Fascism: A Very Short Introduction 2/e (Very Short Introductions) Paperback – Illustrated, 29 May 2014

As with all the other books of the series I've read, it's a great little gem.The author presents the various and very complicated facets of fascism in a very orderly manner, with a certain degree of distance from the subject itself, but obviously without it being totally objective (if such a thing can ever be written).It covers a lot of aspects of fascism that don't immediately come to mind when thinking about it, and it makes various ambiguities about the nature of fascism very transparent, and gives some good insight on how the context under fascism arose, its brief history, and the aftermath: what impacts fascism has had (and still has) in our societies.Great book for anyone who wants to be introduced to what proves to be a very complicated and fragile issue in our modern history.

Thought this would be a good way to lay a foundation for studying the subject. After opening the package I was quite disappointed at just how small this book is. It is pocket size. That being said however, after reading it (which doesn't take long), it is clear that this little book has a lot of information packed in to it. It has provided me with a reasonable basis from which I can plunge even deeper.In summation I would say thst this is a good book to ease your way in to Facism, but it is a little over priced for the size and style.

I've read quite a few of the very short introductions now and I have to say this one was my favourite. Some of the others spend too long discussing people who discuss the subject, which might be fair enough as it gives you a decent reading list to investigate the subject further, but I preferred the engaging and comprehensive writing style of this book. I didn't read much that particularly surprised me but yet I feel much better informed now and have actually learnt a fair amount about other political ideologies too. I certainly couldn't previously have described the key differences between fascism and, say, authoritarian conservatism. I found there to be a healthy balance of history, critical analysis, and future (somewhat terrifying) prospects.

This book was written in 2002. Needless to say, a lot has happened since then that would be of relevance to an introductory book on fascism. Time for a new edition, Oxford!

I bought this book to try and figure out what makes the government of the United Kingdom tick. It helped somewhat.

To me "A short introduction to" should also mean an easy read not a scholarly prose without the use of everyday language. It could have been used without detracting anything from the authenticity of the authors research and knowledge of the subject. I debated giving it 3 stars but overall it's a good informative little book, just not a bus/train reading.

Very good and interesting introduction to a complex ideology, which combines discussion of the interwar fascist right with coverage of the contemporary extreme right, and is ideal for undergaduates and other scholars.

This little book has certainly challenged any preconceptions of mine as to what constitutes fascism. A very worthwhile guide to the subject for anyone interested in a broader understanding of this (almost) taboo ideology.

Fascism makes a good topic for one of these VSI books because it's one of those words / concepts that is bandied about with great fervor and authority, mostly by people who have only a vague idea of its history and have little capacity to distinguish it from other political concepts (e.g. Totalitarianism.) So, it's worth taking a bit of time to discover what exactly fascism is. And what we find is that it's not easily delineated. Apparently, the first edition of this book offered a definition of fascism, but in this revised edition, the author explains that there is no consensus definition. Passmore systematically explains how competing approaches to definition run afoul of the empirical facts of the varied regimes that have been called fascist.The book mostly focuses on the cases of Mussolini's Italy (the fascist prototype / the big-F Fascists) and Hitler's Germany (debated as fascism as it was quite different from Italy in many political aspects,) and it then looks at other cases before and since the Italian Fascists to whom that label has been applied with varying degrees of correctness. The book explores fascism's relations to race, class, and gender in some detail.While the book doesn't define fascism, one definitely comes away with insight into the problem of applying the term in a meaningful way. For that, I believe the book is worth reading.

Excellent book, gives a clear look at recent interpretations of fascism.

I’m guessing that sales of Fascism: A Very Short Introduction (by Cardiff University professor Kevin Passmore) have spiked since the election of Donald Trump!That is certainly why I chose to read this book. We on the Left are very fond of bandying about the word “fascist” (count me guilty as charged!) so I wanted to educate myself a little more about what fascism is, at least so I can be somewhat intellectually honest should I seriously brand someone a fascist.Passmore goes to great lengths in pointing out that fascism is not easily defined (Fascist/Fascism- with a capital F- refers specifically to Mussolini’s Italian political party) but that fascism can entail a number of traits. By giving a history of political parties and movements that might be labeled fascist, he shows that there are often differences between the goals, methods and make up of these parties.(Interestingly Nazism differs from fascism primarily in its racist policies. While fascists are generally racist, anti-immigrant and may even believe in a hierarchy of races, the actual pursuit of a policy of racial extermination like the Final Solution differentiates Nazism from fascism. And recent right-wing leaders like Thatcher and Messrs. Reagan and Bush Jr are more correctly defined as Neo-conservatives.)So what are some of the hallmarks of fascism? Some of the more obvious ones are ultranationalism, racism, a cult of personality/charismatic leadership, anti-constitutionalism and a level of violence. In addition, a true fascist movement will often have its own paramilitary wing. A strong element of Social-Darwinism pervades fascism as well (and the irony of American Evangelical voters supporting Social Darwin-like Republican economic policies is rich to me!)It can get a little more complicated when it comes to economics and fascism. While fascists often appeal to the working classes with a pro-worker sort of populism (particularly where socialist parties have failed in leadership or simply don’t exist), fascists are often corporatist. They cosy up to big business for a variety of reasons, and as big business naturally lacks a moral compass besides that of making a profit, it will often tolerate fascist political leadership.The book also discusses fascism’s often fluid relationship to religion and the role of women in a fascist state, fascism usually having an aura of machismo.Fascism of course didn’t die with the defeat of Hitler and Mussolini and it has taken various forms in disparate places and populations around the globe since.It was interesting (and disheartening) to consider that while this book was revised and reprinted in 2014 and the author discusses various right-wing political movements especially across Europe, I don’t think even he anticipated the rapid growth of parties like UKIP in the UK, the FN in France, etc.While the far-right parties today that may indeed be fascist, none really ever embrace the term openly. Ultimately, this book succeeded for me in that now I better understand fascism’s history, what fascism is (and is not) and its place in contemporary politics. I am far more comfortable in using it to describe one when I see one.A few final thoughts on the book itself. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject but while it’s a relatively short and very engaging read, it does assume a fairly good knowledge base of 20th Century history and politics. Also, and this might sound silly, but it is important for context: the book is written with and embraces the assumption that fascism is in fact a BAD thing!

Für die Kürze des Buchs erhält man dennoch einen sehr guten Überblick über Faschismus und gleichzeitig auch noch einen schönen Ansatz bei der Definition eines solch schwierigen Begriffs.

A good enough book in terms of historical detail. But I didn't find that it altered my view of fascism understood in terms of historical/political sociology(i.e. Barrington Moores Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy) as a reaction against modernity in places where the middle class/bourgeoisie isn't quite strong enough on its own (as it was in America and Western Europe) to fend off peasant or labour movements, so it joins forces with aristocracy, religious authorities and military and shares in an ethic of nostalgia rather than forward -looking progressivism. An understanding of contemporary neo-fascism would view it as a reaction to globalization, rather than to modernization as such, which explains why America and Western Europe (which have experienced a shrinking or stagnating middle class) would be relatively more susceptible to a similar political dynamic. Another factor is how a plethora of media and information in the 21st century can produce a "similar but different" dynamic to that produced by state-controlled radio and corporate-controlled nationalist newspapers in the 1930s.