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 enlarge | Author: Jonah Goldberg
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $14.79
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Avg. Customer Rating:  315 reviews
Sales Rank: 643
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.6
ISBN: 0385511841
Dewey Decimal Number: 320.533
EAN: 9780385511841
ASIN: 0385511841
Publication Date: January 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand NEW!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Falsehoods ahoy! July 31, 2008
7 out of 43 found this review helpful
A poorly researched book that ignores history in favor of partisan pablum for its target audience.
Anyone who knows anything about the history of nationalist populism (a better term for fascism) and its rise from the ashes of the losers of World War I knows full well that the notion of a paternal autocratic state with emphasis on nation, race, religion and creed took root in several countries at roughly the same time. Fascism and its brethren aren't left wing in the slightest and the fallacy put forth that Mussolini was a stealth socialist because of his affiliations in his teenage years is just ludicrous and ignores the reality that he later went and smashed the presses at his old paper and had socialists, communists and liberals rounded up en masse.
Horrible book unless you like being told you're right regardless of the facts.
 Thorough, refreshing take on history July 30, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
"Liberal Fascism" is Jonah Goldberg's marvelously provacative, innovative and thorough book that looks at American history through a new lens: the lens, that is, of fascism. Goldberg argues, rather successfully and after an intense examination of the actual historical facts, that the ideology behind the Democratic Party and other "social engineers" has much in common and, in some cases, derives from the same ideology behind fascism. As Goldberg himself states, he does not intend to call liberals fasicts. He merely wants to point out the danger behind thinking as if we could create a perfect utopia at all, much less through poltical policy. Many fasict characteristics, Goldberg notes, are also observable among American political impulses: the need for strong leadership, the desire for a sense of community, equaling the playing field for everyone, etc. Goldberg is a clever guy, a fantastic writer and really knows his stuff. This important book spans a wide variety of study: historical and cultural, national and international. It should be treated with an open mind and the reader will truly be rewarded--stretched and challenged, but MUCH better informed.
Well Researched and written July 24, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Aside from the political bickering, Jonah set out a thesis and went about defending it throughout the book. Of course, his references supported his thesis, however he was sure to make attempts at answering some of the criticisms. For fans of his articles on NRO, this is not his typical witty writing style, instead much more formal.
Some very thought provoking sections discuss the political platforms of Mussolini, Hitler, Wilson, FDR, JFK, and Johnson and compare them to today's political environment. Whether you agree or disagree with his position, Mr. Goldberg did an excellent job supporting his thesis with lots of supporting texts and documents. My only complaints were that he uses too much complicated language, making for a slow read and makes reference to obscure historical events that might require a history degree to follow.
Very important book July 23, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book shows what we Conservative and orthodox thinkers have known for a long time. The Left is not liberal, they are leftist. We are the true descendants of classical liberalism and the promotion of human dignity. The Leftist (self proclaimed liberals) have much in common, not only with their fascist-socialist past, but also, with Nazi eugenics. This is an undeniable truth. Every American should read this book carefully.
Helps clarify Americal Fascism July 22, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Quite liked it, could relate to the author as a fellow ex-progressive.
Demonstrates clearly the fascist roots of today's "progressives"; the whitewash, lies and coverups indulged in by today's Left about the radically racist-eugenicist-socialist origins of the Left's heroes.
Explains the semantic subterfuge and linguistic drift that maps Classic Liberalism into today's Conservatism, and fascist-socialist-pragmatist utopianism into today's Liberalism.
Finally, the author illustrates the widespread, boiled-frog intrusion of fascist structures into the formerly Classic Liberal and libertarian context of America. Demonstrates clearly that both Left and Right in 21st Century America consequently feel unconstrained and pragmatic about using fascist structures to impose liberty-destroying regulations... with a happy face and for our own good, of course.
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