Jonah Goldberg

Draws parallels between the fascism of the 1930s and the liberalism of the present, arguing that liberal politicians from Woodrow Wilson to Hillary Clinton have espoused policies and principles similar to those of Hitler's National Socialism.

The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning

Liberal Fascism

hileahrious

Conservative author Jonah Goldberg digs deep into the "totalitarian temptation" that exists, he argues, not in the far-right of American politics, but in the left, in liberal ideolog(ies). This is a huge undertaking, so I have to respect Goldberg for writing it. Overall, I enjoyed the book despite my political identification as liberal. If anything, it's a nice political history review and definitely has learning points for liberal, conservative, and the like. He opens the book with the claim that "everything we know about fascism is wrong," which I think really sets the stage as he makes a very strong argument. However, throughout the book sometimes I feel like he stretches his argument too far. You might even say he sounds like a conspiracy theorist at certain points (although I love a good conspiracy theory now and then). To be honest I had to skip over some chapters in the middle as I felt I had already received the message. The Afterword "The Tempting of Conservatism" acts as a kind of disclaimer that I almost would've liked to have read at the beginning. Regardless, if you're looking to turn heads in the bus with the cover of a book, this one will do it!

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

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