''The Anatomy of Fascism'' is a 2004 book by
Robert O. Paxton, published by
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
.
Paxton sought to establish a more concise definition of
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
in an era where people used the term loosely.
The author argued that fascism only took root in countries which had more dysfunctional societies and in which conservative elites chose to allow them to form coalitions with them.
Paxton examines
Fascist Italy and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in detail, which he argues both had the coalition commonality but the Nazi Party became more important in Germany while the party did not overshadow the state apparatus in Italy.
Paxton argues that Islamists do not fit the definition of a fascist movement.
The work has an essay meant to document bibliographical information. Philip Gordon and Stanley Hoffman in ''
Foreign Affairs'' wrote that this essay "will guide scholars and graduate students for years to come."
[
]
Reception
Samantha Power in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' stated that the book "may well become the most authoritative" work on the subject due to it being "convincing", "fair", and "thorough".[
'']Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' gave the book a starred review, stating that "This is sure to take its place among classics in the field".[
]Peter Bergen
Peter Bergen (born December 11, 1962) is an American journalist, author, and producer who serves as CNN's national security analyst and as New America's vice president. He produced the first television interview with Osama bin Laden in 1997, wh ...
, in a CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
article, described the book as a "classic" in its field.
References
Further reading
* - Response to Lyttelton's review from Zeev Sternhell of The Hebrew University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public university, public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein ...
, and Lyttelton's response to Sternell
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anatomy of Fascism, The
2004 books
Books about fascism
Books about Nazism