal past; "They" threaten that legacy. 2. Propaganda. The language of democratic ideals takes on corrupted, opposite meanings. Corrupt politicians run anti-corruption campaigns; freedom of speech claims are used to suppress speech. 3. Anti-intellectual. Universities are branded as incubators of liberalism, Marxism, and feminism. Expertise no longer has any value. 4. Unreality. Facts are debased, and without a common understanding of reality reasoned debate becomes impossible. 5. Patriarchy. Fascist politicians attempt to prove natural divisions between "us" and "them". 6. Victimhood. Any gains for minorities -- "them" -- are a loss for "us". 7. Law and Order. "They" are criminals, lawless by nature and in need of policing. 8. Sexual Anxiety. "We" support and protect the family; "they" are deviant and threatening. 9. Sodom and Gomorrah. "we" come from the rural heartland, the backbone of the nation; "they" live in cities. 10. Arbeit Mach Frei. "They" are lazy and undeserving; "we" are hardworking. It's an extremely thought provoking book and I wish everyone could read it. I don't think many Americans realize just how god awful fragile our freedoms and Democracy really are and this book helps one understand why that is and how much we need to do to keep it.

I listened to an NPR 1A episode 3 days ago in which the moderator asked, “Is Trump a fascist?” Not one of these distinguished intellectuals was brave enough to agree without a paragraph of mealy mouthed qualifications. I was so disgusted I screamed. I think God heard me. Surfing YouTube in the next hour, still seething, I played a video by Amanpour Co., where their journalist interviewed Prof. Jason Stanley. He was so well spoken and so courageously unequivocal in calling out Trump as a fascist. He is brilliant, articulate and sharply analytical. I immediately bought his book, How Fascism Works, and started reading. I was not disappointed. It is a masterpiece of concise insightful prose, written by a master of philosophy of language. His immediate family had fled a Nazi Germany and Communist Poland. They instilled in him ideals of courage and expression of truth. He teaches a course at Yale on Propaganda and Political institutions. His previous books have been well received by his academic colleagues. This is his first book for the general public. It is so readable that I could not put it down. He makes so many connections between social identities, institutions, and psychological manipulation through propaganda that anyone who reads this will never be able to see this type of speech again without knowing what it is and what it is trying to accomplish. Once you know—you cannot un-know. I hope that every thinking person will read this book now before it is too late. He reminds us that democratic institutions designed to protect us are actually real people who are subject to corruption or dismissal. Soon we all may feel the sting of “you’re fired!”

The book was interesting and it made me look at "democracy" in a different light.

Easy ready and I now have a better understanding of Fascism. Written in 2018 it appears in 2026, that in my country The United States, that Fascism is even more present than before.

Excellent book! I highly recommend it.

It was very helpful in reading what happened during WW2 and the parallels to what is happening today. Often the current administration even uses the same wording when vilifying groups to gain/keep power. The same tactics are being used to distract, overwhelm, and confuse from evils are taking place. Read it. Education and love is the only thing that's going to get us out of what is being done right now. People need to learn to think for themselves and not what their favorite politician/news/"religious" leader says. The enemy doesn't want us educated because then we think for ourselves.

Fascist politics includes many distinct strategies: the mythic past, propaganda, anti-intellectualism, unreality, hierarchy, victimhood, law and order, sexual anxiety, appeals to the heartland, and a dismantling of public welfare and unity. Though a defense of certain elements is legitimate and sometimes warranted, there are times in history when they come together in one party or political movement. These are dangerous moments. In the United States today, Republican politicians employ these strategies with more and more frequency. Their increasing tendency to engage in this politics should give honest conservatives pause. Stanley breaks down historical tendencies of fascist governments in comparison to the ideals of liberal democracy citing dangerous similarities in modern day politics. Each chapter involves an analysis of specific pillars of fascism that include; propaganda, anti-intellectualism, conspiracy theories, and social hierarchies to name a few. In addition, Stanley provides numerous world examples to thoroughly illustrate the dangers of the present moment as America grapples with "fake news," outlandish conspiracy theories, revisionist history, and identity politics. There are times in history when these elements come together in one party or political movement. These are dangerous moments. In the United States today, Republican politicians employ these strategies with more and more frequency causing a greater threat to American democracy. A relevant, political must have for those seeking a fundamental understanding of fascist tactics, tendencies and philosophy.

It’s a short read at only 218 pages but the author uses those pages to give the reader a decent grasp of how to recognize fascism in most forms. The book does a good job highlighting statements by Fascist gurus like Hitler and Mussolini and showing similarity with right-wing political leaders throughout the world today. Another thing I like about the book was how it dedicated enough space to identifying how fascism renders racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and ableism acceptable. My main disappointment with the book is one I have with a lot of books on this and related topics as an atheist leftist, namely the fact that the author did a great job at pointing out instances of Judeo-Christian but only provided one tentative example of Islamic fascism but never labeled it “Islamic fascism”. This is a serious problem within the liberal and leftist mainstream despite the fact that there are dozens of nations living under fascist Sharia Law. With that caveat in mind, the book is still worth reading as an introductory level analysis of the definition of fascism. There’s plenty of food for thought in here.

Ein absolut essentielles Buch zum Verständnis von politischen Entwicklungen in der heutigen Zeit.

A great read that helps one see the commonalities between today’s right-wing politicians and fascist movements of the past. Everyone should read this book.

Objetividade, precisão e relevância histórica. Fantástica leitura.

This is a brilliant, accessible and concise analysis of fascism and the current threat the world faces from the normalisation of the far right. The world will be a better place if this book is on the curriculum of every secondary school. Meanwhile, read it and, if you agree with me, pass this message on to as many people as you know.

A must read. Should be a required reading in every school, every college. Should be translated in Italian (my primary language) by important publishers and studied in Italian schools too. Dr. Stanley introduces his readers with the real deal.