Fascism in America
Past and Present

A timely exploration of the history and present-day threat of fascism in the United States.

Gavriel D. Rosenfeld (Edited by), Janet Ward (Edited by)

9781009337410, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 September 2023

461 pages
28 x 19 x 2.9 cm, 0.872 kg

'The 2016 election was an electric moment in American electoral politics; its aftermath prompted a 'fascist temptation' among media and political elites. Masterful and provocative, this volume anchors the debate on presentism by examining America's fascist past, and brings new angles, colors, and histories on the pressing question of Trumpism and fascism.' Charles Gallagher, author of Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten Story of the Christian Front

Has fascism arrived in America? In this pioneering book, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward have gathered experts to survey the history of fascism in the United States. Although the US established a staunch anti-fascist reputation by defeating the Axis powers in World War II, the unsettling truth is that fascist ideas have long been present within American society. Since the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016, scholars have debated whether Trumpism should be seen as an outgrowth of American conservatism or of a darker – and potentially fascist – tradition. Fascism in America contributes to this debate by examining the activities of interwar right-wing groups like the Silver Shirts, the KKK, and the America First movement, as well as the post-war rise of Black antifascism and white vigilantism, the representation of American Nazis in popular culture, and policy options for combating right-wing extremism.

Introduction: Fascism in America: Past and Present Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward
Part I. Strategic Thinking about Fascism: 1. Liberalism in crisis: what is fascism and where does it come from? Geoff Eley
2. Anarchy and the state of nature in Donald Trump's America and Adolf Hitler's Germany Thomas Weber
3. 'America first': nationalism, nativism and the fascism question, 1880–2020 Matthew Specter and Varsha Venkatasubramanian
Part II. Homegrown Nazis: 4. The American Fascists Linda Gordon
5. Hitler at the ballot box? Support for fascism among American elected officials Bradley W. Hart
6. Fascism and antisemitism in 1930s America: the genocidal vision of the silver shirts Richard Steigmann-Gall
Part III. White Anti-Democratic Violence and Black Antifascist Activism: 7. Vigilantism and fascism in the Pacific Northwest: an insurgent tradition renewed Alexander Reid Ross
8. 'A heritage of fascists without labels': black antifascism and the productive politics of analogy Anna F. Duensing
9. 'No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA': African American activists fight fascism, 1960–1980s Ousmane K. Power-Greene
Part IV. Countering Fascism in Culture and Policy: 10. Fascism in American culture: how alternate a history? Gavriel D. Rosenfeld
11. Concentration camps in Trump's America? Marla Stone
12. Formulating policy responses to the right-wing threat Cynthia Miller-Idriss
Epilogue Ruth Ben-Ghiat.

Subject Areas: History of the Americas [HBJK]