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Fascism: A Warning
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Nonfiction (2018)A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state
A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, “is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.”
The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. In Fascism: A Warning, Madeleine Albright draws on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that assumption.
Fascism, as she shows, not only endured through the twentieth century but now presents a more virulent threat to peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates division and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological, and cultural factors are weakening the political center and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.
Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written by someone who has not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.
A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, “is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.”
The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. In Fascism: A Warning, Madeleine Albright draws on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that assumption.
Fascism, as she shows, not only endured through the twentieth century but now presents a more virulent threat to peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates division and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological, and cultural factors are weakening the political center and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.
Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written by someone who has not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.
320 pages, ebook
First published April 10, 2018
About the author
Madeleine K. Albright
41 books896 followersCzechoslovakian-born American diplomat Madeleine Korbel Albright, the first such woman, appointed secretary of state of United States in 1997, served in that position until 2001.
Bill Clinton, president, nominated her, born Marie Jana Korbelová, on 5 December 1996, the Senate unanimously confirmed her, 99-0. People swore her in office on 23 January 1997.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madelei...
Bill Clinton, president, nominated her, born Marie Jana Korbelová, on 5 December 1996, the Senate unanimously confirmed her, 99-0. People swore her in office on 23 January 1997.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madelei...
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November 6, 2022
Consider the testimony of a well-educated but not politically minded German who experienced the rise of the Third Reich:Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has made a career of a single comedic line, “You might be a redneck.” A few samples from the site Country Humor:
To live in this process is absolutely not
to be able to notice it—please try to
believe me. . . . Each step was so small,
so inconsequential, so well explained
or, on occasion, “regretted,” that, unless
one were detached from the whole
process from the beginning, unless one
understood what . . . all these “little
measures” that no “patriotic German”
could resent must some day lead to, one
no more saw it developing from day to
day than a farmer in his field sees the
corn growing. . . . And one day, too late,
your principles, if you were ever sensible
of them, all rush in upon you. The burden
of self-deception has grown too heavy,
and some minor incident, in my case my
little boy, hardly more than a baby, saying
“Jew swine,” collapses it all at once, and
you see that everything, everything, has
changed and changed completely under your nose.
-----If you ever cut your grass and found a car, you might be a redneck.
-----If you own a home that is mobile and five cars that aren’t… you just might be a redneck.
----If you own a homemade fur coat…if you clean your fingernails with a stick…if birds are attracted to your beard, and so on.
It might make a pretty good hook for Madeleine Albright in her consideration of Fascism and the peril we all face from it today. She begins by facing the fact that there does not appear to be a universally accepted definition of the word. She put the question to her graduate class of two dozen, resulting in a Foxworthy worthy list (albeit a serious one) of characteristics that herd leaders (we are looking primarily at leaders here) into the Fascist corral or some other.
Madeleine Albright - image from The Christian Science Monitor - she passed away in 2022
----- If you claim that your in-group, whether based on religion, ethnicity or race, is deserving and those outside the in-group are not, you might be a fascist.
Albright offers an eye-opening look at the history of the word, how it was used, by whom and to what ends.
[her students] began from the ground up, naming the characteristics that were, to their minds, most closely associated with the word. “A mentality of ‘us against them,’” offered one. Another ticked off “nationalist, authoritarian, antidemocratic.” A third emphasized the violent aspect. A fourth wondered why Fascism was almost always considered right-wing, arguing, “Stalin was as much a Fascist as Hitler.”It is not only applicable to far right sorts who pine for a corporatist authoritarian state. There were leftists in Italy advocating a dictatorship of the dispossessed who called themselves Fascists, as did even Italian centrists (of a sort) who espoused a monarchy. The premier fascists of the 20th century, the Nazi Party, in addition to their wildly inhumane views, advocated for more generous pensions, an end to child labor and better maternal healthcare. Clearly the term is not limited by ideology. Maybe it has more to do with methodologies for seizing power.
----- If you provoke and nurture hatred toward those you oppose, and aim to get revenge for wrongs real or imagined, you might be a fascist.
She notes that the word has been tossed about far too loosely to target those to whom one is opposed, regardless of actual political or tactical leanings, rendering it relatively, and sadly, meaningless.
Still another noted that Fascism is often linked to people who are part of a distinct ethnic or racial group, who are under economic stress, and who feel that they are being denied rewards to which they are entitled. “It’s not so much what people have,” she said, “but what they think they should have—and what they fear.” Fear is why Fascism’s emotional reach can extend to all levels of society. No political movement can grow without popular support, but Fascism is as dependent on the wealthy and powerful as it is on the man or woman in the street—on those who have much to lose and those who have nothing at all.Albright offers insightful analysis of the origins of fascism, noting in particular its 20th century originator and his prize student. But there were plenty more who found authoritarianism appealing, whether they fit the definition of fascist or not. In fact, Albright offers a survey of many of the 20th century’s all-star team for egregious leadership. Some names will be familiar. You know the Italian, the German and probably the Spaniard, but are likely to be less familiar with organizations and leaders in other countries. Like the Arrow Cross group in Hungary, or movements in France, Iceland, and Romania. The Czech fascist, Itenlein, allowing Hitler to use him to broadcast lies about mistreatment in the country, giving Hitler cover necessary to justify invading. Or The Bund in the USA.
-----If you attempt to tear down the governing institutions and electoral processes as biased and unfair, but only if you don’t win, you just may be a fascist.
Albright writes of her personal experience with such dark forces, her family having been driven out of her native Czechoslovakia. Her grandmother was among twenty six family members murdered by Nazis.
The story of the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia holds lessons that still need absorbing. Good guys don’t always win, especially when they are divided and less determined than their adversaries. The desire for liberty may be ingrained in every human breast, but so is the potential for complacency, confusion, and cowardice. And losing has a price. After 1948, Czechoslovakia had no room for democrats. In that Kafkaesque environment, the Czechs who had devoted every hour of World War II to fighting Hitler from London were accused of having spent their days instead plotting to enslave the working class.She writes about dark days in US history when Joe McCarthy held the stage, and notes many similarities between Joe and you-know-who.
-----If you refuse to accept defeat at the polls, insisting, with no proof, that the results are flawed, you might be a fascist.
She continues with a look at the many dictators abroad in the world today and in the recent past. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is given considerable ink. She also writes about Erdogan of Turkey, Viktor Orban of Hungary, Jaroslaw Kaczynski of Poland, Duterte of the Philippines and a cast of the usual suspects known to those who read the international news. She notes in particular how they feed on each other’s energy, copying tactics, and using the excesses of leaders elsewhere to justify their excesses at home. Duterte and El Sissi in Egypt, for example, took great comfort in the public support they received from Swamp Thing.
Decades ago, George Orwell suggested that the best one-word description of a Fascist was “bully,” and on the day of the Normandy invasion, Franklin Roosevelt prayed to the Almighty for a “peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men.” By contrast, President Trump’s eyes light up when strongmen steamroll opposition, brush aside legal constraints, ignore criticism, and do whatever it takes to get their way.-----If you brag about your ability to solve all problems, despite the absence of any supporting evidence, you might be a fascist.
She saves Putin and Kim Jong-Un for last. Albright had dealings with Putin in person, and has an interesting take on him. She finds a surprising (and unpersuasive, IMHO) reason for considering him something less than an all-out fascist. And is surprising again in finally revealing who she considers an actual fascist among the contemporary candidates and who she does not.
-----If you fill up on supporters’ cheers by going all macho and threatening violence against your enemies, you just night be a fascist.
She looks at larger policy issues that might be helping to create conditions conducive to the rise of fascism and international policy directions that have headed it off in the past. And, unsurprisingly for someone who has been the US representative to the UN, the US Secretary of State, someone who has written and teaches on international relations, she is a strong advocate for international agreements, for diplomacy as a way of reducing the power of nationalistic movements by providing economic and security benefits from multi-lateral cooperation.
-----If you regard the press as an enemy of the state, and persistently and knowingly attempt to undermine honest reporting as false, you just night be a fascist.
She began this book long before the 2016 election, and would have written it anyway. The rightward drift in the world has been going on for a while, a response, at least in part, to the impact of globalization and increasing automation on employment, to the massive refugee crises that have thrown cultures together in ways that are often problematic, and frightening. But, as she writes,
The shadow looming over these pages is, of course, that of Donald Trump. He is president because he convinced enough voters in the right states that he was a teller of blunt truths, a masterful negotiator, and an effective champion of American interests. That he is none of those things should disturb our sleep, but there is a larger cause for unease. Trump is the first anti- democratic president in modern U.S. history. On too many days, beginning in the early hours, he flaunts his disdain for democratic institutions, the ideals of equality and social justice, civil discourse, civic virtues, and America itself. If transplanted to a country with fewer democratic safeguards, he would audition for dictator, because that is where his instincts lead.It can be no coincidence that many of the actions, beliefs, and attitudes manifested by known fascists from the past and on the world stage today are present in Swamp Thing. In addition to being the most corrupt president our nation has ever endured, he would love nothing more than to cast aside all of our democratic institutions and rule solely by fiat.
-----If you think that the resources of the world, regardless of location, are yours for the taking, you just night be a fascist.
While I found great value in Fascism: a Warning, I had a few gripes. If one writes a book about such a considerable subject, it behooves to come up with an actual definition. I found Albright’s methodology of defining fascism by its constituent manifestations a bit squishy, calling to mind the tale of blind men touching an elephant trying to describe the beast. Yes, she does distill down to a short def at the end, but it felt unsatisfying. On today’s world stage it seems that China merits more attention than was given here, particularly as China’s current president, Xi Jinping, has essentially made himself ruler for life.
But overall, there is much to love in this book, fascinating detail about the nature and origins of fascism, some history that was new to me about relations among Mussolini, Hitler and Franco, more new knowledge about other fascistic sorts in less central nations in the 20th century and a pretty good survey of who the creatures are that we should be wary of today. Swamp Thing may or may not be a fascist, but
-----If you walk like a fascist, talk like a fascist, think the rules do not apply to you; if you seek to destroy the democratic institutions of your nation, solely to serve your own personal ends; if you foment racism, violence, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny and racial intolerance; if you constantly lie to the people of your country; if you seek to destroy the credibility of news organizations to inoculate yourself against them reporting to the nation about your crimes; if you knowingly collude with foreign powers to undermine your country’s electoral process; if you sell public policy, domestic and foreign, to the highest bidder…you just might be a fascist.
Review first posted – 6/8/18
Publication date – 4/10/18
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s Twitter and FB pages
Items of Interest
-----Back in 2015, Trevor Noah on the Daily Show totally nailed who Trump really is. This is must see if you have not been there already and still wonderful even if you have already seen it. - Trump as African Dictator
-----June 22, 2018 - NY Times - Definitely worth checking out - Trickle Down Trumpsters and the Debasement of Language by Timothy Egan
After a while, people come to “believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true,” wrote Hannah Arendt, the German-born philosopher, in describing how truth lost its way in her native land.-----October 15, 2018 - A nice short video that puts the current danger into historical context - If You’re Not Scared About Fascism in the U.S., You Should Be
-----December 31, 2018 - NY Times - Why Trump Reigns as King Cyrus - by Katherine Stewart - a very frightening look at how the evangelical right views Trump and justifies his many crimes
-----February 22, 2019 - Atlantic Magazine - The Alarming Scope of the President's Emergency Powers - by Elizabeth Goitein - When push comes to prosecute or impeach, do you really expect Trump to accede to the rule of law? This alarming article points out the many tools available to Swamp Thing that might be misused to keep his crooked ass out of jail. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
-----March 7, 2019 - NY Times - Nicholas Kristof offers an optimistic perspective on the unlikelihood of a Trump Reich - We Will Survive. Probably.
-----March 14, 2019 - NY Times - Donald Trump’s Bikers Want to Kick Protester Ass - building a brownshirt militia - this is really bad
-----But Lawrence O'Brien thinks it's just gas. Sure hope he's right.
-----November, 2016 (but first sen by me on 3/20/19) - Open Culture - Umberto Eco Makes a List of the 14 Common Features of Fascism
-----May 10, 2019 - This is what it might look like in action - Daily Beast -Here’s a Preview of America’s 2020 Nightmare if Trump Loses - by Michael Tomasky
Interviews
----- The Atlantic - Episode 20 – April 18, 2018 – 39 minutes – Albright take on directly the question of whether Swamp Thing is or isn’t.
-----C-Span – David Ignatius of the Washington Post interviews Albright – Video – one hour – a lot on North Korea
April 23, 2018
4.5 ⭐️! I felt like I was taking a history class on Fascism throughout the world. There is a lot of information to digest. A very timely book especially since she ties in Trump and Putin. High school teachers should make this required reading in my opinion.
I listened to the audio. I think hearing the book read by the author, Madeleine Albright, made my experience with this book even more powerful.
I will definitely read more books written by her in the future.
Highly recommended!
I listened to the audio. I think hearing the book read by the author, Madeleine Albright, made my experience with this book even more powerful.
I will definitely read more books written by her in the future.
Highly recommended!
January 25, 2020
Have you ever looked at President Trump when he juts out his jaw in a pursed-lip scowl, and said to yourself: my God, look at him, he's a dead ringer for Mussolini? Have you then listened to what he says, and come to realize that he sounds a lot like Mussolini too?
In this focused and disciplined book, Madeleine Albright draws upon her experience. In foreign affairs (as National Secirity Council member, United Nations ambassador, and first woman Secretary of State), as well as her memories as a child refugee World War II era Czechoslovakia, to gives us a brief history of fascism in the 20th century, and warning about its dangers to the world in general—and America in particular—in the age of Trump. I enjoyed her book, and found both the history and the warning to be valuable.
She begins with the origins of Fascism and accounts of the rise to power of both Mussolini and Hitler. She is very good at choosing details with contemporary resonance (Mussolini liked to have his picture taken with his shirt off, Hitler couldn’t sit still and preferred oral briefings), but at her best when she demonstrates that Fascism rarely comes to power by the violent overthrow of a democracy, Instead, through a peaceful—though anomalous—election, a leader with Fascist instincts comes to power, and then proceeds to inflame public opinion and disparage tradition norms so that the constitution itself may be altered or ignored.
So it was in the days of Benito, Adolph, and Josef, and so it has continued with the autocrats of the last thirty years. (Some of whom Mrs Albright has met and describes from a first hand perspective.) Often, as with Chavez, Erdogan, and the leaders of the illiberal democracies of contemporary Poland and Hungary, each man may begin by expressing a concern for his people, but as time goes on, the autocrat widens his power and crushes all forms of opposition.
The last few chapters, of course, are devoted to the question of Trump. I think the following passage will give you idea about how Madame Secretary feels about the bull in our red-white-and-blue china shop:
Trump is the first anti-democratic president in U.S. history. On too many days, beginning in the early hours, he flaunts his disdain for democratic institutions, the ideals of equality and social justice, civil discourse, civic virtues, and America itself. If transplanted to a country with fewer democratic safeguards, he would audition for dictator, because that is where his instincts lead. This frightening fact has consequences. The herd mentality is powerful in international affairs. Leaders around the globe observe, learn from, and mimic one another. They see where their peers are heading, what they can get away with, and how they can augment and perpetuated their power. They walk in one another’s footsteps, as Hitler did with Mussolini—and today the herd is moving in a Fascist direction.
August 28, 2018
Madeleine Albright is an extremely clever, balanced and well-informed person. There's a lot of interesting stuff in this book, but the core question is the one you'd expect from the title: is Donald Trump a fascist? Albright, as noted, is clever and balanced, and she gives a clever and balanced answer: no, of course he isn't, but. It's the "but" that constitutes the warning.
Albright, who was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, sets the bar high when it comes to using the word "fascist". She's seen what real fascists are like, and she doesn't call someone a fascist just because they've got a slightly different take on policy to the one she prefers. (She is remarkably nice about Dubya). She says Mussolini was a fascist, and Hitler, and Franco. The only current head of state that she'd unambiguously call a fascist is Kim Jong-Un, who ticks all the boxes: the constant lying, the delusions of grandeur, the conviction that he is the only person who knows what is right for his country, the utter contempt for human rights, the readiness to starve, enslave, rape and kill hundreds of thousands of his fellow countrymen. Albright met Kim's father during a diplomatic visit at the end of the Clinton administration, when she was Secretary of State and trying to limit the DPRK's nuclear ambitions. She's met real fascists face-to-face and negotiated, with some success, to extract concessions from them.
She thinks that although Putin or Erdoğan or Duterte borrow many plays from the standard fascist playbook, they haven't reached the point where you can call them real fascists. But they keep getting worse, and she says that's a classic pattern: the longer these people stay in power, the more they permit themselves to do. They aim to increase the pressure by imperceptible degrees, removing people's freedoms one at a time. Evidently, if Putin and company aren't fascists, then Trump isn't a fascist. But what's worrying is that he likes these would-be fascists. He expresses his admiration, while simultaneously attacking the fabric of democracy, and that encourages them. This is the thing that Albright finds most disquieting, that the US, which for so long has been the world's most powerful champion of democracy, is now starting to be perceived as a country that's opposed to it.
Albright says she's often asked if she's an optimist or a pessimist, and her standard answer is that she's an optimist who worries a lot. Right now, she says she's more worried than she has been for a long time. She makes me want to do some constructive worrying of my own.
Albright, who was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, sets the bar high when it comes to using the word "fascist". She's seen what real fascists are like, and she doesn't call someone a fascist just because they've got a slightly different take on policy to the one she prefers. (She is remarkably nice about Dubya). She says Mussolini was a fascist, and Hitler, and Franco. The only current head of state that she'd unambiguously call a fascist is Kim Jong-Un, who ticks all the boxes: the constant lying, the delusions of grandeur, the conviction that he is the only person who knows what is right for his country, the utter contempt for human rights, the readiness to starve, enslave, rape and kill hundreds of thousands of his fellow countrymen. Albright met Kim's father during a diplomatic visit at the end of the Clinton administration, when she was Secretary of State and trying to limit the DPRK's nuclear ambitions. She's met real fascists face-to-face and negotiated, with some success, to extract concessions from them.
She thinks that although Putin or Erdoğan or Duterte borrow many plays from the standard fascist playbook, they haven't reached the point where you can call them real fascists. But they keep getting worse, and she says that's a classic pattern: the longer these people stay in power, the more they permit themselves to do. They aim to increase the pressure by imperceptible degrees, removing people's freedoms one at a time. Evidently, if Putin and company aren't fascists, then Trump isn't a fascist. But what's worrying is that he likes these would-be fascists. He expresses his admiration, while simultaneously attacking the fabric of democracy, and that encourages them. This is the thing that Albright finds most disquieting, that the US, which for so long has been the world's most powerful champion of democracy, is now starting to be perceived as a country that's opposed to it.
Albright says she's often asked if she's an optimist or a pessimist, and her standard answer is that she's an optimist who worries a lot. Right now, she says she's more worried than she has been for a long time. She makes me want to do some constructive worrying of my own.
April 19, 2018
"It is easier to remove tyrants and destroy concentration camps than to kill the ideas that gave them birth."
Harry S. Truman
Madeleine Albright knows a bit about Fascism. Her family was forced to flee Czechoslovakia twice, before finally emigrating to the U.S. in 1949. Her maternal grandmother was murdered in a Nazi concentration camp. She has studied international relations, taught history, and served as Secretary of State. When she issues a warning, it should be heeded.
This book, she claims, was already in the works before the presidency of Donald Trump, though she admits that his election "just added to my sense of urgency."
. . . if we think of Fascism as a wound that had almost healed, putting Trump in the White House was like ripping off the bandage and picking at the scab.
It's hard to read this one and NOT see parallels between our current president and shady leaders from the past. For instance, are Albright's following statements describing Mussolini or Trump?
. . . was not an original thinker, but he was a gifted actor who could play a role.
He knew the value of the popular touch and usually succeeded in eliciting whoops of approval from his audience.
. . . a magnetic leader exploiting widespread dissatisfaction by promising all things.
He initiated a campaign to "drain the swamp" . . .
Hitler or Trump?
. . . undisciplined but mesmerizing orator.
He used simple words and did not hesitate to tell what he later described as "colossal untruths."
. . . lure his audiences into thinking that behind their problems there loomed a single adversary.
. . . referred to himself as a true representative of the people . . .
. . . lied shamelessly about himself and his enemies.
Joseph McCarthy or Donald Trump?
. . . he began his public life largely ignorant of policy. His temperament was that of a Fascist bully, but he was uncertain at first where to direct his fury.
His down-to-earth speaking style pleased many voters, as did his reputation for shouting things that more conventional politicians were too timid to whisper.
. . . skin, however, was paper-thin, and he seemed not to care very much whether his startling disclosures had any basis in fact.
You get the picture. All Fascists share common traits. I believe Albright firmly views Trump, as many do, as a symptom, not the disease. All the same, she sees the danger that his presidency is posing: he is damaging our standing worldwide, while at the same time, emboldening other autocrats.
Leaders around the globe observe, learn from, and mimic one another. They see where their peers are heading, what they can get away with, and how they can augment and perpetuate their power.
Despite its depressing subject matter, this book was a pleasure to read. Albright is an excellent writer. She made me ache for the days not so long ago when presidents chose to appoint intelligent, competent people to cabinet positions.
Albright does offer some small hope for the future. She uses a line from her grandmother's journal (yes, the grandmother who was killed by Nazis) to offer a small ray of hope: When God enlightens our brains and we understand that we are all equal before God, it will be better. She then draws the conclusion that This generosity of spirit - this caring about others and about the proposition that we are all created equal - is the single most effective antidote to the self-centered moral numbness that allows Fascism to thrive.
We should probably get started on that right away.
Harry S. Truman
Madeleine Albright knows a bit about Fascism. Her family was forced to flee Czechoslovakia twice, before finally emigrating to the U.S. in 1949. Her maternal grandmother was murdered in a Nazi concentration camp. She has studied international relations, taught history, and served as Secretary of State. When she issues a warning, it should be heeded.
This book, she claims, was already in the works before the presidency of Donald Trump, though she admits that his election "just added to my sense of urgency."
. . . if we think of Fascism as a wound that had almost healed, putting Trump in the White House was like ripping off the bandage and picking at the scab.
It's hard to read this one and NOT see parallels between our current president and shady leaders from the past. For instance, are Albright's following statements describing Mussolini or Trump?
. . . was not an original thinker, but he was a gifted actor who could play a role.
He knew the value of the popular touch and usually succeeded in eliciting whoops of approval from his audience.
. . . a magnetic leader exploiting widespread dissatisfaction by promising all things.
He initiated a campaign to "drain the swamp" . . .
Hitler or Trump?
. . . undisciplined but mesmerizing orator.
He used simple words and did not hesitate to tell what he later described as "colossal untruths."
. . . lure his audiences into thinking that behind their problems there loomed a single adversary.
. . . referred to himself as a true representative of the people . . .
. . . lied shamelessly about himself and his enemies.
Joseph McCarthy or Donald Trump?
. . . he began his public life largely ignorant of policy. His temperament was that of a Fascist bully, but he was uncertain at first where to direct his fury.
His down-to-earth speaking style pleased many voters, as did his reputation for shouting things that more conventional politicians were too timid to whisper.
. . . skin, however, was paper-thin, and he seemed not to care very much whether his startling disclosures had any basis in fact.
You get the picture. All Fascists share common traits. I believe Albright firmly views Trump, as many do, as a symptom, not the disease. All the same, she sees the danger that his presidency is posing: he is damaging our standing worldwide, while at the same time, emboldening other autocrats.
Leaders around the globe observe, learn from, and mimic one another. They see where their peers are heading, what they can get away with, and how they can augment and perpetuate their power.
Despite its depressing subject matter, this book was a pleasure to read. Albright is an excellent writer. She made me ache for the days not so long ago when presidents chose to appoint intelligent, competent people to cabinet positions.
Albright does offer some small hope for the future. She uses a line from her grandmother's journal (yes, the grandmother who was killed by Nazis) to offer a small ray of hope: When God enlightens our brains and we understand that we are all equal before God, it will be better. She then draws the conclusion that This generosity of spirit - this caring about others and about the proposition that we are all created equal - is the single most effective antidote to the self-centered moral numbness that allows Fascism to thrive.
We should probably get started on that right away.
November 6, 2024
Re-post from 2018, when Albright published this prescient book about Trump
Full disclosure: Since reading Albright's memoir "Madam Secretary", I highly respect her for her determination and the sacrifices she made to stand up for her beliefs. Born 1937 in Prague, she and her family have experienced the Third Reich and the rise of the UdSSR, and as a European, I have always appreciated that she - both with her mind and her heart - understands that we are a continent living with a myriad of consequences stemming from a 2,000-year-history of war.
I applaud Albright for pointing out what Trump is up to: "Trump is the first anti-democratic president in modern U.S. history", she writes. "If transplanted to a country with fewer democratic safeguards, he would audition for dictator, because this is where his instincts lead." While some experts on CNN are still criticizing the behavior of "the leader of the free world", Albright is aware that the "free world" certainly doesn't think that Trump is its leader: "Trump's election alone cast doubt in international circles on the judgement of the American people (...) I worry today that the country is, by its own choice, becoming less admired and less relevant in shaping world affairs." Albright fears that the harm that was already done might turn out to be extensive and lasting, and I couldn't agree more.
Albright spends a vast portion of the book describing the rise and workings of Fascist regimes, like in Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, but also of authoritarian regimes like Erdogan's Turkey and Putin's Russia. Anyone interested in history will already know about the events she writes about, still Albright vividly describes the dynamics at play and is able to provide her readers with many personal stories relating to her public offices and her family.
Two things bothered me about the book though: First, I think democratic governments have to be extremely self-critical when it comes to assessing their own track-record regarding their dealings with non-democratic regimes, more self-critical than Albright is in this book. Then, I feel like Albright muddies the waters when it comes to communism, because Stalinism is not the same as, let's say, Swedish socialism (Albright knows this, of course, but she doesn't make it clear enough for my taste); the rise of Trump is certainly related to the working class feeling left behind, deprived of influence and without social security, health care, etc. - the country of Ayn Rand has a problem with a lack of solidarity between its own citizens, because it seems like in the US, solidarity has become a dirty word.
But all in all, an interesting book.
Full disclosure: Since reading Albright's memoir "Madam Secretary", I highly respect her for her determination and the sacrifices she made to stand up for her beliefs. Born 1937 in Prague, she and her family have experienced the Third Reich and the rise of the UdSSR, and as a European, I have always appreciated that she - both with her mind and her heart - understands that we are a continent living with a myriad of consequences stemming from a 2,000-year-history of war.
I applaud Albright for pointing out what Trump is up to: "Trump is the first anti-democratic president in modern U.S. history", she writes. "If transplanted to a country with fewer democratic safeguards, he would audition for dictator, because this is where his instincts lead." While some experts on CNN are still criticizing the behavior of "the leader of the free world", Albright is aware that the "free world" certainly doesn't think that Trump is its leader: "Trump's election alone cast doubt in international circles on the judgement of the American people (...) I worry today that the country is, by its own choice, becoming less admired and less relevant in shaping world affairs." Albright fears that the harm that was already done might turn out to be extensive and lasting, and I couldn't agree more.
Albright spends a vast portion of the book describing the rise and workings of Fascist regimes, like in Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, but also of authoritarian regimes like Erdogan's Turkey and Putin's Russia. Anyone interested in history will already know about the events she writes about, still Albright vividly describes the dynamics at play and is able to provide her readers with many personal stories relating to her public offices and her family.
Two things bothered me about the book though: First, I think democratic governments have to be extremely self-critical when it comes to assessing their own track-record regarding their dealings with non-democratic regimes, more self-critical than Albright is in this book. Then, I feel like Albright muddies the waters when it comes to communism, because Stalinism is not the same as, let's say, Swedish socialism (Albright knows this, of course, but she doesn't make it clear enough for my taste); the rise of Trump is certainly related to the working class feeling left behind, deprived of influence and without social security, health care, etc. - the country of Ayn Rand has a problem with a lack of solidarity between its own citizens, because it seems like in the US, solidarity has become a dirty word.
But all in all, an interesting book.
August 21, 2020
I was disappointed. The book gives neither a clear description of fascism nor a solid warning. Fascism is presented through discussions with her students and sketches of authoritarian leaders. The warning is couched in words like I’m an optimist but I “don’t like what I see”.
The book is still worth reading since the students have some good insights and (while most people who read this book will know how Hitler, Mussolini and other despots came to power) there are some interesting details and anecdotes (such as Franco told Hitler that even if he conquered Britain it would continue to fight from Canada).
For a good description of fascism read: The Anatomy of Fascism and you will see where this book is remiss.
The high points of the book are Albright’s family narratives and those of meeting world leaders. It made me nostalgic for the time, not long ago, when the US was admired and used its stature to promote human rights and democracy. She writes of the Balkan intervention reminding me how little credit President Clinton and NATO are given for ending that war (and not creating a quagmire).
The book is still worth reading since the students have some good insights and (while most people who read this book will know how Hitler, Mussolini and other despots came to power) there are some interesting details and anecdotes (such as Franco told Hitler that even if he conquered Britain it would continue to fight from Canada).
For a good description of fascism read: The Anatomy of Fascism and you will see where this book is remiss.
The high points of the book are Albright’s family narratives and those of meeting world leaders. It made me nostalgic for the time, not long ago, when the US was admired and used its stature to promote human rights and democracy. She writes of the Balkan intervention reminding me how little credit President Clinton and NATO are given for ending that war (and not creating a quagmire).
September 19, 2020
I have decided to embark on a mission to read a number of books on subjects that will be of great importance to the upcoming 2020 US Presidential Election. Many of these will focus on actors intricately involved in the process, in hopes that I can understand them better and, perhaps, educate others with the power to cast a ballot. I am, as always, open to serious recommendations from anyone who has a book I might like to include in the process.
This is Book #4 in my 2020 US Election Preparation Challenge.
The term ‘fascism’ elicits numerous reactions when mentioned in everyday parlance. Some consider it a country whose people goose-step in line with the leader’s views, while others feel it is an overused epithet uttered by teenagers towards their parents. Still others find it to be a way of defining a country whose political ideology differs greatly from their own, thereby suppressing the masses to a belief that no one ought to support. Whatever the definition the reader holds, Madeleine Albright brings the discussion around to something seriously worth considering, especially with the goings-on in the world over the last century and specifically America’s dabbling with it since 2016. Sure to ruffle more than a few feathers, Albright brings her diplomatic past and ongoing role as an academic to this tome, in which she effectively argues that America need be leery of the path down which it is headed, under a leader who knowingly thumbs his nose at the democratic ideal.
After offering some personal sentiments about being a wartime refugee from Czechoslovakia, Albright lays the groundwork for the book by exploring the general tenets of fascism and citing two early (and best known) examples of the ideology. Coined and popularised by Benito Mussolini during Italy’s inter-war years, the leader sought to create a country centred strongly on nationalist sentiment and bundled up key voices to strengthen the whole of the Italian state. His German counterpart, Adolf Hitler, rose through the ranks in Germany and pushed the same sentiment, railing against the need to remain under the allied thumb and pay reparations. There was also the desire to create ‘pure’ states, which would only strengthen the base and make the country even more cohesive. Discounting anything but Italy (or Germany, depending on the dictator), fascism fed on this fiery rhetoric and the central theme echoed through the streets. Enemies were jailed, tortured, or disappeared, while the core supporters were brought together to create an even stronger collective. An interesting fact that Albright shares is that Mussolini appeared to feel that his German counterpart was taking things a little too far, clashing with him on a number of aspects of the Nazi state. While the general ideas of these two countries are likely known to many readers, the details Albright offers add a wonderful depth to the discussion and provide scintillating fact for a history buff like me.
Albright moves on from the far-right examples to explore whether fascism is merely cemented on one side of the ideological spectrum. She argues that it is not, as national pride and extreme exertion to hold onto the belief can be just as effectively found in communist regimes. Albright goes through a number of key leaders of countries that have used fascist tendencies to keep their people in line and other states out. While some of the early ones are more academic examples, Albright’s time as UN Ambassador and US Secretary of State provided her a chance to see many of these men in action for herself. Albright explores the plight of Venezuela under Chavez and how he sought to vilify anything that could have seemed to be Western flavouring of his country, while remaining staunchly nationalist and punishing his people with crippling economic harshness. Other examples like Putin in Russia, all three Kims in North Korea, and Erdogan of Turkey provide some interesting perspectives and are likely leaders more Americans would recognise. Her thorough exploration of these men and their leadership styles tie-in closely with some of the early definitions of fascism as an ideological way of life. While all the men bask in riches and power, their people suffer greatly. Albright argues that this lack of power by the masses feeds into this consolidation of control and the ability for nationalist rhetoric to continue. One cannot keep the people eating from one’s hand without there being disparity and the ‘fat’ West cannot be vilified if everything is going well!
With an exploration of some of the world’s leaders, Albright turns the tables around and explores some of the American examples since early 2017. There has surely been a strong push towards American nationalism, which is less a pride-based rallying call, but one that seeks to divide and isolate. American ‘greatness’ has always been present, though President Trump created a mantra that led many to believe that it was completely gone. Looking to bolster certain sectors by cutting off ties with other countries and imposing crippling tariffs to prove a point will only create economic hardships in the long run. Looking at America’s place on the world stage as being a business partner and not a whole-hearted international partner for democratic stability has also led to this ‘take my ball home’ approach, which feeds not only into an American nationalist sentiment, but also helps open cracks for international groups to crumble and like-minded fascists to topple them like a poorly designed Jenga tower. Pulling America into this way of thinking not only proves troubling on the world scene, but will leave the country in tatters for the next administration, as Trump has (yet) no ability to suspend constitutional limits and keep himself at the helm to bask in the power he is creating. Albright effectively argues that the American people, or at least portions of it, have been lapping up the rhetoric and not looking out for the bigger picture, where years down the road, it will not matter that American nuclear power is strong and the army is large. Without strong regional and international support, there will be a new and troublesome isolation that could take decade to rebuild. A powerful piece for those who have the inclination to hear some of the strong arguments made about the pending trouble that awaits America. Recommended to those whose political mind is piqued by these sorts of discussions, as well as the reader who seeks to take some reflective time determining which path they would like America to follow after January 20, 2021.
Many will know that I love a good political tome, especially when it forces me to think about the world. While I do not have any love loss for the current US president or his administration, I was eager to see if I could follow the arguments made in this book without considering it overly partisan. While Albright served in Democrat camps and rose to prominence under Bill Clinton (one of Trump’s enemies, as he has gladly admitted), she is also an academic whose arguments are strongly based on history, as well as personal experiences. Albright sells her case effectively without needing to dissect either the president or the Trump Administration as being clueless and completely horrid. Her views are substantiated and, as the title suggests, she wishes to warn the reader about what is to come if things continue on the same path. The book itself is thorough and offers the reader a great deal of information to synthesise as they consider what has been going on in the world over the past one hundred years. With well-balanced chapters that offer insight and frank commentary, Albright presents her case without getting overly partisan or muddy. Perhaps a tad academic at times, those readers who enjoy this type of book will surely want to delve deeper, exploring some of the source material offered in the latter pages of the tome. While there is the ongoing debate about whether democracy is the saviour of the world (think of Churchill’s famous comments about the ideology) or simply another option for countries to choose, the arguments made in this book are surely something sobering at a time when ideological fluidity appears to be on the rise. Whatever the answer, it is time for Americans to choose who and what they want, knowing that there is surely some outside (fascist?) base seeking to sway things to disrupt the democratic process. Then again, what do I know, being a Canadian looking in from the outside?
Kudos, Madam Albright, for an enriching experience that I will refer to any who want a great read. I am eager to explore some of your other work, which I can only hope will be as insightful as this piece.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
This is Book #4 in my 2020 US Election Preparation Challenge.
The term ‘fascism’ elicits numerous reactions when mentioned in everyday parlance. Some consider it a country whose people goose-step in line with the leader’s views, while others feel it is an overused epithet uttered by teenagers towards their parents. Still others find it to be a way of defining a country whose political ideology differs greatly from their own, thereby suppressing the masses to a belief that no one ought to support. Whatever the definition the reader holds, Madeleine Albright brings the discussion around to something seriously worth considering, especially with the goings-on in the world over the last century and specifically America’s dabbling with it since 2016. Sure to ruffle more than a few feathers, Albright brings her diplomatic past and ongoing role as an academic to this tome, in which she effectively argues that America need be leery of the path down which it is headed, under a leader who knowingly thumbs his nose at the democratic ideal.
After offering some personal sentiments about being a wartime refugee from Czechoslovakia, Albright lays the groundwork for the book by exploring the general tenets of fascism and citing two early (and best known) examples of the ideology. Coined and popularised by Benito Mussolini during Italy’s inter-war years, the leader sought to create a country centred strongly on nationalist sentiment and bundled up key voices to strengthen the whole of the Italian state. His German counterpart, Adolf Hitler, rose through the ranks in Germany and pushed the same sentiment, railing against the need to remain under the allied thumb and pay reparations. There was also the desire to create ‘pure’ states, which would only strengthen the base and make the country even more cohesive. Discounting anything but Italy (or Germany, depending on the dictator), fascism fed on this fiery rhetoric and the central theme echoed through the streets. Enemies were jailed, tortured, or disappeared, while the core supporters were brought together to create an even stronger collective. An interesting fact that Albright shares is that Mussolini appeared to feel that his German counterpart was taking things a little too far, clashing with him on a number of aspects of the Nazi state. While the general ideas of these two countries are likely known to many readers, the details Albright offers add a wonderful depth to the discussion and provide scintillating fact for a history buff like me.
Albright moves on from the far-right examples to explore whether fascism is merely cemented on one side of the ideological spectrum. She argues that it is not, as national pride and extreme exertion to hold onto the belief can be just as effectively found in communist regimes. Albright goes through a number of key leaders of countries that have used fascist tendencies to keep their people in line and other states out. While some of the early ones are more academic examples, Albright’s time as UN Ambassador and US Secretary of State provided her a chance to see many of these men in action for herself. Albright explores the plight of Venezuela under Chavez and how he sought to vilify anything that could have seemed to be Western flavouring of his country, while remaining staunchly nationalist and punishing his people with crippling economic harshness. Other examples like Putin in Russia, all three Kims in North Korea, and Erdogan of Turkey provide some interesting perspectives and are likely leaders more Americans would recognise. Her thorough exploration of these men and their leadership styles tie-in closely with some of the early definitions of fascism as an ideological way of life. While all the men bask in riches and power, their people suffer greatly. Albright argues that this lack of power by the masses feeds into this consolidation of control and the ability for nationalist rhetoric to continue. One cannot keep the people eating from one’s hand without there being disparity and the ‘fat’ West cannot be vilified if everything is going well!
With an exploration of some of the world’s leaders, Albright turns the tables around and explores some of the American examples since early 2017. There has surely been a strong push towards American nationalism, which is less a pride-based rallying call, but one that seeks to divide and isolate. American ‘greatness’ has always been present, though President Trump created a mantra that led many to believe that it was completely gone. Looking to bolster certain sectors by cutting off ties with other countries and imposing crippling tariffs to prove a point will only create economic hardships in the long run. Looking at America’s place on the world stage as being a business partner and not a whole-hearted international partner for democratic stability has also led to this ‘take my ball home’ approach, which feeds not only into an American nationalist sentiment, but also helps open cracks for international groups to crumble and like-minded fascists to topple them like a poorly designed Jenga tower. Pulling America into this way of thinking not only proves troubling on the world scene, but will leave the country in tatters for the next administration, as Trump has (yet) no ability to suspend constitutional limits and keep himself at the helm to bask in the power he is creating. Albright effectively argues that the American people, or at least portions of it, have been lapping up the rhetoric and not looking out for the bigger picture, where years down the road, it will not matter that American nuclear power is strong and the army is large. Without strong regional and international support, there will be a new and troublesome isolation that could take decade to rebuild. A powerful piece for those who have the inclination to hear some of the strong arguments made about the pending trouble that awaits America. Recommended to those whose political mind is piqued by these sorts of discussions, as well as the reader who seeks to take some reflective time determining which path they would like America to follow after January 20, 2021.
Many will know that I love a good political tome, especially when it forces me to think about the world. While I do not have any love loss for the current US president or his administration, I was eager to see if I could follow the arguments made in this book without considering it overly partisan. While Albright served in Democrat camps and rose to prominence under Bill Clinton (one of Trump’s enemies, as he has gladly admitted), she is also an academic whose arguments are strongly based on history, as well as personal experiences. Albright sells her case effectively without needing to dissect either the president or the Trump Administration as being clueless and completely horrid. Her views are substantiated and, as the title suggests, she wishes to warn the reader about what is to come if things continue on the same path. The book itself is thorough and offers the reader a great deal of information to synthesise as they consider what has been going on in the world over the past one hundred years. With well-balanced chapters that offer insight and frank commentary, Albright presents her case without getting overly partisan or muddy. Perhaps a tad academic at times, those readers who enjoy this type of book will surely want to delve deeper, exploring some of the source material offered in the latter pages of the tome. While there is the ongoing debate about whether democracy is the saviour of the world (think of Churchill’s famous comments about the ideology) or simply another option for countries to choose, the arguments made in this book are surely something sobering at a time when ideological fluidity appears to be on the rise. Whatever the answer, it is time for Americans to choose who and what they want, knowing that there is surely some outside (fascist?) base seeking to sway things to disrupt the democratic process. Then again, what do I know, being a Canadian looking in from the outside?
Kudos, Madam Albright, for an enriching experience that I will refer to any who want a great read. I am eager to explore some of your other work, which I can only hope will be as insightful as this piece.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
November 27, 2018
"What makes a movement Fascist is not ideology but the willingness to do whatever is necessary - including the use of force and trampling on the rights of others - to achieve victory and command obedience."
Facism: A Warning is a sobering and chilling look at the state of the world today, written by a woman who knows all too well the dangers inherent in Facism. Ms. Albright opens the book with a discussion of just what Fascism is and of its beginnings in 1920s Italy with Mussolini and then 1930s Germany with Hitler. She analyzes the reasons why fascism arose in the first place, what led people to accept leaders like Hitler and Mussolini, Franco and Kim Il-sung. And later, Lech Wałęsa in Poland, Václav Havel in the former Czechoslovakia, Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. How did these men come to power, how did they get into positions that allowed them to create such enormous suffering for their constituents?
Democracy and Fascism clashed all throughout the 20th century; one would be remiss to think that after the fall of Hitler and Mussolini fascism died out. Instead it did not only endure, it has now reared its ugly head and is stronger than at any time since the end of WWII, posing a terrible threat to world peace and human rights. We now have Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt, and of course, Donald Trump in the USA, a country which historically always prided itself on being the leader of the free world.
I learned so very much from this book. I knew I didn't know a lot about the political atmosphere of the early 20th century, but didn't realise quite how ignorant I was until reading this book. Though at times it felt a little dry, I was nonetheless glad to read it and learn so much. It is both a history lesson and a warning, as the title implies. We seem to be at a crossroads, not just in America but throughout the world. If democracy is to prevail, people need to not just be informed but also, for those with the freedom still to do so, to speak out. We need to look at the past, see how it has shaped our present, and heed the warnings in order to create a better future for all of humanity.
"We are not there yet, but these feel like signposts on the road back to an era when Fascism found nourishment and individual tragedies were multiplied millions-fold."
Facism: A Warning is a sobering and chilling look at the state of the world today, written by a woman who knows all too well the dangers inherent in Facism. Ms. Albright opens the book with a discussion of just what Fascism is and of its beginnings in 1920s Italy with Mussolini and then 1930s Germany with Hitler. She analyzes the reasons why fascism arose in the first place, what led people to accept leaders like Hitler and Mussolini, Franco and Kim Il-sung. And later, Lech Wałęsa in Poland, Václav Havel in the former Czechoslovakia, Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. How did these men come to power, how did they get into positions that allowed them to create such enormous suffering for their constituents?
Democracy and Fascism clashed all throughout the 20th century; one would be remiss to think that after the fall of Hitler and Mussolini fascism died out. Instead it did not only endure, it has now reared its ugly head and is stronger than at any time since the end of WWII, posing a terrible threat to world peace and human rights. We now have Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt, and of course, Donald Trump in the USA, a country which historically always prided itself on being the leader of the free world.
I learned so very much from this book. I knew I didn't know a lot about the political atmosphere of the early 20th century, but didn't realise quite how ignorant I was until reading this book. Though at times it felt a little dry, I was nonetheless glad to read it and learn so much. It is both a history lesson and a warning, as the title implies. We seem to be at a crossroads, not just in America but throughout the world. If democracy is to prevail, people need to not just be informed but also, for those with the freedom still to do so, to speak out. We need to look at the past, see how it has shaped our present, and heed the warnings in order to create a better future for all of humanity.
"We are not there yet, but these feel like signposts on the road back to an era when Fascism found nourishment and individual tragedies were multiplied millions-fold."
November 13, 2019
In Fascism: A Warning, Albright weaves her personal history with the history of the rise of fascism in Italy with Benito Mussolini and in Germany with Adolf Hitler in the early 20th century, then moves to more contemporary foreign affairs and dictators. She speaks from her own experience, while relating facts surrounding each fascist's rise to power, and later drawing from her time as Secretary of State.
As she progresses through 20th century history, it is impossible not to draw comparisons between the fascist leaders she examines and our current POTUS. Especially noteworthy was the acknowledgement that it was Mussolini who first forged a campaign to "drenare la palude" (drain the swamp).
This is likely the most important book I will read this year (or shall I say this term?). As the philosopher George Santayana warned, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Proving that I agree, I have been recommending this book to everyone who tries to begin a "can you believe what's happening?" discussion with me.
As she progresses through 20th century history, it is impossible not to draw comparisons between the fascist leaders she examines and our current POTUS. Especially noteworthy was the acknowledgement that it was Mussolini who first forged a campaign to "drenare la palude" (drain the swamp).
This is likely the most important book I will read this year (or shall I say this term?). As the philosopher George Santayana warned, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Proving that I agree, I have been recommending this book to everyone who tries to begin a "can you believe what's happening?" discussion with me.
February 26, 2022
Tyranny: A Warning? Anti-Democracy: A Warning? I didn’t really know what to expect from this book, but it is not (only) about fascism. In fact, Nationalism: A Warning, would have been an accurate description as well, but either the author or the publisher was too timid to call it that. Granted, there are bits of popular history about fascism in here, but soon the gallery descends into ‘Whoever has opposed the US in the past’: A Warning. Albright completely lost me at ‘Soviet-style fascism’—something that she herself notes is an idea peddled mainly by the fascist right. It is not the only schizophrenic aspect of the book. Albright pays lip service to bad Americans and failed American policy, but in the end the US remains the beacon of light in the world—never mind support of anti-democratic coups, drones killing thousands of civilians, etc. The same with capitalism: on the one hand she seems to admit that ‘structural reform’ (a euphemism if there ever was one) programmes have been a source of economic hardship that is the breeding ground for actual fascism, but at the same time, she really subscribes to the idea that there is no alternative. Unfettered global capitalism run by corporations beyond democratic control is a ‘fact of life’, not an ideology, apparently. The real danger in calling everything in this book ‘fascism’ is that it is not much different from Trump’s ‘all sides’ comment. When you sit comfortably in the well-off liberal centre, everyone else is an enemy if they threaten the order that is with increasing pace making the world a worse place for the majority of its inhabitants (the stats about the world being a better place for everyone are an embarrassment). Hence, the ‘fascism’ of Hugo Chavez, for example. The interesting bits were about Albright’s personal experiences in diplomacy, but for that I would have preferred a memoir, not a book allegedly about fascism. Fascism is a real problem in the 21st century, but for its causes and symptoms this book looks the wrong way.
May 8, 2018
It's funny how the same person can give us such a clear-sighted analysis of the various faces of fascism throughout the world, and still remain blind to the shortcomings and injustices perpetrated by their own "regime". And be THAT blunt about it:
"I tell my students that the fundamental purpose of foreign policy is elementary: to convince other countries to do what we would like them to do. To that end, there are various tools at our disposal, which range from making polite requests to sending in the Marines. The incentives we can offer include everything from words of praise to boxes of seeds to shiploads of tanks. We can apply pressure on the recalcitrant by enlisting allies, friends, and international organizations to reinforce our requests. If right is clearly on our side, we can threaten to support economic and security sanctions, or go ahead and impose them, then tighten them again and again should the government in question refuse to do what we think it must. To concentrate minds, we can arrange peaceful, yet instructive, displays of military prowess in the country’s front yard. We can, if circumstances allow, use covert means to disrupt its activities so that when, for example, a missile is launched, it goes sideways not up. All the while, we can stress the benefits an accord might produce: an end to isolation, a new era of prosperity, long-term security, and peace."
And when nothing else works, bomb the hell out of them. Like the DEMOCRATS we are.
An insightful book, written by the wrong person.
"I tell my students that the fundamental purpose of foreign policy is elementary: to convince other countries to do what we would like them to do. To that end, there are various tools at our disposal, which range from making polite requests to sending in the Marines. The incentives we can offer include everything from words of praise to boxes of seeds to shiploads of tanks. We can apply pressure on the recalcitrant by enlisting allies, friends, and international organizations to reinforce our requests. If right is clearly on our side, we can threaten to support economic and security sanctions, or go ahead and impose them, then tighten them again and again should the government in question refuse to do what we think it must. To concentrate minds, we can arrange peaceful, yet instructive, displays of military prowess in the country’s front yard. We can, if circumstances allow, use covert means to disrupt its activities so that when, for example, a missile is launched, it goes sideways not up. All the while, we can stress the benefits an accord might produce: an end to isolation, a new era of prosperity, long-term security, and peace."
And when nothing else works, bomb the hell out of them. Like the DEMOCRATS we are.
An insightful book, written by the wrong person.
March 26, 2018
Received this ARC from Westwinds Bookshop, Duxbury, MA
A timely read. Easy to understand.
Recommend it to a High School student- our future voters should be aware of fascism and its followers.
A timely read. Easy to understand.
Recommend it to a High School student- our future voters should be aware of fascism and its followers.
August 28, 2019
Words, I can sense, are very deceptive. Their soft exterior is a facade. Words can break apart even the strongest structures. Words, in the ocean of jeopardy, can be rain. Words, after all this, can end life and begin life anew. Words, I have found, are coarse, and incinerating, and civil, and threatening. Fascism, for me, is one such word. What is your story, Reader, what are the words that pin you by their sharp edges? Like I said, fascism. F-A-S-C-I-S-M. An ism that frightens me the most. It isn't just because I am used to freedom. It isn't just because I am frenzied by the limitless alternatives. It is because, also because, I don't know how it will be but I know that it is going to be bad.
Fascism - A Warning by Madeleine Albright is my preparatory course on fascism. I know I am not overthinking. I know that fascism has come to our doorstep and it's waiting to come in unannounced. However, I don't believe that it is coming unannounced. It has already made its presence felt. It is an enemy. It can be a friend. But more than its friendship, it is its poisonous grip that I am afraid of. This book reinstated my belief. It told me that this time, I am not overthinking. I am trying to unfold it. It is the first time that we have had such a long interaction but I know it in my heart that this book and I, are meant to be friends. Even though I know that no amount of preparation can undo the jolt life is going to give me, I am still going to keep it as close to my heart as it is possible for me. This time, closer than I have kept Gone With the Wind and The Fountainhead.
Madeleine Albright's book is a course in history that we need and that was denied to us. She is a teacher all of us need and urgently so, considering the time we are living in. Hold the book close. Read it. Listen to what she has to say about the fascists. Be attentive when she tells you about the rise of fascism. Let her words run in your veins. Read her. You must read her.
Fascism - A Warning by Madeleine Albright is my preparatory course on fascism. I know I am not overthinking. I know that fascism has come to our doorstep and it's waiting to come in unannounced. However, I don't believe that it is coming unannounced. It has already made its presence felt. It is an enemy. It can be a friend. But more than its friendship, it is its poisonous grip that I am afraid of. This book reinstated my belief. It told me that this time, I am not overthinking. I am trying to unfold it. It is the first time that we have had such a long interaction but I know it in my heart that this book and I, are meant to be friends. Even though I know that no amount of preparation can undo the jolt life is going to give me, I am still going to keep it as close to my heart as it is possible for me. This time, closer than I have kept Gone With the Wind and The Fountainhead.
Madeleine Albright's book is a course in history that we need and that was denied to us. She is a teacher all of us need and urgently so, considering the time we are living in. Hold the book close. Read it. Listen to what she has to say about the fascists. Be attentive when she tells you about the rise of fascism. Let her words run in your veins. Read her. You must read her.
April 10, 2018
Oh how I wanted to rate this book a 6.
This is a timely book by a brilliant person who had a front row seat to the tragedy that was Europe in the Mid-20th Century. There is little doubt that the world is starting to look fearfully like it did at the beginning of those dark hours, starting with the tyranny of Hitler and Mussolini and culminating in the Cold War and the gulags of the Soviet Union.
Figuratively speaking, this is really three books. The first will be the most divisive and may, in fact, quite unfortunately, relegate the book to practical irrelevance. The second book is extremely insightful and informative. And the third book, honestly, is pure gold and vintage Madeleine Albright.
The first book begins with a contradiction. Albright openly acknowledges that Fascism has become a meaningless epithet, hurled, as it is, by opposing politicians of every stripe and at parents merely attempting to limit the cell phone usage of their children. She goes on to defend the titular use of the term, however, by clarifying her use of the term: “To my mind, a Fascist is someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary—including violence—to achieve his or her goals.”
At that point, however, she hasn’t really narrowed the list of politicians who qualify for the pejorative label at all. Every reader will conclude that his or her political enemies fit the bill. She seals the fate of this portion of the book, however, when she asks, on page 4 of the book, “…why, this far into the twenty-first century, are we once again talking about Fascism?” And answers, “One reason, frankly, is Donald Trump. If we think of Fascism as a wound from the past that had almost healed, putting Trump in the White House was like ripping off the bandage and picking at the scab.” And she goes on to make thinly veiled comparisons between Trump, Mussolini, and Joseph McCarthy.
And, unfortunately, I fear, she, in one fell swoop of prose, both fuels the fires of division while exiling the book to practical irrelevance. In the end, she will likely only energize both political extremes, and, I suspect, the reader ratings of this book will ultimately reflect that.
That is most unfortunate because without those opening pages this would be a terrific book. It chronicles both relevant history and the recent past to a degree that few other people on the planet could.
The second part of the book is devoted to an analysis of recent political events in Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Venezuela, the Philippines, Russia, North Korea, and, of course, the United States. All, to varying degrees, she maintains, are showing signs of a slide toward Fascism and the decline of post-war liberal democracy. It is an informative analysis and unless you are a political junkie, you will learn a lot.
In the third part of the book she truly hits her stride. She notes, for starters, that the Fascist epithet may be appropriate for the US today for reasons having more to do with economics than populism. The Fascist Party of Italy, which gave rise to general use of the term, was the ultimate merger of the corporate and political states. And that is, in fact, what has happened here in the US.
The incorporation of America has been going on since the conservative movement of the 1980s, however, and while Trump is carrying the corporate water at the moment, he can hardly be blamed for allowing Wall Street and Silicon Valley to take control of Washington.
The incorporation accelerated greatly during the dot-com 90s when young entrepreneurs were preaching disruption and libertarianism. It is ironic, indeed, that tech’s “democratic” perspective has now produced among the biggest and most powerful corporations the world has ever known. And they pulled it off, actually, while the anti-trust regulators in both Republican and Democratic administrations stood by and watched.
To me what we have today is not so much analogous to the Fascist or Nazi parties of the mid-20th Century as it is the power of the church in Medieval Europe. The kings and queens of Washington may wear the crowns, but it is the corporate “popes” of Wall Street and Silicon Valley that are really calling the shots.
Which is why both parties, I think, should be fearful of whatever happens in the mid-term elections. Be careful what you wish for. Neither party has defined an agenda that addresses the issues that originally brought Trump to power. And until that happens I believe Albright’s Fascist warning will remain valid.
In the final chapters of the book Albright notes that putting American interests first invites Russia, China, and others to do the same. And it is here that she lowers her partisan guard (we all have one) and calls for unity through the recognition of our common humanity and the rejection of extremism that favors one group over another.
It is here that she also seems to soften her position on ideals of post-war democratic liberalism and focuses more on compassion, integrity, and fairness. I think of it as defining a new standard of shared obligation and responsibility that includes those countries and those people that aren’t rushing to implement an Electoral College and to copy our form of bare-knuckle individualism, but those are my words, not hers.
In the end she notes that spend her time on issues like: “…purging excess money from politics, improving civic education, defending journalistic independence, adjusting to the changing nature of the workplace, enhancing inter-religious dialogue, and putting a saddle on the bucking bronco we call the Internet.” It’s a perfect ending to what is a very good book by an inspiring individual.
I do recommend you read it.
This is a timely book by a brilliant person who had a front row seat to the tragedy that was Europe in the Mid-20th Century. There is little doubt that the world is starting to look fearfully like it did at the beginning of those dark hours, starting with the tyranny of Hitler and Mussolini and culminating in the Cold War and the gulags of the Soviet Union.
Figuratively speaking, this is really three books. The first will be the most divisive and may, in fact, quite unfortunately, relegate the book to practical irrelevance. The second book is extremely insightful and informative. And the third book, honestly, is pure gold and vintage Madeleine Albright.
The first book begins with a contradiction. Albright openly acknowledges that Fascism has become a meaningless epithet, hurled, as it is, by opposing politicians of every stripe and at parents merely attempting to limit the cell phone usage of their children. She goes on to defend the titular use of the term, however, by clarifying her use of the term: “To my mind, a Fascist is someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary—including violence—to achieve his or her goals.”
At that point, however, she hasn’t really narrowed the list of politicians who qualify for the pejorative label at all. Every reader will conclude that his or her political enemies fit the bill. She seals the fate of this portion of the book, however, when she asks, on page 4 of the book, “…why, this far into the twenty-first century, are we once again talking about Fascism?” And answers, “One reason, frankly, is Donald Trump. If we think of Fascism as a wound from the past that had almost healed, putting Trump in the White House was like ripping off the bandage and picking at the scab.” And she goes on to make thinly veiled comparisons between Trump, Mussolini, and Joseph McCarthy.
And, unfortunately, I fear, she, in one fell swoop of prose, both fuels the fires of division while exiling the book to practical irrelevance. In the end, she will likely only energize both political extremes, and, I suspect, the reader ratings of this book will ultimately reflect that.
That is most unfortunate because without those opening pages this would be a terrific book. It chronicles both relevant history and the recent past to a degree that few other people on the planet could.
The second part of the book is devoted to an analysis of recent political events in Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Venezuela, the Philippines, Russia, North Korea, and, of course, the United States. All, to varying degrees, she maintains, are showing signs of a slide toward Fascism and the decline of post-war liberal democracy. It is an informative analysis and unless you are a political junkie, you will learn a lot.
In the third part of the book she truly hits her stride. She notes, for starters, that the Fascist epithet may be appropriate for the US today for reasons having more to do with economics than populism. The Fascist Party of Italy, which gave rise to general use of the term, was the ultimate merger of the corporate and political states. And that is, in fact, what has happened here in the US.
The incorporation of America has been going on since the conservative movement of the 1980s, however, and while Trump is carrying the corporate water at the moment, he can hardly be blamed for allowing Wall Street and Silicon Valley to take control of Washington.
The incorporation accelerated greatly during the dot-com 90s when young entrepreneurs were preaching disruption and libertarianism. It is ironic, indeed, that tech’s “democratic” perspective has now produced among the biggest and most powerful corporations the world has ever known. And they pulled it off, actually, while the anti-trust regulators in both Republican and Democratic administrations stood by and watched.
To me what we have today is not so much analogous to the Fascist or Nazi parties of the mid-20th Century as it is the power of the church in Medieval Europe. The kings and queens of Washington may wear the crowns, but it is the corporate “popes” of Wall Street and Silicon Valley that are really calling the shots.
Which is why both parties, I think, should be fearful of whatever happens in the mid-term elections. Be careful what you wish for. Neither party has defined an agenda that addresses the issues that originally brought Trump to power. And until that happens I believe Albright’s Fascist warning will remain valid.
In the final chapters of the book Albright notes that putting American interests first invites Russia, China, and others to do the same. And it is here that she lowers her partisan guard (we all have one) and calls for unity through the recognition of our common humanity and the rejection of extremism that favors one group over another.
It is here that she also seems to soften her position on ideals of post-war democratic liberalism and focuses more on compassion, integrity, and fairness. I think of it as defining a new standard of shared obligation and responsibility that includes those countries and those people that aren’t rushing to implement an Electoral College and to copy our form of bare-knuckle individualism, but those are my words, not hers.
In the end she notes that spend her time on issues like: “…purging excess money from politics, improving civic education, defending journalistic independence, adjusting to the changing nature of the workplace, enhancing inter-religious dialogue, and putting a saddle on the bucking bronco we call the Internet.” It’s a perfect ending to what is a very good book by an inspiring individual.
I do recommend you read it.
June 30, 2018
The book is a good warning about the dangers of Fascism and how easy it is to fall for. I have no problem whatsoever fitting the current US administration into that category as Albright does. This is not the best book about that however. It's boring and sort of shallow. She talks about fascists abroad and good people in the US without recognizing how awful our past as been as well. John Meacham's history is more nuanced. It's probably hard for someone like Albright to understand the root problems of American imperialism abroad and she doesn't. If you can't understand core problems with US military presence abroad and if you think the US has always been good and other people have always been bad, then you fall into Trump's line of thinking.
November 18, 2018
A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, “is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have. — Madeleine K. Albright, Fascism: A Warning
.
I’m not sure what I was expecting nor whether I was going to enjoy it (although that sounds inappropriate) when I started reading madam Albright’s “Fascism: A Warning,” given the seriousness of the topic; but this was an insight, informative, and eye-opening book. Surprisingly accessible, compulsively readable, and well-written, think of it as “Fascism 101” course without the ridiculous tuition. 🤣 As someone who had experienced facism firsthand & whose life was shaped by it, with a life-long distinguished diplomatic career & professorship @ Georgetown University, madam Albright has the credibility to write this book, and her voice, authority, experiences, and intelligence are strongly showcased in this book.
.
In this book, madam Albright chronicles & examines the history of fascism throughout 20th century and draws on her personal history, government experiences, and conversations with Georgetown students to assess current dangers, outlines the warning signs of fascism, and wisely offers her thoughts for restoring America’s values and reputation as our country is currently run by “the first antidemocratic president in modern U.S. history” 🍊 🤡 and incompetent Administration that has no business being in the White House. Madam Albright doesn’t sugarcoat anything — alarms about our nation’s descent into fascism & puts into historical perspective where our nation is perilously headed. Albright said, “That's what's so worrisome, is that fascism can come in a way that it is one step at a time, and in many ways, goes unnoticed until it's too late.” This is a wise, smart, urgent, informative book serving as a warning about what could happen if were not careful. Highly recommend it! 🤓✌️📖
.
I’m not sure what I was expecting nor whether I was going to enjoy it (although that sounds inappropriate) when I started reading madam Albright’s “Fascism: A Warning,” given the seriousness of the topic; but this was an insight, informative, and eye-opening book. Surprisingly accessible, compulsively readable, and well-written, think of it as “Fascism 101” course without the ridiculous tuition. 🤣 As someone who had experienced facism firsthand & whose life was shaped by it, with a life-long distinguished diplomatic career & professorship @ Georgetown University, madam Albright has the credibility to write this book, and her voice, authority, experiences, and intelligence are strongly showcased in this book.
.
In this book, madam Albright chronicles & examines the history of fascism throughout 20th century and draws on her personal history, government experiences, and conversations with Georgetown students to assess current dangers, outlines the warning signs of fascism, and wisely offers her thoughts for restoring America’s values and reputation as our country is currently run by “the first antidemocratic president in modern U.S. history” 🍊 🤡 and incompetent Administration that has no business being in the White House. Madam Albright doesn’t sugarcoat anything — alarms about our nation’s descent into fascism & puts into historical perspective where our nation is perilously headed. Albright said, “That's what's so worrisome, is that fascism can come in a way that it is one step at a time, and in many ways, goes unnoticed until it's too late.” This is a wise, smart, urgent, informative book serving as a warning about what could happen if were not careful. Highly recommend it! 🤓✌️📖
April 30, 2018
A brilliant book that is written in a conversational tone; reading it feels like sitting at the feet of a favorite teacher. Each chapter profiles a Fascist or autocratic leader from history and the conditions that led to the rise of his power - Mussolini, Hitler, Chavez, Erdogan, Putin, etc. What was striking to me were the comparisons to Trump - not stated but obvious nonetheless. For example, it was Mussolini that first used the phrase, “drain the swamp” and Hitler who bragged about telling outrageous lies. But while Albright acknowledges Trump’s autocratic tendencies, she sees his election as a symptom of the re-emergence of the nationalistic and populist sympathies that existed during the 1920s and 30s and also as encouragement to Fascist leaning leaders throughout the world today. So much of value here - my words don't do it justice. Recommended reading for all.
September 22, 2019
Šitą apžvalgą pradėsiu citata:
Į tai orientuota ir visa knyga. Tik pačiam jos gale, paskutiniame skyriuje, Albright papasakoja, jog knygą rašė galvodama apie JAV prezidento rinkimus ir kad, jei būtų juos laimėjusi Hilary Clinton, būtų vis tiek rašiusi (maždaug: suplanavau ją kaip demokratijos gaidelę Clinton valdžios pradžioje). Kadangi laimėjo Trumpas, tai ji ne tik parašė, bet ir prirašė apie jį visą skyrių.
Tokia info - apie knygos intenciją - būtų labai pravertusi ir knygos anotacijoje, ir pradžioje, kokiame nors intro. Nes skaityti pradedi - bent aš pradėjau - su kitokiu lūkesčiu: kad tai bus gal ir eseistinė, bet vis tiek daugmaž teorinė knyga, analizuojanti fašizmą, jo kilmę, galbūt priežastis. Nu tokia labiau arendtiška, bent jau wannabe.
Bet knyga yra pusiau retrospektyvinė, pusiau schematiška, pusiau kaip įvadėlis JAV užsienio politikos bakalaurantams. Ji padalyta į keliolika skyrių pagal atskiras XX a. valstybes/lyderius, kuriuos Albright laiko fašistais ir / arba su kuriais Albright "turėjo reikalų" (nes kodėl, pvz nėra nieko apie Ruandą? Al-Qaedą? Ir turbūt dar apie daugelį): pvz, skrido į Pchenjaną pas Šiaurės Korėjos lyderį, kalbėjosi su Putinu ir tt. Visus knygos skyrius persmelkęs tas pats vaibas, kuris artikuliuojamas tik pačiam gale: kaip tie dalykai veikia JAV, kuo jie svarbūs / nesvarbūs JAV, ką JAV galėjo / turėjo padaryti kokioj nors situacijoj. Taigi jei nesi JAV fanas/ė - praktiškai prasilenki su didžiąja dalimi knygos. Taip nutiko ir man.
Pačių apmąstymų apie fašizmą knygoj palyginti nedaug. Pagal nutylėtą prielaidą fašizmas ima vystytis ten, kur silpnėja demokratiniai procesai. Anot Albright, jis vis "tyko už kampo" - ir Hitleris tarsi ne iškart paėmė valdžią, ir visi kiti minimi evilz. Žodžiu, tai blogis, kurį galima pričiupti - kaip? - turbūt kuo daugiau stebint pakampes. Kaip ir atitinka masinio stebėjimo logiką - sritis, kur, kaip žinom, JAV vaidina ne paskutinį vaidmenį.
Nu ir dar citatėlė apie JAV misiją pasauliui, kad neužsimirštume:
Nuo pat įkūrimo JAV - vilties šaltinis milijonams. (p. 213)
Į tai orientuota ir visa knyga. Tik pačiam jos gale, paskutiniame skyriuje, Albright papasakoja, jog knygą rašė galvodama apie JAV prezidento rinkimus ir kad, jei būtų juos laimėjusi Hilary Clinton, būtų vis tiek rašiusi (maždaug: suplanavau ją kaip demokratijos gaidelę Clinton valdžios pradžioje). Kadangi laimėjo Trumpas, tai ji ne tik parašė, bet ir prirašė apie jį visą skyrių.
Tokia info - apie knygos intenciją - būtų labai pravertusi ir knygos anotacijoje, ir pradžioje, kokiame nors intro. Nes skaityti pradedi - bent aš pradėjau - su kitokiu lūkesčiu: kad tai bus gal ir eseistinė, bet vis tiek daugmaž teorinė knyga, analizuojanti fašizmą, jo kilmę, galbūt priežastis. Nu tokia labiau arendtiška, bent jau wannabe.
Bet knyga yra pusiau retrospektyvinė, pusiau schematiška, pusiau kaip įvadėlis JAV užsienio politikos bakalaurantams. Ji padalyta į keliolika skyrių pagal atskiras XX a. valstybes/lyderius, kuriuos Albright laiko fašistais ir / arba su kuriais Albright "turėjo reikalų" (nes kodėl, pvz nėra nieko apie Ruandą? Al-Qaedą? Ir turbūt dar apie daugelį): pvz, skrido į Pchenjaną pas Šiaurės Korėjos lyderį, kalbėjosi su Putinu ir tt. Visus knygos skyrius persmelkęs tas pats vaibas, kuris artikuliuojamas tik pačiam gale: kaip tie dalykai veikia JAV, kuo jie svarbūs / nesvarbūs JAV, ką JAV galėjo / turėjo padaryti kokioj nors situacijoj. Taigi jei nesi JAV fanas/ė - praktiškai prasilenki su didžiąja dalimi knygos. Taip nutiko ir man.
Pačių apmąstymų apie fašizmą knygoj palyginti nedaug. Pagal nutylėtą prielaidą fašizmas ima vystytis ten, kur silpnėja demokratiniai procesai. Anot Albright, jis vis "tyko už kampo" - ir Hitleris tarsi ne iškart paėmė valdžią, ir visi kiti minimi evilz. Žodžiu, tai blogis, kurį galima pričiupti - kaip? - turbūt kuo daugiau stebint pakampes. Kaip ir atitinka masinio stebėjimo logiką - sritis, kur, kaip žinom, JAV vaidina ne paskutinį vaidmenį.
Nu ir dar citatėlė apie JAV misiją pasauliui, kad neužsimirštume:
Galbūt Trumpas tikrai, kaip pats teigia, turi išeitį, kaip sudaryti geresnes prekybos sutartis, įtvirtinti taiką tarp arabų ir Izraelio, nutraukti Šiaurės Korėjos branduolinę programą ir įveikti ekstremizmo smurtą. Tikiuosi, kad turi. (p. 226)
Want to read
April 12, 2018Will We Stop Trump
Before It’s Too Late?
Fascism poses a more serious threat now than
at any time since the end of World War II.
in: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/op...
BUT, IS IT REALLY LIKE MUSSOLINI?
WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN THE CASE HE IS NOT STOPPED?
BUT, IS HE REALLY A FASCIST?
Check here:
"So next time you hear someone label Trump a fascist, educate them."
in: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Trump-is...
and here:
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017...
and here:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/no...
and here:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...
and here:
https://extranewsfeed.com/why-donald-...
(bee OR WASP?)
(OWL AIN'T BAD)
https://www.economist.com/news/books-...
Before It’s Too Late?
Fascism poses a more serious threat now than
at any time since the end of World War II.
in: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/op...
BUT, IS IT REALLY LIKE MUSSOLINI?
WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN THE CASE HE IS NOT STOPPED?
BUT, IS HE REALLY A FASCIST?
Check here:
"So next time you hear someone label Trump a fascist, educate them."
in: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Trump-is...
and here:
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017...
and here:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/no...
and here:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...
and here:
https://extranewsfeed.com/why-donald-...
(bee OR WASP?)
(OWL AIN'T BAD)
https://www.economist.com/news/books-...
November 25, 2024
2.75 ★
Considering what has been going down these last few weeks, women and people of color in America are in danger.
“Fascist is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.” This sounds like someone…
The only reason for the lower rating is that it felt like a textbook and was void of emotion. It’s hard to explain, but the writing felt stale.
▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎
Short Synopsis
Some of the history of different Fascists and how they are dangerous, especially when they get into high power.
Considering what has been going down these last few weeks, women and people of color in America are in danger.
“Fascist is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.” This sounds like someone…
The only reason for the lower rating is that it felt like a textbook and was void of emotion. It’s hard to explain, but the writing felt stale.
▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎
Short Synopsis
Some of the history of different Fascists and how they are dangerous, especially when they get into high power.
April 21, 2018
"Drain the Swamp" was an expression used by Mussolini, not an original from Trump. Actually Mussolini said "drenare la palude". (Drain the Swamp). I'm gravely concerned (it makes me cringe) when I hear the President of the United States adapting an expression used by a Fascist leader.
Madeleine Albright's Fascism: A Warning, should be taken seriously. It is an overview of the history of Fascism throughout the world, individual profiles of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Chavez, Putin, Kim Jong-un, and more, in an easy to read style. The distinct parallels between these past and present leaders and our current leadership in the U.S. becomes obvious as the reader turns the pages.
The most important thing I took away from this book is fascism creeps in, often unnoticed, in small doses that accumulate. Before long, it can be there to stay. We need to pay attention. I repeat--We need to pay attention. Folks in 1930s Germany thought they would be okay, but look what happened there.
We need to jointly maintain the institutions of democracy and keep them strong. Read this book: get it from the library, buy a copy, borrow one from a friend, loan it to a young person, loan it to an older person, read it online--read and learn. It's important.
Madeleine Albright's Fascism: A Warning, should be taken seriously. It is an overview of the history of Fascism throughout the world, individual profiles of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Chavez, Putin, Kim Jong-un, and more, in an easy to read style. The distinct parallels between these past and present leaders and our current leadership in the U.S. becomes obvious as the reader turns the pages.
The most important thing I took away from this book is fascism creeps in, often unnoticed, in small doses that accumulate. Before long, it can be there to stay. We need to pay attention. I repeat--We need to pay attention. Folks in 1930s Germany thought they would be okay, but look what happened there.
We need to jointly maintain the institutions of democracy and keep them strong. Read this book: get it from the library, buy a copy, borrow one from a friend, loan it to a young person, loan it to an older person, read it online--read and learn. It's important.
July 4, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Listening to Albright narrate her book was like visiting with her over a cup of tea. She described her families fleeing the Nazis and later the Soviets. Her personal story of her encounter with fascism made the book more relevant than just an academic textbook would have been.
The book is well written and researched. I learned a lot from the book. To me it seemed Albright had trouble fitting in some of the current leaders as true fascists and was attempting to modernize the definition of a fascist. She did say that Kim of North Korea was the only true fascist regime currently in power today. Albright did show a step by step method on how a dictator seized power after being elected in a democracy. Albright stated that “Trump is the first anti-democratic president in modern U.S. history”. The book is worth reading and she stated that democracy depends on an educated, involved and voting public as well as both parties working together. She stated without these two things our country’s democracy will not survive.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is almost ten hours. Madeline Albright does a good job narrating the book.
The book is well written and researched. I learned a lot from the book. To me it seemed Albright had trouble fitting in some of the current leaders as true fascists and was attempting to modernize the definition of a fascist. She did say that Kim of North Korea was the only true fascist regime currently in power today. Albright did show a step by step method on how a dictator seized power after being elected in a democracy. Albright stated that “Trump is the first anti-democratic president in modern U.S. history”. The book is worth reading and she stated that democracy depends on an educated, involved and voting public as well as both parties working together. She stated without these two things our country’s democracy will not survive.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is almost ten hours. Madeline Albright does a good job narrating the book.
June 3, 2018
This is an excellent book. I cannot remember a more balanced, thoughtful, insightful and objective discussion of governance than this work. It is impossible to paraphrase the discussion in a review, it should be read. Education generally and regarding particular issues is an essential lesson. Being involved and speaking out is another. There are so many lessons in this short book I will be mulling the ideas, hopefully, forever. This is a history book but with some analysis that is smart, balanced, and scrubbed to avoid partisan influence. The complexity of governance is revealed in a way rarely approached, revealing the duty of each of us to learn more, discern better and act in a spirit of community rather than selfishness. This book deserves more notoriety than it has gotten.
January 13, 2022
Former Secretary of State Albright wrote this book because of her concern that fascism was rising in the world, threatening democracy, including in the United States, where we've always believed "it can't happen here." So this book is a warning, published in 2018, in the midst of the Trump Administration (or misadministration). Albright saw Trump's admiration for dictators like Putin and Kim and his aping them (such as calling any news he didn't like "fake news") as dangerous. But it wasn't just Trump. Trump's election reinforced the trend to authoritarian governments, a trend Sec. Albright found most worrisome. After all, she was born in a city (Prague) occupied by the fascistic forces of Nazism under Hitler and she with her family became refugees. Happily, the US was there as a haven of democracy. Of course, she was concerned that America ceased to be a defender of democracy under Trump.
There can be no doubt that the defeat of Trump in the 2020 election (whether he believes it or not) was a major victory for worldwide democratic forces. But, most concerning, despite inciting an insurrection against the US Congress, Trump continues to be supported by millions of citizens who would be only too happy to see him become an American "Duce" (like Mussolini). So this book, sadly, is, if anything, even more relevant today than it was in 2018.
In this book, Albright looks at the rise of the three main fascist leaders of the 20th Century--Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany and Franco in Spain. She looks at the then and still current authoritarian figures such as Putin of Russia, Kim of North Korea, Orban of Hungary and Erdogan of Turkey. And Trump. A very readable book that draws on the author's personal experiences, it has a very clear message. Democracy needs to be actively defended or it can be lost.
There can be no doubt that the defeat of Trump in the 2020 election (whether he believes it or not) was a major victory for worldwide democratic forces. But, most concerning, despite inciting an insurrection against the US Congress, Trump continues to be supported by millions of citizens who would be only too happy to see him become an American "Duce" (like Mussolini). So this book, sadly, is, if anything, even more relevant today than it was in 2018.
In this book, Albright looks at the rise of the three main fascist leaders of the 20th Century--Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany and Franco in Spain. She looks at the then and still current authoritarian figures such as Putin of Russia, Kim of North Korea, Orban of Hungary and Erdogan of Turkey. And Trump. A very readable book that draws on the author's personal experiences, it has a very clear message. Democracy needs to be actively defended or it can be lost.
April 25, 2018
This should be good for many laughs to come. The same Secretary of State under Bill Clinton (unlike Monica Lewinsky and others that straddled Bill face first) who portrayed Pontius Pilate so elegantly by washing her hands of the Elian Gonzalez fiasco has come out from under her rock to reprise her role as Pontius "Pompous" Pilate refusing to abide by the majority and standing by her "SISTER" demanding that every American admit their sexist attitudes and weak-willed envy and/or jealousy of THE RIGHT REVEREND MOTHER OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY to demand the overthrow of a duly democratically elected, but not by members of the Democratic Party, current US President and make Hillary Rodham Clinton the Queen (of the high school prom and of) America.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?vi...
The only thing funnier than this book will be the 25th, 50th and 75th What Happened Reunion Tours in which the bloated carcass of a minor and insignificant indignitary will be wheeled around by chair or other conveyance for public display. A virtual KISS concert reunion tour sans big hair, kabuki make-up and monster metal bass and guitar riffs. The only saving grace will be the accompanying light show and fireworks.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...
Sadly, the only FASCISM I see is coming from both political parties whining about the fact that the candidate they WANTED was NOT elected. Once again the PEOPLE who are truly the government get roasted on the spit of PROGRESS after that spit has been rammed up the @$$ of the voting public. Watching both political parties whine and cajole each other into a fighting frenzy is a lot like watching Grandma and Grandpa getting their freak on atop the kitchen table in flagrante delecto. It's much like a horrible car wreck. You see it. You don't believe it. You wish you could remove the sight of it from your memory all together only to have it wake you up in the middle of the night screaming.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?vi...
The only thing funnier than this book will be the 25th, 50th and 75th What Happened Reunion Tours in which the bloated carcass of a minor and insignificant indignitary will be wheeled around by chair or other conveyance for public display. A virtual KISS concert reunion tour sans big hair, kabuki make-up and monster metal bass and guitar riffs. The only saving grace will be the accompanying light show and fireworks.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...
Sadly, the only FASCISM I see is coming from both political parties whining about the fact that the candidate they WANTED was NOT elected. Once again the PEOPLE who are truly the government get roasted on the spit of PROGRESS after that spit has been rammed up the @$$ of the voting public. Watching both political parties whine and cajole each other into a fighting frenzy is a lot like watching Grandma and Grandpa getting their freak on atop the kitchen table in flagrante delecto. It's much like a horrible car wreck. You see it. You don't believe it. You wish you could remove the sight of it from your memory all together only to have it wake you up in the middle of the night screaming.
April 29, 2018
This is the most I have been disappointed in a book in a long time.
I want to start by saying that if you don't know much about recent world events and world history, and particularly about authoritarian regimes, you might find some of this book interesting.
This book should really be called "Authoritarianism: My Thoughts." Albright provides her own brief definition of fascism, and then most of the chapters involve a brief description of an authoritarian leader and his regime. Many of these are people Albright met during her time as Secretary of State, but she only provides shallow anecdotes (Kim Jong Il wears heels, etc.) about them. If you know a little about history, there probably won't be much new here. And she freely admits that most of the regimes she discusses are not fascist at all.
I have a lot of respect for what Albright has accomplished, but in this book she occasionally comes across as terribly naive. The rest of the time she is preaching to the choir. She states her opinions, but doesn't really present arguments in their defense. While I agreed with many of her points, I don't think this book will convince anyone. And given the speed of current events, the book already feels a little out of date. I am also genuinely concerned that Albright doesn't understand what "populism" means. In the end, the analysis is shallow and so is the book as a whole.
If you are struggling to make sense of the rise of authoritarianism or the current political climate in the United States, I recommend The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America instead.
I want to start by saying that if you don't know much about recent world events and world history, and particularly about authoritarian regimes, you might find some of this book interesting.
This book should really be called "Authoritarianism: My Thoughts." Albright provides her own brief definition of fascism, and then most of the chapters involve a brief description of an authoritarian leader and his regime. Many of these are people Albright met during her time as Secretary of State, but she only provides shallow anecdotes (Kim Jong Il wears heels, etc.) about them. If you know a little about history, there probably won't be much new here. And she freely admits that most of the regimes she discusses are not fascist at all.
I have a lot of respect for what Albright has accomplished, but in this book she occasionally comes across as terribly naive. The rest of the time she is preaching to the choir. She states her opinions, but doesn't really present arguments in their defense. While I agreed with many of her points, I don't think this book will convince anyone. And given the speed of current events, the book already feels a little out of date. I am also genuinely concerned that Albright doesn't understand what "populism" means. In the end, the analysis is shallow and so is the book as a whole.
If you are struggling to make sense of the rise of authoritarianism or the current political climate in the United States, I recommend The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America instead.
July 29, 2018
Former Secretary of State Albright gives a good overview of 20th century European fascism and relates it to our present crisis. Better than I expected.
September 15, 2019
" I will tell you what has carried me to the position I have reached. Our political problems appeared complicated. The German people could make nothing of them....I, on the other hand..... reduced them to the simplest terms. The masses realized this and followed me."
A quote from Hitler but without the reference to Germans, could be the words of Trump. In its simplest terms, this seems to be the attraction of fascism. Madeleine Albright's book is a reasoned, well-layed out account of the rise of fascist leaders over the last century. It appears at times when there is conflict and confusion in a country, where people seek out easy answers to complicated issues. Always the diplomat, Albright is very careful in her descriptions of the people she profiles but always gets her point across. The book is as much a description of how real diplomats approach problems as it is about the problems themselves. It forces the reader to reflect on personalities and events and reach reasoned conclusions. But it is also a warning- to the American people- about the very real possibility that unless we learn to work more diligently toward solutions in a democratic fashion, we could end up being the country we do not want to become.
The election of Trump has accelerated the move toward fascism. His behavior has led to a steep and stunning decline of respect for America; causing some to ignore us and solve their problems on their own. At no time in modern history, has the U.S. been seen in such a negative light and because there are "leaders" in many parts of the globe who are moving in the same fascist direction, the world is a less safe place than it was previous to his taking office. By comparing the behavior of other fascist leaders throughout the 20th Century to current conditions, the author makes her point and does it in a very readable fashion.
Where I find fault with the book is where Albright goes down the path toward equivalency in American politics. That is, she seems to think that the left is as responsible as the right for this trend. This is one instance where I think she erred in trying to be too diplomatic. The fact is, the move toward extremism has been on the right. The left has often times been too cowardly to stand up against them. Still, her narrative on the efforts of Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Carter demonstrate the kind of thoughtful engagement from which resolutions can be found.
Overall, this is a book that I would highly recommend to a general audience as well as to academics.
A quote from Hitler but without the reference to Germans, could be the words of Trump. In its simplest terms, this seems to be the attraction of fascism. Madeleine Albright's book is a reasoned, well-layed out account of the rise of fascist leaders over the last century. It appears at times when there is conflict and confusion in a country, where people seek out easy answers to complicated issues. Always the diplomat, Albright is very careful in her descriptions of the people she profiles but always gets her point across. The book is as much a description of how real diplomats approach problems as it is about the problems themselves. It forces the reader to reflect on personalities and events and reach reasoned conclusions. But it is also a warning- to the American people- about the very real possibility that unless we learn to work more diligently toward solutions in a democratic fashion, we could end up being the country we do not want to become.
The election of Trump has accelerated the move toward fascism. His behavior has led to a steep and stunning decline of respect for America; causing some to ignore us and solve their problems on their own. At no time in modern history, has the U.S. been seen in such a negative light and because there are "leaders" in many parts of the globe who are moving in the same fascist direction, the world is a less safe place than it was previous to his taking office. By comparing the behavior of other fascist leaders throughout the 20th Century to current conditions, the author makes her point and does it in a very readable fashion.
Where I find fault with the book is where Albright goes down the path toward equivalency in American politics. That is, she seems to think that the left is as responsible as the right for this trend. This is one instance where I think she erred in trying to be too diplomatic. The fact is, the move toward extremism has been on the right. The left has often times been too cowardly to stand up against them. Still, her narrative on the efforts of Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Carter demonstrate the kind of thoughtful engagement from which resolutions can be found.
Overall, this is a book that I would highly recommend to a general audience as well as to academics.
May 3, 2018
This would have received a two-star rating were it not for the last few chapters. Until then, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright's book spent far too much time on the "what" of fascism, detailing the already well-known horrors and threats of demagogues past and present, including Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Erdogan and Duterte. That space would have been much better spent on the "how" and "why" of their rise to power - how did a Hitler or Stalin persuade followers to carry out the unspeakable horrors committed during their reign? Why were the people susceptible to their wiles? Instead of warning of the danger signs that lead entire nations down self-destructive paths, too much ink was spent warning of what happens when that path is traveled.
All that said, Secretary Albright does raise the warning flags regarding our current state of affairs in the U.S., from the indiscriminate uses (and acceptance) of lies to win hearts and minds, to the undermining of the pillars of democracy - a free press, the rule of law and faith in free elections. All valid, but without as much force as they could have had if they'd been paired with similar tactical counterparts employed by well-known fascists and demagogues of days gone by.
All that said, Secretary Albright does raise the warning flags regarding our current state of affairs in the U.S., from the indiscriminate uses (and acceptance) of lies to win hearts and minds, to the undermining of the pillars of democracy - a free press, the rule of law and faith in free elections. All valid, but without as much force as they could have had if they'd been paired with similar tactical counterparts employed by well-known fascists and demagogues of days gone by.
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