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

Jonah Goldberg

3.98 · Rating details · 5,602 ratings · 587 reviews

-Fascists, - -Brownshirts, - -jackbooted stormtroopers---such are the insults typically hurled at conservatives by their liberal opponents. Calling someone a fascist is the fastest way to shut them up, defining their views as beyond the political pale. But who are the real fascists in our midst?
Liberal Fascism offers a startling new perspective on the theories and practic -Fascists, - -Brownshirts, - -jackbooted stormtroopers---such are the insults typically hurled at conservatives by their liberal opponents. Calling someone a fascist is the fastest way to shut them up, defining their views as beyond the political pale. But who are the real fascists in our midst?
Liberal Fascism offers a startling new perspective on the theories and practices that define fascist politics. Replacing conveniently manufactured myths with surprising and enlightening research, Jonah Goldberg reminds us that the original fascists were really on the left, and that liberals from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to Hillary Clinton have advocated policies and principles remarkably similar to those of Hitler's National Socialism and Mussolini's Fascism.
Contrary to what most people think, the Nazis were ardent socialists (hence the term -National socialism-). They believed in free health care and guaranteed jobs. They confiscated inherited wealth and spent vast sums on public education. They purged the church from public policy, promoted a new form of pagan spirituality, and inserted the authority of the state into every nook and cranny of daily life. The Nazis declared war on smoking, supported abortion, euthanasia, and gun control. They loathed the free market, provided generous pensions for the elderly, and maintained a strict racial quota system in their universities--where campus speech codes were all the rage. The Nazis led the world in organic farming and alternative medicine. Hitler was a strict vegetarian, and Himmler was an animal rights activist.
Do these striking parallels mean that today's liberals are genocidal maniacs, intent on conquering the world and imposing a new racial order? Not at all. Yet it is hard to deny that modern progressivism and classical fascism shared the same intellectual roots. We often forget, for example, that Mussolini and Hitler had many admirers in the United States. W.E.B. Du Bois was inspired by Hitler's Germany, and Irving Berlin praised Mussolini in song. Many fascist tenets were espoused by American progressives like John Dewey and Woodrow Wilson, and FDR incorporated fascist policies in the New Deal.
Fascism was an international movement that appeared in different forms in different countries, depending on the vagaries of national culture and temperament. In Germany, fascism appeared as genocidal racist nationalism. In America, it took a -friendlier, - more liberal form. The modern heirs of this -friendly fascist- tradition include the New York Times, the Democratic Party, the Ivy League professoriate, and the liberals of Hollywood. The quintessential Liberal Fascist isn't an SS storm trooper; it is a female grade school teacher with an education degree from Brown or Swarthmore.
These assertions may sound strange to modern ears, but that is because we have forgotten what fascism is. In this angry, funny, smart, contentious book, Jonah Goldberg turns our preconceptions inside out and shows us the true meaning of Liberal Fascism. ...more

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Hardcover, 405 pages

Published December 1st 2007 by Doubleday Books (first published 2007)

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Jun 08, 2012 mark monday marked it as unread-forever

here's a little something for the book itself:

and here's something for me, to wash the taste out of my mouth after stumbling upon such extreme stupidity and basically wanting to puke after reading this book's synopsis:

(view spoiler)["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>[ ...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Owen rated it did not like it

From Roger Griffin:

Even if it purports to be (i.e. masquerades as) a thoroughly researched ‘alternative’ or ‘secret’ analysis and history of fascism, Liberal Fascism is to the trained eye a patent exercise in propaganda. Even ‘polemics’ is a euphemism here, implying a provocation to heated debate rather than the attempt to pass off an Ersatz for the real thing. An example of such propagandistic ‘substitution’ is the Nazi attempt to popularize an anti-Semitic variant of jazz to counter the appeal ...more

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Jan 19, 2008 Varmint rated it it was amazing

In a way, it reminded me of a book on dog psychology i'd read a few years back. So many behaviors made sense when when you realize that there's still a good bit of wolf hardwired in.

Much of liberalism confused the hell out of me. From F.D.R.'s internment of the japanese, to enviromentalist terrorism, to Sean Penn's almost sexual attraction to Hugo Chavez. It only starts to make sense when you understand the fascist impulse at it's core.

A century ago there was one united progressive movement. Le ...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Justin added it

Shelves: literary-abortions

It’s hard to fully express the horrors of this book. The English language simply doesn’t have the words to truly convey the madness, the irresponsibility, and the laziness that went into the writing and publication of Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. From his feeble grasp of history to the rampant, naked, ugly partisanship he displays, Liberal Fascism is simply one of the worst books written by a modern American author this side of NAMBLA publications.
Let’s start with Goldberg’s understanding o It’s hard to fully express the horrors of this book. The English language simply doesn’t have the words to truly convey the madness, the irresponsibility, and the laziness that went into the writing and publication of Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. From his feeble grasp of history to the rampant, naked, ugly partisanship he displays, Liberal Fascism is simply one of the worst books written by a modern American author this side of NAMBLA publications.
Let’s start with Goldberg’s understanding of history. The main purpose of Liberal Fascism, Goldberg argues, is to disprove leftist arguments that conservatives are fascists and instead demonstrate how fascism is more akin to American liberalism than conservativism. However, it is the way that Goldberg “proves” this claim that does the most to discredit his authorial voice. Goldberg spends chapter after chapter cherry picking areas of similarities seen between modern American liberalism and fascism. One of his more ridiculous examples being that the Nazis endorsed organic food and Hitler was a vegetarian (like liberals today) proving that liberals are really the intellectual cousins of fascism. While this form of argument creates long lists of “evidence” it does little to demonstrate a cohesive argument. Any political ideology can be mutilate enough to “prove” similarities with modern political parties and groups. This sort of argument leads to the misuse of the word fascism that Goldberg himself decries so severely. For example, using Goldberg’s logic, one could argue that fascists supported a powerful military, “proving” that any American politician who supports strengthening the army is secretly a fascist. Obvious this is a ludicrous claim, but it is the sort of idiocy that Goldberg happily and cheerfully embraces as a definitive argument.
Another serious flaw in Goldberg’s book is his argument that liberalism provided the intellectual roots of fascism. In order to provide this, Goldberg argues that fascist ideological foundations demonstrated strong socialist tendencies. In this argument, Goldberg is partially correct. The Nazis, for example, advocated some socialist policies in their early years. However, the problem with this line of arguments is that Goldberg conveniently ignores the role of fascist ideological programs. While the fascist may have advocated some leftist and socialist policies, they never meant for these to guide their actions, and this is one of the biggest problems with Goldberg’s book. The author completely ignores the ACTIONS of fascists and focuses instead on their political platforms that predated their rise to power by decades. In his rush to brand leftists and socialists as secret fascists, Goldberg conveniently ignores the anti-socialism and anti-communism of the fascist parties. He leaves out the fact that the Communist Party was the first to be banned by the Nazis following their seizure of power and he ignores the fact that the socialists were the only party in Germany to oppose the Enabling Acts, which granted Hitler dictatorial power. Fascists banned trade unions, opposed free speech, and despised the individualism and the concept of individual civil rights that are some of the hallmarks of liberalism. Goldberg takes old speeches and propaganda, originally written to gain working class supporters, that was never acted upon and treats it as though it is the most important aspect of fascism and fascist regimes.
Finally, Goldberg’s naked partisanship destroys the shred of credibility he might have presented in his book. His motivation in writing this book was to get back at the liberals who called Bush a Nazi. However, in his mad rush to discredit liberalism and an outgrowth of fascism, Goldberg is guilty of the same crime of those liberals he hates, casually and baselessly painting a political opponent as a fascist. Every page of Goldberg’s book demonstrates the ugliness of his political views. In the end, the only thing Goldberg succeeded at is creating a grotesque parody of an academic work.
...more

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Apr 06, 2008 Kenny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: current-events

In political circles, there is probably no word more misused and misunderstood than "fascism." Goldberg's exhaustive review of the sources and ideology of fascism prove, once again, that popular meanings are often diametrically opposed to the actual facts: that fascism has historically been a malady of the left, not the right, though there have been a few right-wing fascists, though they are nothing compared with the Mussolinis and Hitlers, both statists and corporatists par excellence. The book ...more

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Jul 01, 2008 Brian rated it liked it

Total Stars = 3

Entertainment: +.5 Stars
Education: +1 Star
Readability: +.5 star
Innovation: +.5 Stars
Inspiration: +.5 Stars

Good points made by the author.

1. Fascism is a misused term that is often unfairly applied to conservatives. The word is clearly ill-defined and poorly used. It is not right to call our fellow citizen’s by these terms. There are plenty of other good ones to go around (if you need to resort to name calling). Of course name calling is not going to bring anyone around to your ...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, political

Those who've read many of my reviews will note that this gets one of my infrequent 5 star ratings. I highly recommend this book...to all thoughtful readers. While there are those who will immediately feel that it's not for them I humbly suggest you at least try it. I don't think you'll be insulted or angered. I'll say a bit more below.

This book was actually extant when George Bush was still president so it probably isn't as current as it might be, sadly. I've been familiar with it for some time Those who've read many of my reviews will note that this gets one of my infrequent 5 star ratings. I highly recommend this book...to all thoughtful readers. While there are those who will immediately feel that it's not for them I humbly suggest you at least try it. I don't think you'll be insulted or angered. I'll say a bit more below.

This book was actually extant when George Bush was still president so it probably isn't as current as it might be, sadly. I've been familiar with it for some time but have never moved it up the reading list for a serious and complete turn at my mind till now. The writer (as well as your reviewer) is not a total fan of President Bush, I say this lest the time period put some off. It's important to note however (I think) that no president in the last 50 years has been called a fascist as often as President Bush. I remember all the posters and posts of the President with a Hitler mustache on his lip or a swastika behind him...so the timing might be apropos.

I've heard the word "fascism" used and slung about for years (usually by those on the political left at those on the political right...though even the use of the words "left and right" here are usually incorrect). Most of the time the people using it really have no idea what it means. In this book the author takes a look at the historical record and shows some "inconvenient truths"...

The book is well researched. It uses and gives supported facts to lay out the history of fascism, what it is and how it has descended to us today. Lest someone is getting angry let me say, the last chapter in the book goes over specifically where in the modern conservative movement facets of fascism are found. Throughout the book we get a look at where and even how facts, I suppose I should say, "certain facts" have been "airbrushed" out of history.

The book is well constructed, intelligently written, thought out supported by documented facts and not hard to read or follow. It is written in a consistently civil tone throughout.

I know that many here who look at this are on the political left however I simply suggest that you consider this. Maybe if nothing else look at it as I did when I read Saul Alinsky. Even if you continue to disagree you might want to know what the other side of the political spectrum thinks.

5 stars, highly, highly recommended. ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Marvin added it

Shelves: the-good-old-college-try

Sorry, Gave this a try. Complete hogwash written by a alleged intellectual for the purpose of rewriting history into a form of right-wing political correctness. Most liberals are vegetarians (a lie right there). Hitler was a vegetarian. Therefore Liberals are fascists. Think I'm kidding? Read the book. As for me I only got a third of the way through it and won't even bother to rate it. ...more

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Nov 01, 2013 Carol Storm rated it it was ok

Shelves: right-wing-douche-bag

Poor Jonah Goldberg! He's a Jew, but he makes his living flattering and defending wealthy Gentiles, many of whom inherited huge fortunes they did nothing to earn. These people don't want to hear anything bad about the selfishness of the rich. They can't abide any criticism of Catholicism, or Christianity. And they certainly don't want to explore any connection between Hitler's anti-Semitism and the traditional teachings of the Catholic church. So here's Jonah, trying to come up with something cl ...more

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Apr 15, 2008 Ian rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone interested in the history of Fascism

Shelves: favorites

(Note that the listed title is wrong. It is actually "Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning")

This is a fascinating book. Jonah Goldberg traces the history of "Fascism", from Rousseau through Bismarck, the Progressives, Woodrow Wilson, Mussolini, FDR, the Nazis (remember, "Nazis" is short for "National Socialists" - look at the Nazi party platform: environmentalism, animal rights, organic food (Hitler and many of the top officials were (Note that the listed title is wrong. It is actually "Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning")

This is a fascinating book. Jonah Goldberg traces the history of "Fascism", from Rousseau through Bismarck, the Progressives, Woodrow Wilson, Mussolini, FDR, the Nazis (remember, "Nazis" is short for "National Socialists" - look at the Nazi party platform: environmentalism, animal rights, organic food (Hitler and many of the top officials were very strict vegetarians), nationalization of industries, confiscation of business profits, large-scale expansion of "old age welfare", etc. - they were most emphatically left-wingers, *not* right-wingers!), LBJ and the radical Left of the 1960's, and through the Liberal Democrats of today (who insist on calling themselves "Progressives" again).

Despite the fact that today the term "Fascist" has come to mean "anyone the Left doesn't like for any reason", historically, Fascism has actually been a product of the political Left. The "welfare state", so beloved of "Progressives", was originally an invention of Mussolini. As opposed to the explicitly atheist Communism, Fascism itself is a pseudo-religious cult of the state, where the government replaces God as the image of fulfillment. It is through the government that peoples' lives are given meaning, and the government may do anything for the "general good".

In order to continue to fuel the growth of government, fascists require a constant stream of crises. Wilson had WWI, but other fascistic leaders had to use other crises as the "moral equivalent of war", in order to mobilize people and reduce the resistance of the populace to taking commands from the government. FDR used the Great Depression; LBJ had the misfortune of coming to power at a very good time, so he had to invent out of whole cloth the so-called "War on Poverty" to mobilize people to acquiesce to his "Great Society" programs. Modern "Progressives" pretend that everything is "for the children" to attempt to achieve the same effect.

The book is heavily footnoted, providing clear proof of Goldberg's claims. It is hard to deny that the Nazis were left-wing socialists when their party platform (reproduced in the book's Appendix) reads like something that could mostly be printed on a Hillary or Obama campaign website. It is also very clear that, not only did Progressives such as Woodrow Wilson and FDR admire the Fascist governments of Mussolini and Hitler, they did so openly and specifically. Letters, articles, and speeches by Progressives, Wilson, FDR, Hitler, and Mussolini openly stating their mutual admiration for each others' policies are also cited.

Given the rampant historical illiteracy of today, books like this are sorely needed. It is an excellent counter to the revisionist history of the modern Left.
...more

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May 25, 2013 Winston Jen rated it did not like it

Shelves: politics

Jonah begins his book by equating fascism with totalitarianism, of the kind warned against in Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. What he appears to be railing against is paternalism on a grand scale, where the government controls everything "for our own good." And yet, despite railing against liberal paternalism, he ignores the socially conservative paternalistic fascism that is the result of extreme right-wing Christianity.

He decries college students who can see "nothing wrong" with th ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Vincent Pimpinella rated it did not like it

Because who doesn't love overly contrived bullshit? ...more

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Jun 17, 2008 Sean rated it it was amazing

First off, goodreads' got the subtitle wrong, it's "The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning."
This is an incredible book. Some people will be turned off by the provocative title and cover, but don't be fooled: this isn't some Ann Coulterish tome of cleverness, shock value, and name-calling. This is a history book. Goldberg underlines his points with sound research and analysis, and digs up many surprising ideological commonalities between the modern Ameri ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Jeanette rated it really liked it

More than 10 years later this set of definitive "eyes" stands the test of interesting times. You can see the descendant in the ancestor. Very clearly.

Others have said it better in review particulars and it is too long. But the epithets against the author and the logic of observations by posters themselves concerning this author's copy! This brand of method -vilified spewing and distorted in "reaction" snark - it's entirely telling in itself.

Being older, I do remember some of these early outcom ...more

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Apr 08, 2008 Anthony rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone who EVER plans to vote, or presumes to voice an opinion on current political events.

Shelves: history, politics-political-thought, favorites, non-fiction

This book is brilliant. It is a look at many aspects of U.S. and World history you THOUGHT you knew. You may be surprised. You will certainly be educated. This isn’t a book you read casually. You will find yourself underlining, cross-referencing, and annotating this book as you go. I was frequently cross-referencing other sources, both for varying perspectives, and to review people and events for which the author presumed background knowledge. Even so, I did not find the process cumbersome or te This book is brilliant. It is a look at many aspects of U.S. and World history you THOUGHT you knew. You may be surprised. You will certainly be educated. This isn’t a book you read casually. You will find yourself underlining, cross-referencing, and annotating this book as you go. I was frequently cross-referencing other sources, both for varying perspectives, and to review people and events for which the author presumed background knowledge. Even so, I did not find the process cumbersome or tedious. You may actually find yourself reading late into the night. The insights and revelations just keep coming. You will see correlations with historical events and current political trends and attitudes that will keep you awake at night. No one should be allowed to register to vote in any election until they have read this book.

Addendum, 05/15/08;

I've been going back through this book again, reviewing my notes and highlights (I know, I'm neurotic...). And, at the risk of being accused of engaging in hyperbole, I have to say that Jonah Goldberg is a genius, and this is one of the most important books I have ever read. Many books are llike popping Junior Mints and swigging Diet Coke at the movie, compared to Goldberg’s candle lit gourmet meal, served in an elegant private suite with a view of the ocean and a warm fire, with your one true love and a live string quartet providing ambiance, where course after course inexplicably exceeds the last and you never feel too full. When I first read the book, I was a little impatient to get to current issues as the author was establishing historical perspective, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, in the first chapters. However, as he continues to make his case, and to relate more contemporary events and issues with these historical precedents, the staggering realities just jump off page after page, grab you by the collar, and shout, “do you not see what this is and where it’s going?!” Since reading this book I can’t watch the news, read the paper, or listen to political commentary without seeing parallels with the socialist and/or fascist agenda so clearly illuminated in it’s pages. Please, please, please read this book. It will change your understanding of our world.
...more

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Jan 10, 2008 Jake rated it it was amazing

As Jonah Goldberg says, having heard to many times how blithely Conservatives are equated to fascists, he set out to prove the philosophical, ethical, and historical continuity between the modern liberal who makes such accusations, and concrete fascism. He makes the point that the word itself doesn't mean much except a synonym for evil with a connotation of the Holocaust. His thesis seems to be that liberalism or progressivism, socialism/Bolshevism and Fascism are all intellectual heirs of a few ...more

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Dec 23, 2008 Darla rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Thinkers, and all Americans who bother to vote

Recommended to Darla by: Beck

I've got my new bumper sticker- "Fascist: what liberals call people with whom they disagree."

Finally, some validation for conservative theorists! Hilter was NOT a conservative, nor was Mussolini. They were BOTH liberal, socialists and our current day "Progressives" owe much to their tactics, every bit of which echoes the Hitlerian machine. It is very frustrating that conservatives are labeled as fascists in such a way that is purely fascist in its modus operandi. Those who spout that rhetoric & I've got my new bumper sticker- "Fascist: what liberals call people with whom they disagree."

Finally, some validation for conservative theorists! Hilter was NOT a conservative, nor was Mussolini. They were BOTH liberal, socialists and our current day "Progressives" owe much to their tactics, every bit of which echoes the Hitlerian machine. It is very frustrating that conservatives are labeled as fascists in such a way that is purely fascist in its modus operandi. Those who spout that rhetoric & claim conservatives that try to push for welfare reform, stem abortions, or even "God forbid" foster competition in schools are "fascist," DO NOT know their history or are blind to the past by their own self righteousness. Those in the "masses" that believe their propaganda are likewise ignorant.

America has been on a slippery and sickening slope of increasing fascist doctrine since Woodrow Wilson's day, but unlike the militaristic European expression of such doctrines, ours is a "smothered by mother" version, where the ignorant masses are too weak to govern themselves. According to the Left, we need the State to give us direction and meaning. Individual community spirit is not correct, only a State/ Federal maternalistic, "lovingly" imposed Religion of the State is legitimate. Individualism is to be crushed; small businesses that do not walk in lock step with "progressive" politics and policies are simply crushed. Big business isn't bad, so long as it pays off the politicians and pays homage to them through lobbying and excessive butt-kissing.

Sound like all we've heard about conservatives? Yes? Well, read the book! I just wish conservatives had the moxie to stand up and shout down Mother with some good old fashioned "Paternalistic," "I'm sorry, I know this is going to hurt for a bit, but it is for your own good" tear down of Big Government intrusion. I don't want to love the government, I just want it to leave me and my family ALONE to pursue the happiness through the OPPORTUNITY guaranteed us in the Constitution. It never promised happiness, and any do- gooder who thinks government CAN and WILL create happiness is deluded, at best.

The poor will always be among us, and there are protections in place to help most, but the Government can not help all & make everything equal. Not even every dime in the world could do that. Poverty and social differences are not just about money, they are about mindset. And I am sick to death of the smiley faced fascism of the Left wanting to do everything to help me feel better, and even worse, the masses that willingly give up their autonomy for Government handouts instead of working their butts off to improve their own state. There is AMPLE opportunity, AMPLE education, AMPLE outreach. We cannot help all, for not all WANT to be helped. Father knows what Mother does not.

I know this became a bit of a rant, but there is so much to frustrate the true, classical liberal in today's climate of political stupidity dripping from the current Socialist/ Progressive/ Liberal ideology that crushed individual spirit and growth in favor of Personality Cult "group think." And I just got back from 7 days at Disney World! ;)

Read. Read. Read. ...more

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Apr 28, 2008 Jacki rated it liked it

A history of American/European politics.

The main thing I learned from this book: The political spectrum can not easily be divided into Christian vs. atheist or intellectual vs. uneducated or rich vs. poor. Fascism is about using government to create an ideal or evolved state, at the cost of freedom or taxes or what have you vs. than minimizing or restraining government and letting society evolve on it's own. Fascism isn't about racism, or Nazis or military power. So a lot of liberal action and ...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont rated it really liked it

The F Word

I don’t suppose there is any word with less real meaning now than ‘fascist’. Indeed, I begin to wonder if it ever had any meaning. It has a purpose, yes, but that’s quite different. It serves as an insult, an f word greater than the f word, the more frequently used the more meaningless it has become. I suppose there must have been a time when “you fascist b******d”, actually meant “you fascist b******d”, in the sense that one happened to belong to a political party which actually had ...more

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Jan 16, 2014 John Freeman rated it it was ok

My son, a far-right conservative loaned me this book and I was fascinated with it. I'm a history buff with middle of the road views and started the book with much enthusiasm. The book's discussion of fascism, Mussolini and Hitler is written in a brilliant almost breezy style by a highly intelligent man who has clearly researched his subject thoroughly and is well read. I wondered a little at his saying Hitler is a left-winger but then it's just a matter of definitions. Right?

His history of the W My son, a far-right conservative loaned me this book and I was fascinated with it. I'm a history buff with middle of the road views and started the book with much enthusiasm. The book's discussion of fascism, Mussolini and Hitler is written in a brilliant almost breezy style by a highly intelligent man who has clearly researched his subject thoroughly and is well read. I wondered a little at his saying Hitler is a left-winger but then it's just a matter of definitions. Right?

His history of the Wilson presidency was a revelation to me, I had not been aware of how repressive the Wilson era was. At this point I trusted Goldman. Now I don't know what to believe about Wilson.

As I got farther into the book it began to seem to me he was critical of "liberals" and "progressives" and never mentioned conservatives. When I got to his discussion of McCarthyism he disappointed me. This is something I know a little about. To quote Goldman "...a few Hollywood writers who'd supported Stalin and then lied about it lost their jobs in the 1950's. But nothing that happened under the mad reign of McCarthy remotely compares with what Wilson and his fellow progressives foisted on America."

As if this makes it okay. McCarthy, an opportunist rabble-rouser with presidential aspirations was willing to ruin careers to advance his ambitions. Further the appropriately named House of Unamerican Activities' witch-hunts is one of the most shameful periods in American politics and a stain on the Republican party. Many people thought communism might have answers during the dark days of the depression and to dismiss the matter as a few Hollywood writers who'd supported Stalin and then lied about it and lost their jobs is simply another injustice heaped on young men who were searching for answers during a time our economic system appeared to be collapsing. They represented little or no danger to America. The investigation into the army was, mercifully, the beginning of the end for McCarthy when Joseph Welch successfully challenged his character.

I continued reading for a while but I finally gave up on him after I got to his tepid attempts to drag Roosevelt's name through the mud.

I thought Jonah Goldberg had written a scholarly, intelligent history book. He has not, he has written more of the biased and unfair conservative propaganda I so often find during my research. Besides I still don't know what fascism is.

What's more what am I going to tell my son? He is passionate on the subject and mailed me this thick book in an attempt to open my eyes to the truth and save me from myself. He has high hopes here. This is a matter close to his heart. I wish I had never heard of Jonah Goldberg. ...more

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May 18, 2012 Chris Fellows rated it it was ok

I really wanted to like this book. The first bit, comparing the dinki-di fascists of Europe with the stated aims and documented actions of Woodrow Wilson and the early 20th century Progressives that shared his ideology, makes a good case. There are some excellent quotes of mutual admiration back and forth across the Atlantic, and Goldberg lifts the rock on a nasty squirming mass of human rights infringments and creepy propaganda from Wilson's war administration.

The section dealing with FDR is le I really wanted to like this book. The first bit, comparing the dinki-di fascists of Europe with the stated aims and documented actions of Woodrow Wilson and the early 20th century Progressives that shared his ideology, makes a good case. There are some excellent quotes of mutual admiration back and forth across the Atlantic, and Goldberg lifts the rock on a nasty squirming mass of human rights infringments and creepy propaganda from Wilson's war administration.

The section dealing with FDR is less convincing - Goldberg has a bad tendency to pile on brief quotes out of context that reminded me uncomfortably of Evangelical 'Bible Study' programs I was exposed to in high school. For example, this quote of JBS Haldane's is introduced into a discussion of the Progressive attitude to eugenics: "The dogma of human equality is no part of Communism ... the formula of Communism 'from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs' would be nonsense if abilities are equal." Only someone steeped in the race-obsessed society of the rebel North American colonies would leap to the conclusion that this quote has anything to do with eugenics at all.

Somewhere in his discussion of LBJ's Great Society Goldberg jumps the shark. The brush of 'liberal fascism' is applied more and more broadly until it nearly mirrors the use of 'fascism' by the Left to mean 'anything I don't like'. This section reminded me the treatment of the same period in Allan Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind" - which is not a good thing. The problem is that *some* of the aspects of fascism so clearly shared by Wilson and Roosevelt with Mussolini are also shared by the postwar progressive enterprise; some are not. The missing aspects are illustrated with reference to groups that thought LBJ was the devil incarnate. It doesn't make sense. It is like saying you have seen a tiger when you have really seen a tabby cat *and* a zebra.

A problem I had at the end was that Goldberg does not seem to recognise anything as 'conservative' except a narrow 'classical liberalism' which does not have any characteristics distinguishing it from libertarianism. Not that I could see, anyhow. The idea of a social conservativism that might validly be interested in using the power of the state to provide a minimal level of support for the disadvantaged and enforce traditional social norms, in the absence of an established Church and class structure to do those things, is to him a chimera; it is 'statolatry' and just another manifestation of fascism.

This blind spot might not be his fault. He comes from a country where conservatives were expelled or driven underground in a utopian revolution (to such an extent that William Marina, writing in 1975, can say that it is a "widespread, persistent, and dangerous myth" that they ever comprised a significant part of the population!) leaving libertarians and progressive idealists holding the fort. Goldberg briefly draws a distinction between a 'good, conservative' American revolution and a 'bad, radical' French revolution, but this is untenable. If you violently sever your connections with a country that is universally considered to be the most free, the most classically liberal, currently in existence, in order to make a polity that is more free and classically liberal, is that conservative? Is it not instead utopian, an example of the perfect being the enemy of the good? If, instead of forming the political institutions of your new polity on incremental modifications in the directions of freedom and classical liberalism of the existing ones, you create de novo an experimental system modelled most closely on republican Rome, is that conservative? Is it not instead wildly radical and utopian? The American revolution let the genie out of the bottle and began all this trouble. IMHO.

I found the wit and sparkle of Goldberg's briefer works in National Review almost wholly absent from this book. Which was a great pity.

Finally, Goldberg doesn't like "Dead Poets Society". This tragic discovery will haunt my dreams forever. :( ...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Tim Pendry rated it liked it

Shelves: cultural-studies, economics, feminism, history, popular-culture, nineteenth-century, pr-propaganda, public-policy, north-american, twentieth-century

This is an insightful but ultimately flawed polemic from a traditional American conservative who identifies, with some justification, the 'fascistic' tendencies within American progressivism.

Unfortunately, he over-eggs his pudding, is highly selective in his evidence and he clearly does not understand the European philosophical tradition very well.

The book is not going to be of enormous use outside America except in one respect - his criticisms of the third way progressive mentality do hold up ...more

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Mar 19, 2008 Mark rated it really liked it

With a Hitler-esque smiley face and the title "Liberal Fascism" gracing the cover, a casual political observer might view Jonah Goldberg's new tome as a work of contradictory hyperbole. But after reading the introduction, it becomes clear that Goldberg is laying out a serious and somewhat-scholarly argument that modern American liberalism is a sibling of the Fascist movements that swept Italy and Germany prior to World War II. His central thesis is that, while "fascism" is a political movement w With a Hitler-esque smiley face and the title "Liberal Fascism" gracing the cover, a casual political observer might view Jonah Goldberg's new tome as a work of contradictory hyperbole. But after reading the introduction, it becomes clear that Goldberg is laying out a serious and somewhat-scholarly argument that modern American liberalism is a sibling of the Fascist movements that swept Italy and Germany prior to World War II. His central thesis is that, while "fascism" is a political movement with no agreed-to definition, it can best be summarized as "the religion of the state." The book's title comes from a speech by socialist author H.G. Wells, and the cover illustration was suggested by George Carlin during the course of an anti-Bush tirade.

Part partisan-polemic and part historical exposition, Liberal Fascism looks at the philosophies that fed into American progressivism (from the French Revolution to the writings of Georges Sorel) and argues that the same beliefs underpinned the European fascists. Jonah Goldberg does not argue that fascism is inherently evil; he asserts that it is similar to the economic planning and government interventionism that are advocated by progressives and modern liberals. He also tries to dispel the belief that fascism and communism are polar opposites; fascism is a nationalist-socialism while Leninist communism takes more of an internationalist flavor, but Goldberg argues that both are populist and leftist movements.

In response to Sinclair Lewis's anti-fascist "It Can't Happen Here," Jonah Goldberg points out that it HAS happened here. Whether you call it Wilsonian war socialism, the New Deal, the Great Society, or Compassionate Conservatism, America has often strayed from its founding principles of limited government in the form of "smiley-face, nice fascism."

The book's strongest suit is the fascinating history it dredges up, exposing historical facts that have been swept under the rug (such as Nazi animal-rights laws, or Rexford Tugwell's admission that the New Deal was a logical extension of Hoover Administration policies.) But the demands of brevity and the need to selectively choose historical facts to fit the thesis often erode the historical discussion. Goldberg often speaks in generalities and omits concrete examples when making his points. His chapter on "Liberal Racism" and eugenics could have benefited by talking about America's flirtations with imperialism at the turn of the last century, particularly in regards to the Philippines.

In spite of its partisan pretenses, Liberal Fascism is an entertaining and educational read. The hyperbole suggested by the cover is kept in check repeatedly throughout the text with sober assessments and monologues on the points the author wants the reader to take away. I give it four of five stars, but I'd only recommend it to libertarians and conservative believers in small government. Jonah Goldberg argues very effectively that the Italian and German fascist movements sprang from the same progressive ideals that were active in America, albeit with a twist imposed by the cultural conditions that existed in Italy and Germany between the World Wars. While he attempts to label fascism as a movement of the political left, he inadvertently demonstrates how the labels of "left" and "right" are utterly devoid of meaning in our society. ...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Dale rated it it was amazing

I want to post some of the content that really grabbed me.

First, from chapter 1 (Introduction: Everything You Know about Fascism is Wrong):

The reason so many progressives were intrigued by both Mussolini’s and Lenin's “experiments” is simple: they saw their reflection in the European looking glass. Philosophically, organizationally, and politically the progressives were as close to authentic, homegrown fascists as any movement America has ever produced. Militaristic, fanatically nationalist, im I want to post some of the content that really grabbed me.

First, from chapter 1 (Introduction: Everything You Know about Fascism is Wrong):

The reason so many progressives were intrigued by both Mussolini’s and Lenin's “experiments” is simple: they saw their reflection in the European looking glass. Philosophically, organizationally, and politically the progressives were as close to authentic, homegrown fascists as any movement America has ever produced. Militaristic, fanatically nationalist, imperialist, racist, deeply involved in the promotion of Darwinian eugenics, enamored of the Bismarckian welfare state, statist beyond modern reckoning, the progressives represented the American flowering of a transatlantic movement, a profound reorientation toward the Hegelian and Darwinian collectivism imported from Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. (page 12).

Goldberg argues that the French Revolution was a fascist revolution. He argues that what made the French Revolution the first fascist revolution was its effort to turn politics into a religion.

It is no longer controversial to say that the French Revolution was disastrous and cruel. But it is deeply controversial to say that it was fascist, because the French Revolution is the fons et origo of the left and the “revolutionary tradition.” (page 13).

One of the themes that he traces throughout the book for fascism is that it is revolutionary.

But Goldberg well recognizes that fascism will look different in America because of our history.

And in America, where hostility to big government is central to the national character, the case for statism must be made in terms of “pragmatism” and decency. In other words, our fascism must be nice and for your own good. (page 15)

One of the problems is that there is no one standard definition of fascism. So Goldberg provides the definition that he will work with throughout the book:

Fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspect of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action,k whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion, must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the “problem” and therefore defined as the enemy. I will argue that contemporary American liberalism embodies all of these aspects of fascism. (page 23)

It's a well-researched and well-argued book. ...more

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Apr 16, 2016 Gene rated it it was amazing

This was a very impressive book, and I learned a great deal from it. Beginning with providing a working definition of fascism as seen in the governments formed by Mussolini and Hitler, it proceeded to show how progressivism under Woodrow Wilson and beyond shared some of the same assumptions and goals. It wasn't a cheap shot at the Democratic Party, and it wasn't trying to say that progressives in the US would take this nation where Nazi Germany ended up heading. Instead it showed that there can ...more

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Mar 09, 2008 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: reference-books

I really don't know what I think of this. I liked at least the first half of it a lot; it's written in an engaging style, and it contains a lot of whitewashed history and things I just flat didn't know. It also really turns the way you view the world on its head; or rights it, depending on how you look at it. On the other hand, the second half is more uneven and starts to get a little repetitive. I also found it kind of poorly organized; we'd be trucking along talking about JFK and LBJ and then ...more

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May 28, 2009 Terry Clague rated it did not like it

When the author strayed toward homophobia in his description of Gore Vidal I literally threw this book across the room. In effect the author claims that if you believe in any form of government intervention beyond the basics then you are a fascist. Admitting in chapter one that there is no acceptable definition of fascism beyond "a political regime one doesn't care for" and then going on to label all political regimes the author doesn't care for as "fascist" is truly beyond satire. A rotten book ...more

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Oct 16, 2017 Ray Wilkins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: politics, history

That European Fascism was a product of the Socialist movements sweeping across Europe is clear even without Goldberg's research. What Goldberg does is dive into the details and underlying philosophies that drove both Mussolini and Hitler and how American Progressives were influenced by both men. From a rejection of individualism in favor of collectivism, the desire to create a new world order, and the infatuation with Eugenics, Progressives share a legacy that is rooted, not in classical liberal ...more

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Jun 14, 2017 Rick Davis rated it really liked it

Shelves: modern-history, politics

Thoughtful, careful, well researched, and devastating.

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Jun 13, 2020 David rated it really liked it

Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning by Jonah Goldberg takes a look at what real fascism is and who today most closely meets that definition! Calling someone a fascist today is the fastest way to shut them up, defining their views as beyond the political pale. But who are the real fascists in our midst? This author offers a startling new perspective on the theories and practices that define fascist politics. "Replacing conveniently ma ...more

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About Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg

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Jonah Jacob Goldberg is an American conservative syndicated columnist and author. Goldberg is known for his contributions on politics and culture to National Review Online, where he is the editor-at-large. He is the author of Liberal Fascism, which reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

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“If there is ever a fascist takeover in America, it will come not in the form of storm troopers kicking down doors but with lawyers and social workers saying. "I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” — 143 likes

“America's political system used to be about the pursuit of happiness. Now More and more of us want to stop chasing it and have it delivered.” — 21 likes

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