Fascism (Oxford Readers) [Paperback]

Roger Griffin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0192892495 | ISBN-13: 978-0192892492 | Publication Date: September 7, 1995 | Edition: Second Printing

Fascism is a political ideology which has been identified with totalitarianism, state terror, fanaticism, orchestrated violence, and blind obedience. Fascism was directly associated with the Second World War, the most devastating annihilation of human lives in the history of mankind which left more than 40 million dead around the globe and introduced notions of inhumanity the extent of which was heretofore unknown. The mere term stirs up visions of atrocities and wanton cruelty even today, fifty years after the end of the Last European War Yet once again fascism is in the ascendant, suggesting that it is time for us to renew our understanding of its ideas, ideals, and iniquities. This anthology tries to show why fascism holds such strong appeal to many people. With a wide selection of texts written by fascist thinkers and propagandists as well as prominent anti-fascist criticism from both inside and outside Europe, before and after the Second World War, this collection offers a chilling portrait of the most feared political doctrine in modern history. Some of the topics covered in this volume include fascism in Germany and Italy, pre-1922 precursors of fascism, theories of fascism, the abortive fascist movements in the period 1922-1945, anti-fascist movements and reaction, Marxist criticism of fascist ideology, and post-war fascism. With contributions from writers as diverse as Benito Mussolini and Primo Levi, Joseph Goebbels and George Orwell, Martin Heidegger and Max Horkheimer, this insightful book evokes the pernicious effects of fascist ideology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The text included provide a good historical and theorectical outline of the movement and give some idea of the origin and affliation of propoganda in the media Victor Horboken, Lecturere in Cultural/Media Studies, Staffordshire University --Imperial Press

About the Author

Roger Griffin is the author of several studies of fascism, including The Nature of Fascism (1991, 1993), and contributor to Contemporary Political Ideologies (1993). He is Principal Lecturer in the Department of History at Oxford Brookes University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Second Printing edition (September 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192892495
• ISBN-13: 978-0192892492
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Complete Compendium Regarding Fascism, July 23, 2005

By 

Camilo Delgado - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fascism (Oxford Readers) (Paperback)

Like every other Oxford Readers book in the market....ABSOLUTELY GREAT!

This book allows you to appropiate the basic concepts regarding what is Fascism, this allows you to move on to more especific books on the subject and therefore make a move to more thorough analysis on the subject.It also presents you with the main theorists that have supported fascism since the early twenties until the end of the century.

Another very interesting thing is that it also introduces you to very non orthodox fascisms, as well as to some that are not really known to the common reader. It analyses Fascisms from places such as Ireland, Estonia, Hungary, BraziL and South Africa among others.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight From The Horse's Mouth, July 14, 2007

By 

P.K. Ryan "The Ryan Identity" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fascism (Oxford Readers) (Paperback)

This book was both disillusioning and awe-inspiring. I will admit that I've always had a soft spot for fascism. Of course it has its flaws-as does any ideology- but I've always been instinctively drawn to the discipline, honor, idealism, cultural rejuvenation and national solidarity that is fascism. I've also grown to resent the fact that fascism is uniformly vilified as the incarnation of pure evil while the equally murderous history of communism is often downplayed or given a free pass altogether. We are constantly reminded of the horrors of the holocaust and inundated with the notion that fascism is synonymous with mass-murder, yet who today speaks of the millions (mostly Christians) liquidated by the Bolsheviks in their collectivizations? Indeed, editor Roger Griffin is guilty of this himself in this otherwise phenomenal book. With that said, I have to say that my sympathy for fascism has been somewhat lessened by this book. While I still admire certain aspects of it, and I would find it preferable to communism any day of the week, my conscience will not allow me to support the utter ruthlessness that many of the writings in this book represent.

The book is basically a massive collection of fascist writings from across the spectrum. The sections are broken down nicely by country and time period, giving the reader a comprehensive and chronological look at the evolution of fascism through the words of the fascists themselves. Italy and Germany obviously receive the bulk of attention, but also covered are smaller and lesser-known fascist movements throughout the world. Whether or not National Socialism is a form of fascism is actually still a topic of debate and this is briefly discussed. Griffin concludes that except for a few significant differences, NS does fall into the category of fascism. As editor, Griffin's contributions are essentially limited to the writing of introductions to each section and even briefer intros to each individual writing. He is clearly well versed in the subject matter but nevertheless seems incapable of writing about it in an objective manner. He makes no secret of his contempt for fascism, and while this does not discredit the book, I was expecting a bit more objectivity from an `Oxford Reader.' That being said, I have to give him credit for amassing this anthology, many of which undoubtedly being previously unavailable in English.

Contrary to popular belief, fascism is an highly intellectual movement, not a mere collection of racist thugs acting out violently. They may be crude and hateful at times, but after reading some of these works, there is no denying that many of the authors were brilliant in their own right, and that much thought and logic went into their worldviews (see Mario Machado's review for an excellent description). I'd just like to point out that fascism does not exist in a vacuum. There were many external factors that affected its development- i.e. the spread of communism- and it is important to keep this in mind when studying it objectively. I would also argue against the popular notion that the current leaders of the US are fascist. They might have adopted certain aspects of fascist movements, but their motives are far different. So if you want to truly understand what fascism is, I don't think you could find a more exhaustive source than this book. This is fascism straight from the horse's mouth.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB!, September 19, 2007

By 

Philippe Landry (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fascism (Oxford Readers) (Paperback)

I cannot recommend this book enough to students of history and political science. Utterly indespensible and completely fascinating from front to back. It was immediately put to use on a research paper and I will use it again and again in the future.