Description: Has fascism arrived in America? In this pioneering book, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward have gathered experts to survey the history of fascism in the United States. Although the US established a staunch anti-fascist reputation by defeating the Axis powers in World War II, the unsettling truth is that fascist ideas have long been present within American society. Since the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016, scholars have debated whether Trumpism should be seen as an outgrowth of American conservatism or of a darker - and potentially fascist - tradition. Fascism in America contributes to this debate by examining the activities of interwar right-wing groups like the Silver Shirts, the KKK, and the America First movement, as well as the post-war rise of Black antifascism and white vigilantism, the representation of American Nazis in popular culture, and policy options for combating right-wing extremism.
Brief description: Gavriel D. Rosenfeld is President of the Center for Jewish History and Professor of History at Fairfield University. He is the author or editor of eight books on the Nazi era, including The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism since World War II (2019) and Hi Hitler! How the Nazi Past Is Being Normalized in Contemporary Culture (2014).
Review Quotes: 'In a moment of urgency, as we stare down threats to democratic institutions the world over, the essays gathered here provide a tool kit for how to assess and counteract fascist tendencies in the American past & present. A must read for scholar and citizen alike.' Jennifer V. Evans, author of The Queer Art of History: Queer Kinship After Fascism