BookReview:HowtoStopFascism:History,
Ideology,ResistancebyPaulMason
InHowtoStopFascism:History,Ideology,Resistance,PaulMasonwarnsreadersofthefascistdangerthat liesaheadandprovidesapracticalguideonhowtofightback Connectingthehistoricalemergenceoffascismto today’sconditions,thisbookisatimelycalltoconsidertheemergingthreatofanewfascismandoffersguidance onhowtostopitsrisetoday,writesIlkerKalin
Ifyouareinterestedinthisbookreview,youcanwatchavideoorlistentoapodcastofPaulMasondiscussing HowtoStopFascismaspartofanLSEpublicevent,recordedon14October2021
HowtoStopFascism:History,Ideology,Resistance.PaulMason.AllenLane.2021.
Findthisbook(affiliatelink):
Athought-provoking,uneasyandstrikingstatementof‘Fascismisback’opensHowto StopFascism:History,Ideology,Resistance PaulMason,aBritishTVcommentator andaward-winningjournalist,setsouttowarntheworldofthefascistdangerthatlies aheadandtoprovideapracticalguideonhowtofightback Atatimeofdemocratic backslidingaroundtheglobe,Mason’sbookarrivesatatimelymomenttowarnpeople, especiallyactivists,ofwhatmightslipawayfromtheirhands
Masonelaboratesonhisstatementbystatingthatfascismisback,‘butofitsown accord’ Thus,thebooktalksaboutanewkindoffascism,butonewhichisnoless harmfulorthreatening Onthecontrary,whatwewitnesstodayisasdangerousas fascisminthepast,ifnotmoreso Politicalmovementsoffar-rightextremism,rightwingpopulismandauthoritarianconservatism,thoughdifferentintheirorganisational aspectsandlanguage,sharephilosophicalrootswithfascism.
IfagroupofNazisfromthe1930shoppedonatimemachineandtravelledforwardto theyear2020,Masonargues,theywouldrelax,thinkingthattheirmissionhadworked.Masoncitessome examplesfromaroundtheworld,includingalawpassedbytheIndianparliamentgrantingcitizenshiptoall undocumentedimmigrantsexceptMuslims;violenceanddemonstrationsagainstrefugeesattheGreece-Turkey borderbyGreeks;agroupofarmedfar-rightmilitiathreateningtheBrazilianSupremeCourtforitsattemptsto investigatePresidentJairBolsonaroduetohisbusinessdealings;andtherevelationofacellofneo-Nazisoldiers intheGermanmilitary
Masoncontendsthatthesesnapshotsofdevelopmentsin2020represent‘symbolic’violentactionsoffascismthat rundeeperintheirphilosophicalandideationalroots Whilealloftheseactionsaimtounderminetheruleoflaw andintimidateminorities,liberalsandtheleftingeneralintheshortterm,theirendgoalisto‘trigger,fight,andwin anethnicwar’(20) Andonlinespaces,suchasTelegramandSignal,playintothehandsoffascists,providing themwitheasyandanonymisedplatformstospreadtheirhatred,fantasiesofviolenceandconspiracytheories, therebyfacilitatingright-wingmobilisation
Dateoriginallyposted:2021-12-08
Permalink:https://blogslseacuk/lsereviewofbooks/2021/12/08/book-review-how-to-stop-fascism-history-ideology-resistance-by-paul-mason/ Bloghomepage:https://blogslseacuk/lsereviewofbooks/
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Masonprovidesadetailedhistoricalaccountoffascisminanattempttoexplaintheprocessbywhichfascism emergedinEurope(namely,GermanyandItaly)duringtheinterwarperiodandtodrawsimilaritieswithtoday In bothcountries,fascistgroupsmadetheirwayintotherespectiveparliamentsthroughmassgrassroots organisationsandtheuseofviolence TheytookadvantageoftheeconomiccrisisoftheGreatDepressionwhich causedhighinflationandmassunemployment,aswellastheinabilityofliberalexplanationsorinterventionsofthe timetoaddresstheneedsofpeople Fascistgroupsinbothcountriesgainedtractionpartlybyexploitingdemocratic means,suchaselections
AccordingtoMason,the2008economiccrisishadasimilareffectacrossvariouscountries,andthatiswhywe haveexperiencedanincreasingshifttowardstherightinthepastdecade Assuch,theneoliberalorderhasfailed peopleonceagain,Masonsuggests Thisnotonlyincludeseconomicconcerns,butalsofaithinthewholesystem thatencompassestheelitesanddemocracytogether This,inreturn,preparesthegroundfortheuseof protectionistandracistrhetoricbyright-winggroupsthatinstigatehateandviolenceinsociety
Thelinedrawnherebetween‘fascism’nowandthenmightappearirrelevantordelusionaltosomepeople Even thosewhoacknowledgedecayingdemocracyandincreasingauthoritarianismacrosstheworldmightnotagreewith Mason’scontentionthatemergingdevelopmentsontherightsignalapotentialrevivaloffascism.Yet,thebook impliesaconvincinganswertothis:neitherdidtheleftinGermanyandItalyinthe1930s.
Thisbringsustothemainpointtobetakenfromthebook.Masonharshlycriticisestheleftofthe1930sfornot seeingwhatwascoming.AccordingtoMason,‘fascismachievedpowerinthetwentiethcenturybecauseneither theliberalleftnorMarxistleftunderstoodwhattheyweredealingwith’(163).Thispreventedthemfromcomingup withacomprehensivestrategytofightfascism.MasonstronglybelievesthatfascisminGermanyandItalycould havebeenpreventedhadtheleftrealisedthegravityofthethreatandformedaunitedfrontagainstit MasonmakesthispointmostclearlyandconvincinglybyreferringtotheexamplesofFranceandSpain Inboth countriestheleft,consistingofradicalsandprogressiveliberals,formedapopularfronttofightfascistpartiesand eventuallywonelectionsin1936 Althoughthissuccessagainstfascismdidnotprevailineithercountry,Mason nonethelessnotesthat‘thePopularFrontsaretheonlyhistoricalexampleofdemocracieseffectivelydefending themselvesagainstasignificantfascistthreat’(212)
Dateoriginallyposted:2021-12-08
Permalink:https://blogslseacuk/lsereviewofbooks/2021/12/08/book-review-how-to-stop-fascism-history-ideology-resistance-by-paul-mason/ Bloghomepage:https://blogslseacuk/lsereviewofbooks/
Thebookimpliesthatifwefailtoseethefascistthreatofthepresentinitstrueformorundermineitspotential,just astheleftofthe1930sdid,historywillrepeatitself,butpossiblywithevenmorenegativeconsequencesthistime duetotheclimatethreat Risingcarbonemissions,ifnotstopped,willcauseariseintemperaturesandsignificantly damagetheenvironment Right-wingpopulistshavesofarprovedthemselvesignorantofthisimminentthreat,asin thecaseofBolsonaroframingincreasingclimatechangeasa‘globalist’tacticandformerUSPresidentDonald Trump’swithdrawalfromtheParisClimateAccords(64)
Drawingonlessonsfromhistory,Mason’smainsolutiontofascismis‘towinthebattleofideas,andwellinadvance ofitselectoralbreakthrough’(158) Thissolutionrequirestwomainapproaches First,fascismshouldbe understoodasanideologicalwar,notjustbasedonracismbutalsomisogyny,conspiracytheories,myths, intoleranceandviolence Tothatend,Masondefinesfascismas‘thefearoffreedomtriggeredbyaglimpseof freedom’(xxi) Assuch,afascistmindsetfearsthat‘agroupthatissupposedtobesubordinatetothemmightbe onthevergeofachievingfreedomandequality’(17) Today,thispotentialtargetgroupisevenlargerthaninthe 1930s,includingwomen,peopleofcolour,LGBTQ+peopleandimmigrants Wealreadyobservethatright-wing populistsandauthoritarianconservativesputsignificanteffortsintopreventingthesegroupsfromachievinggreater freedomandimpedinganygainedrights
Second,thestruggleagainstfascismrequiresanallianceofthecentreandtheleft Partiesandpeopleofthetwo ideologiesshouldputasidetheirdifferencesandunitetodefenddemocracyagainstfascism Furthermore,Mason statesthatthisgoalcouldachievedonlybyinvolving‘strugglesbothfrombelowandcoerciveactionbythestate’ (228) Therefore,alargenumberofpeopleshouldbemobilisedtofightthebattleofideasbetweenfascistsandthe left Andthestate’sapparatusshouldbeusedtopreventfascistmovementsabusingthegapsindemocratic constitutions
Mason’sHowtoStopFascismisatimelycalltoconsiderthisemergingthreatofanewfascism.Thebookbrilliantly connectshistoricalfactstotoday’sconditionsbylookingattheincreasingpresenceofright-wingmovementsfroma newperspective.Someoftheargumentspresentedmightbehardtodigest,especiallyforthosewhodonot subscribetoMarxistideology.Mason,asalongtimeactivistandproudMarxist,bynomeansoffersanimpartial accountoftheworld;rather,hepresentsitthroughthelensofMarxism–butnotinitsorthodoxform.Regardless, Mason’spointthatweneedtoactimmediatelyseemsofhighrelevancetoeveryonetoday,giventheincreasing authoritarianturnandtheclimatethreat.Assuch,whilereadingthebook,Ioftenfoundmyselfasking:whatifwe areindeedunderestimatingthemagnitudeofthethreataheadofus?This‘whatif’questionis,inandofitself, sufficienttoencouragereaderstopayattentiontoMason’sarguments Afterall,the2021CapitolHillriotcaughtall ofusoffguard
Thebookofferssuggestiveevidencenotonlytoexplaintheprocessbywhichfascismemergedinthe1930s,but alsotoprovideguidanceforbothactivistsandpoliticalelitesaroundtheworldtostopfascismtoday Thebookis alsorelatabletomanyothernascenttopicsinpoliticalscience,includingright-wingpopulism,thenew authoritarianismandpoliticalpolarisation
Note:Thisreviewgivestheviewsoftheauthor,andnotthepositionoftheLSEReviewofBooksblog,orofthe LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience TheLSERBblogmayreceiveasmallcommissionifyou choosetomakeapurchasethroughtheaboveAmazonaffiliatelink Thisisentirelyindependentofthecoverageof thebookonLSEReviewofBooks
Dateoriginallyposted:2021-12-08
Permalink:https://blogslseacuk/lsereviewofbooks/2021/12/08/book-review-how-to-stop-fascism-history-ideology-resistance-by-paul-mason/ Bloghomepage:https://blogslseacuk/lsereviewofbooks/