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

(Paperback)

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Today the word 'fascist' is usually an insult aimed at those on the right, from neocons to big business. But what does it really mean What if the true heirs to fascism were actually those who thought of themselves as being terribly nice and progressive - the liberals Jonah Goldberg's excoriating, opinion-dividing US bestseller explains why. Here he destroys long-held myths to reveal why the most insidious attempts to control out lives originate from the left, whether it's smoking bans or security cameras. Journeying through history and across culture, he uses surprising examples ranging from Woodrow Wilson's police state to the Clinton personality cult, the military chic of 60s' student radicals to Hollywood's totalitarian aesthetics, to show that it is modern progressivism - and not conservatism - that shares the same intellectual roots as fascism. This angry, funny, smart and contentious book looks behind the friendly face of the well-meaning liberal, and turns out preconception inside out.

Reviews

Love it or loathe it, Liberal Fascism is a book of intellectual history you won't be able to put down - in either sense of the term Tom Wolfe Deliciously amusing...witty intelligence that deals in ideas as well as insults The New York Times Brilliant, insightful and important New York Sun Bold and witty...insightful and honest New York Post

Author Bio

Jonah Goldberg is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and contributing editor to National Review. A USA Today contributor and former columnist for The Times in London, he has also written for the New Yorker, Commentary, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He lives in Washington, DC.