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Publication
William Collins (2018), Edition: edition, 304 pages
Description
The former U.S. secretary of state presents a timely, considered, and personal look at the history and current resurgence of fascism and the virulent threat it poses to international freedom, prosperity, and peace.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Micareads
Never have I read a book that is more relevant to the US today. The clear similarities between mistakes made in the past and where our country may be heading now are indisputable. Madeleine Albright did a fantastic job on reviewing times in history and comparing them to the scenes playing out in
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our every day news. Show Less
LibraryThing member thorold
Albright takes us through the history of anti-democratic political movements in the twentieth century, trying to isolate the things they have in common, and then explores the ways in which those elements can and can't be mapped onto the rhetoric and actions of the current crop of (would-be)
The book is written for readers who are assumed to know nothing about world history outside the US, which is probably a good thing, but makes it a bit frustrating for the rest of us as we go at what often feels like a snail's pace through the familiar stories of how Mussolini, Hitler, Franco et al. came to power. It gets much more interesting as she advances to the late 20th century and to leaders she dealt with face to face in her own long career in international relations, including Milosevic, Putin, Chavez and Kim Jong-Il.
But we have to pay attention throughout, because she is picking up a lot of crucial points along the way: how most authoritarian leaders come to power in the first place by constitutional means (but often without majority support); how power is entrenched by "necessary reforms" to constitutions and by control of the media; the "Mussolini-model" where the leader refuses to delegate and increasingly overrates his own competence until everything collapses around him, versus the "Hitler-model" where the leader delegates as much as possible to competing subordinates and distances himself from unpopular decisions ("If the Führer only knew").
Albright — despite the title of this book — is very wary about how she uses words like nationalism, populism and fascism. She maintains that the first two are positive qualities, to be admired in liberal democracies. Politicians who don't have the interests of the nation at heart or who don't seek popular support for what they do are clearly going wrong somewhere. And fascism is a term she only wants to apply to leaders who claim to speak for the people without giving the people the chance to comment or contradict, who disregard the rights of minorities, and who impose their ideas inside and outside their country by violence without democratic or judicial controls. The only current fascist state, by her definition, is North Korea. On the other hand, she sees plenty of other leaders who appear to have some of the characteristics of fascism and give reason to fear that they might go further, especially with the examples of impunity Trump and Putin give them.
Obviously the chief interest of the book is that it is written by someone with exceptional practical and theoretical knowledge of how relations between countries work (and personal experience of being a refugee from first Hitler and then Stalin). And a communicator who is very good at making us feel that we can understand very complex questions, even whilst she warns us that the ability to reduce complex questions to simple answers is a strong indicator of anti-democratic rhetoric. Needless to say, there are no simple recipes provided for cooking up democracy at home, other than a warning to stay vigilant.
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authoritarian leaders. Obviously, her main goal is to alert her US readers to the possible danger to democracy posed by Trump's rants against judges, legislators and journalists, but there's also a lot here that can help us understand some of the things going on in Europe and elsewhere. The book is written for readers who are assumed to know nothing about world history outside the US, which is probably a good thing, but makes it a bit frustrating for the rest of us as we go at what often feels like a snail's pace through the familiar stories of how Mussolini, Hitler, Franco et al. came to power. It gets much more interesting as she advances to the late 20th century and to leaders she dealt with face to face in her own long career in international relations, including Milosevic, Putin, Chavez and Kim Jong-Il.
But we have to pay attention throughout, because she is picking up a lot of crucial points along the way: how most authoritarian leaders come to power in the first place by constitutional means (but often without majority support); how power is entrenched by "necessary reforms" to constitutions and by control of the media; the "Mussolini-model" where the leader refuses to delegate and increasingly overrates his own competence until everything collapses around him, versus the "Hitler-model" where the leader delegates as much as possible to competing subordinates and distances himself from unpopular decisions ("If the Führer only knew").
Albright — despite the title of this book — is very wary about how she uses words like nationalism, populism and fascism. She maintains that the first two are positive qualities, to be admired in liberal democracies. Politicians who don't have the interests of the nation at heart or who don't seek popular support for what they do are clearly going wrong somewhere. And fascism is a term she only wants to apply to leaders who claim to speak for the people without giving the people the chance to comment or contradict, who disregard the rights of minorities, and who impose their ideas inside and outside their country by violence without democratic or judicial controls. The only current fascist state, by her definition, is North Korea. On the other hand, she sees plenty of other leaders who appear to have some of the characteristics of fascism and give reason to fear that they might go further, especially with the examples of impunity Trump and Putin give them.
Obviously the chief interest of the book is that it is written by someone with exceptional practical and theoretical knowledge of how relations between countries work (and personal experience of being a refugee from first Hitler and then Stalin). And a communicator who is very good at making us feel that we can understand very complex questions, even whilst she warns us that the ability to reduce complex questions to simple answers is a strong indicator of anti-democratic rhetoric. Needless to say, there are no simple recipes provided for cooking up democracy at home, other than a warning to stay vigilant.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
Madeleine Albright was the first woman to be US Secretary of State, under Bill Clinton, appointed in 1997. A native of Czechoslovakia, born in 1937, her family had to flee the country for the UK to escape Hitler. Although they returned to Czechoslovakia after the war, ultimately they emigrated to
What Albright didn't know until decades later was that her parents were Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism, making the need to escape even greater than she had known.
In a career as an academic, politician, and diplomat, she became an expert on troubled and troublesome leaders and regimes around the world. Now, she's written a clear warning about fascism, how it rose in the 20th century, and the new fascist regimes of the 21st century.
And of course, the dangerous signs in our own country.
This is not a partisan book. This isn't about Democrat vs. Republican, or liberal vs. conservative. It's about small-d democracy vs. fascism, a virulent nationalism, authoritarianism, an insistence on conformity. Some kinds of dictatorship want to disarm the population to keep them in line. Fascists often count on the eager support of an energized and armed population to suppress opposition. Underlying the whole structure is not an elite's fear of "the people," but an all too popular fear of The Other, when times are uncertain and change has come too quickly for some to absorb.
Albright is much more knowledgeable, has two decades more life experience, is a better writer, and has given this a lot more thought, leavened with practical experience, than I can. Read what she has to say on this, not what I have to say.
Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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the US in 1948.What Albright didn't know until decades later was that her parents were Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism, making the need to escape even greater than she had known.
In a career as an academic, politician, and diplomat, she became an expert on troubled and troublesome leaders and regimes around the world. Now, she's written a clear warning about fascism, how it rose in the 20th century, and the new fascist regimes of the 21st century.
And of course, the dangerous signs in our own country.
This is not a partisan book. This isn't about Democrat vs. Republican, or liberal vs. conservative. It's about small-d democracy vs. fascism, a virulent nationalism, authoritarianism, an insistence on conformity. Some kinds of dictatorship want to disarm the population to keep them in line. Fascists often count on the eager support of an energized and armed population to suppress opposition. Underlying the whole structure is not an elite's fear of "the people," but an all too popular fear of The Other, when times are uncertain and change has come too quickly for some to absorb.
Albright is much more knowledgeable, has two decades more life experience, is a better writer, and has given this a lot more thought, leavened with practical experience, than I can. Read what she has to say on this, not what I have to say.
Highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Show Less
LibraryThing member brangwinn
A MUST READ, particularly since our president declared himself a nationalist.
LibraryThing member stevesmits
In the context of the current political situation I keep asking myself how could this have happened? I do understand and accept that the political pendulum swings every decade or so, but what is it about the nation's psyche that resulted in the electoral success of a man of such low ethical and
Albright's highly readable analysis of the rise of authoritarian leaders gives us insights into today's situation. She uses the rise of Fascism, communism, and their right and left variants to explain the conditions that enable this to occur. Authoritarian leaders stoke grievances extant in society and cultures to leverage themselves to power. Perceived threats to economic well-being and cultural norms attract (angry) people to bold, if simplistic solutions, articulated by charismatic leaders. Such overtures involve creating enemies of the people and attacking institutions that once were considered legitimate and cohesive. It is important to understand that authoritarians do not initially rise by imposing their will upon people; their springboard is the disaffection of people. After gaining control they can dismantle institutional checks to achieve greater and greater power. Albright's concise overview of the means by which Mussolini, Hitler and the Bolsheviks rose is relevant to understanding what is happening around the world today in Europe, Russia, Latin American and the US. These leaders rode the waves of popular discontent among the people generated by external and internal factors they perceived as damaging to their lives. Around the world today people are threatened by forces and trends they see as affecting their economic security and cultural norms, e.g. income inequality, globalization, migration, the rise of calls for cultural diversity, secularism or religious extremism. The first tactic of those who would "save" the people is to identify and attack (often through demagoguery) the "culprits" who are responsible for the threats -- capitalists, socialists, the "elites", Muslims, the press, the judiciary, the right, the left, etc.
Albright notes that in places where there is not a history of democratic values and democratic institutions the susceptability of countries to the authoritarian "savior" is much greater. This fortunately is not the case in the United States where the strength and independence of various institutional players (and our inherent respect for the rule of law) is such that there are checks on a leader like Trump. She also points out with concern that the administration's disparagement of our traditional allies who share our values on democracy is exactly the wrong approach to take if we hope to preserve and advance the movement toward liberal and democratic governance around the world. Trump's admiration for "strong" leaders in Turkey, Russia, North Korea and the Philippines is sending the wrong message to the world.
This is a thought-provoking and worthwhile read. Another insightful analysis of "how did we get here" is Arlie Russell Hochshield's "Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the Right".
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moral standards, one who blatantly lies, who is a braggart and a vicious bully and, quite likely, a white collar criminal? Quite clearly there is a such a significant magnitude of disaffection, and anger, among 60+ million voters to look beyond the grotesque character of President Trump. Was his victory the result of a poorly run campaign of his opponent? No, because among all the credible Republican candidates in the primaries, it was Trump who triumphed. Why is it that moderation is now so out of vogue?Albright's highly readable analysis of the rise of authoritarian leaders gives us insights into today's situation. She uses the rise of Fascism, communism, and their right and left variants to explain the conditions that enable this to occur. Authoritarian leaders stoke grievances extant in society and cultures to leverage themselves to power. Perceived threats to economic well-being and cultural norms attract (angry) people to bold, if simplistic solutions, articulated by charismatic leaders. Such overtures involve creating enemies of the people and attacking institutions that once were considered legitimate and cohesive. It is important to understand that authoritarians do not initially rise by imposing their will upon people; their springboard is the disaffection of people. After gaining control they can dismantle institutional checks to achieve greater and greater power. Albright's concise overview of the means by which Mussolini, Hitler and the Bolsheviks rose is relevant to understanding what is happening around the world today in Europe, Russia, Latin American and the US. These leaders rode the waves of popular discontent among the people generated by external and internal factors they perceived as damaging to their lives. Around the world today people are threatened by forces and trends they see as affecting their economic security and cultural norms, e.g. income inequality, globalization, migration, the rise of calls for cultural diversity, secularism or religious extremism. The first tactic of those who would "save" the people is to identify and attack (often through demagoguery) the "culprits" who are responsible for the threats -- capitalists, socialists, the "elites", Muslims, the press, the judiciary, the right, the left, etc.
Albright notes that in places where there is not a history of democratic values and democratic institutions the susceptability of countries to the authoritarian "savior" is much greater. This fortunately is not the case in the United States where the strength and independence of various institutional players (and our inherent respect for the rule of law) is such that there are checks on a leader like Trump. She also points out with concern that the administration's disparagement of our traditional allies who share our values on democracy is exactly the wrong approach to take if we hope to preserve and advance the movement toward liberal and democratic governance around the world. Trump's admiration for "strong" leaders in Turkey, Russia, North Korea and the Philippines is sending the wrong message to the world.
This is a thought-provoking and worthwhile read. Another insightful analysis of "how did we get here" is Arlie Russell Hochshield's "Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the Right".
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Book on CD read by the author
From the book jacket: The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions of innocent people dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect
My reactions:
It’s said that those who refuse to study history are doomed to repeat it. I’ve studied some history, and yet I found much new information in this relatively slim volume.
Albright clearly, methodically and logically lays out the foundations to bring understanding of Fascism. She cites numerous examples, using not only right-wing but left-wing and centrist ideologies to illustrate the concepts and realities. The great takeaway for me was the way in which small, incremental changes to policy which are easily tolerated (even when not fully agreed with), add up and result in citizens finding themselves in a society they hardly recognize and with limited ability to return to an earlier model.
Albright narrated the audiobook herself. Her diction is clear and she sets a nice pace, giving the listener time to absorb concepts. However, I did sometimes repeat a track to ensure that I had fully understood. I think this book is probably best absorbed in a text format.
From the book jacket: The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions of innocent people dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect
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the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. Albright draws on her own experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her career as a diplomat to question that very assumption.My reactions:
It’s said that those who refuse to study history are doomed to repeat it. I’ve studied some history, and yet I found much new information in this relatively slim volume.
Albright clearly, methodically and logically lays out the foundations to bring understanding of Fascism. She cites numerous examples, using not only right-wing but left-wing and centrist ideologies to illustrate the concepts and realities. The great takeaway for me was the way in which small, incremental changes to policy which are easily tolerated (even when not fully agreed with), add up and result in citizens finding themselves in a society they hardly recognize and with limited ability to return to an earlier model.
Albright narrated the audiobook herself. Her diction is clear and she sets a nice pace, giving the listener time to absorb concepts. However, I did sometimes repeat a track to ensure that I had fully understood. I think this book is probably best absorbed in a text format.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Waltersgn
A warning of the incremental path to the end of our democracy.
LibraryThing member auntmarge64
At a time when the word "fascist" is blithely applied to political enemies of all ilks, it's useful to have someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Albright clarify what the term actually means. This history, from Mussolini's Italy and Nazi Germany to the many other nations who have struggled
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with wannabe dictators, is not only succinct and informative but alarming, as it becomes obvious that Trump is following the trail, little by little. That little by little, of course, is how such things happen to otherwise sane countries, and this brief overview (about 250 pages of text) is the perfect answer to those who can't imagine a dictatorship overwhelming our own society. Albright wrote this in 2018 and was, of course, oblivious to some of what Trump was to do, but it all fits in with her premise and makes it even more scary. As one of my doctors said to me last week, we're living in 1930s Germany. Show Less
LibraryThing member addunn3
Interesting study of the characteristics of Fascism and the men (at least for now) who promote it.
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
WHO CARES WHAT GEORGETOWN GRAD STUDENTS THINK?
Author Madeleine Albright was the 64th and 1st woman Secretary of State, serving President Bill Clinton’s entire second term. “Fascism – A Warning” (FW) is her 6th book, all written post January 2001. It is 254 pages in length with seventeen
In the early chapters, it focuses mostly on Mussolini and Hitler; Stalin, Kim, Erdogan and a host of smaller potatoes are also addressed. A meeting in Italy of a few dozen angry citizens soon after WWI is described; they vow to defend their country against all enemies and select as an emblem the fasces, a bundle of elm rods and an ax used in ancient times. Within a couple of years the “fascists” had 2,000 chapters and Mussolini was their leader. I expected to get a detailed description then of what a fascist was and wasn’t but that didn’t come until the last ten pages of the book: “….my conclusion that a Fascist is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals…..”. My immediate thoughts though were “ok, but what’s a dictator?, an anarchist?, an authoritarian?, and how do they all differ?” No answer here, so I dived into the web for some help. What I did find in FW though was good examples of typical fascist behaviors.
Mussolini (from page 26), for example: “…he knew what the mass of people wanted: a show…To the side a small group of foreign reporters who would be pointed to and mocked.” But the Hitler examples are more familiar, page 26 ff: “…intuitive sense of what delighted audiences…..used simple words and did not hesitate to tell what he later described as ‘colossal untruths’……sought to incite hatred….(gradually the show business aspects expanded)…..he arrived in the nation’s highest office without ever having won a majority vote, yet by constitutional means….felt that his countrymen were looking for a man who spoke to their anger, understood their fears….convinced millions of men and women that he cared for them…he would have sacrificed them all.”
While the Italians eventually turned on Mussolini and he died a rather ignominious end facing an impromptu firing squad, Hitler and Stalin survived until the end of WWII and beyond, one a suicide, the other of old age. So how exactly is a fascist to be dealt with? What’s the formula? I didn’t see a clear answer. In the last chapter, the point is made that In November 2016, Obama’s favorability was at its peak yet we elected Trump. It’s not a puzzle to me. I liked Obama and the favorability rating for many is a popularity or likeability measure, but I thought Obama accomplished little beyond the first year financial rescue and the Affordable Care Act. Albright lists other Obama achievements but I doubt that most voters would not acknowledge any “pocket value” for most of them. So in terms an accomplishments, change, working with Congress….not a lot that stirred my fires, nevertheless I voted for Clinton. But after reading FW, I feel Albright really doesn’t get the Base. “Yes, salaries remain too flat, and we have much work ahead to provide jobs for the next generation…..” Whoa, we have a lot of work to do to provide work for THIS generation. There’s a huge segment of the public that has seen no increases, that has fallen behind year after year, whose factory jobs have disappeared from their small town and have no opportunities comparable to what they had, and who have non-transferable skills – and what, we’re going to make computer programmers out of them all? I don’t think so.
There is one other matter that I don’t feel was addressed here, and that has been a huge disappointment to me. Albright comments a number of times about how our system of government and our democratic values have been under attack. She mentions think tanks and papers (and the last scene of the first Indiana Jones movie immediately flashed in my tired old brain. Remember the huge warehouse and the squeaky cart carrying the sought after treasure – replace with think tank paper – to its final resting place in aisle 23, level 7, row 4, bin 66?) While there is a very nice quote by Pres Geo W Bush on page 245 about the failure of those charged with preserving and protecting democracy, that is about as far as it went. And that must be a big part of any story dealing with Fascism. Especially in America, where the failure of our leadership to speak out and condemn, the failure of House and Senate leadership, failure of each and every member of Congress, failure of the governors, failure of our Cabinet leaders has been shocking and bitterly disappointing. Finally, I feel the author failed in not taking all of these “leaders” to task for their dereliction of duty.
Author Madeleine Albright was the 64th and 1st woman Secretary of State, serving President Bill Clinton’s entire second term. “Fascism – A Warning” (FW) is her 6th book, all written post January 2001. It is 254 pages in length with seventeen
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chapters. My LibraryThing rating is 3 ½ stars; my Amazon rating is a generous 4 stars. Overall, I am glad I read it, I learned some things, mostly historical, but I wished it had gone further. And the point of view struck me as a bit too academic for my taste – I would have preferred something from a historical and/or political perspective.In the early chapters, it focuses mostly on Mussolini and Hitler; Stalin, Kim, Erdogan and a host of smaller potatoes are also addressed. A meeting in Italy of a few dozen angry citizens soon after WWI is described; they vow to defend their country against all enemies and select as an emblem the fasces, a bundle of elm rods and an ax used in ancient times. Within a couple of years the “fascists” had 2,000 chapters and Mussolini was their leader. I expected to get a detailed description then of what a fascist was and wasn’t but that didn’t come until the last ten pages of the book: “….my conclusion that a Fascist is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals…..”. My immediate thoughts though were “ok, but what’s a dictator?, an anarchist?, an authoritarian?, and how do they all differ?” No answer here, so I dived into the web for some help. What I did find in FW though was good examples of typical fascist behaviors.
Mussolini (from page 26), for example: “…he knew what the mass of people wanted: a show…To the side a small group of foreign reporters who would be pointed to and mocked.” But the Hitler examples are more familiar, page 26 ff: “…intuitive sense of what delighted audiences…..used simple words and did not hesitate to tell what he later described as ‘colossal untruths’……sought to incite hatred….(gradually the show business aspects expanded)…..he arrived in the nation’s highest office without ever having won a majority vote, yet by constitutional means….felt that his countrymen were looking for a man who spoke to their anger, understood their fears….convinced millions of men and women that he cared for them…he would have sacrificed them all.”
While the Italians eventually turned on Mussolini and he died a rather ignominious end facing an impromptu firing squad, Hitler and Stalin survived until the end of WWII and beyond, one a suicide, the other of old age. So how exactly is a fascist to be dealt with? What’s the formula? I didn’t see a clear answer. In the last chapter, the point is made that In November 2016, Obama’s favorability was at its peak yet we elected Trump. It’s not a puzzle to me. I liked Obama and the favorability rating for many is a popularity or likeability measure, but I thought Obama accomplished little beyond the first year financial rescue and the Affordable Care Act. Albright lists other Obama achievements but I doubt that most voters would not acknowledge any “pocket value” for most of them. So in terms an accomplishments, change, working with Congress….not a lot that stirred my fires, nevertheless I voted for Clinton. But after reading FW, I feel Albright really doesn’t get the Base. “Yes, salaries remain too flat, and we have much work ahead to provide jobs for the next generation…..” Whoa, we have a lot of work to do to provide work for THIS generation. There’s a huge segment of the public that has seen no increases, that has fallen behind year after year, whose factory jobs have disappeared from their small town and have no opportunities comparable to what they had, and who have non-transferable skills – and what, we’re going to make computer programmers out of them all? I don’t think so.
There is one other matter that I don’t feel was addressed here, and that has been a huge disappointment to me. Albright comments a number of times about how our system of government and our democratic values have been under attack. She mentions think tanks and papers (and the last scene of the first Indiana Jones movie immediately flashed in my tired old brain. Remember the huge warehouse and the squeaky cart carrying the sought after treasure – replace with think tank paper – to its final resting place in aisle 23, level 7, row 4, bin 66?) While there is a very nice quote by Pres Geo W Bush on page 245 about the failure of those charged with preserving and protecting democracy, that is about as far as it went. And that must be a big part of any story dealing with Fascism. Especially in America, where the failure of our leadership to speak out and condemn, the failure of House and Senate leadership, failure of each and every member of Congress, failure of the governors, failure of our Cabinet leaders has been shocking and bitterly disappointing. Finally, I feel the author failed in not taking all of these “leaders” to task for their dereliction of duty.
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LibraryThing member john.cooper
An interesting, easy-reading overview of Fascism in the last hundred years, broadly defined, with chapters on Mussolini (Italy), Hitler (Germany), Milosevic (Yugoslavia), Chavez (Venezuela), Erdogan (Turkey), Putin (Russia), Orban (Hungary), Kim (Korea), and a certain current U.S. president. The
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point is not to label all of these leaders Fascists as much as to compare the circumstances that gave rise to anti-democratic authoritarians even in nations where democracy seemed intact. The labels are unimportant—dangerous leaders can come from the right or from the left, or from the populist center. I enjoyed the profiles by a person who's met many of the men she's writing about. However, the modulated emotional register and unshakable even-handedness of a career diplomat doesn't always make for exciting reading. As other reviewers have noted, this book would serve as an excellent eye-opener for students and as a starting point for discussion, but for adults who follow global politics, the surprises are few and the points less than earth-shaking. Show Less
LibraryThing member ejakub
Nice general overview of fascism
LibraryThing member writemoves
Albright's book was a pleasant surprise to me. I did not read or hear anything about her book prior to me picking it up at my local library. it is very well written and very informative. Obviously Mrs. Albright possesses a unique perspective on this topic, primarily in her role as Secretary of
Mrs. Albright presents an overview of the governing styles of various dictators and national leaders including Hitler, Mussolini, Putin, Chavez, and Kim Jong-il. She had the opportunity to meet with Kim Jong il at the end of the Clinton presidency. Her observations, within the book, are very timely given the proposed summit scheduled for June 12, 2018.
She also expressed her anxiety about the present and future state of democracy within the United States.
I do not ordinarily read books written by political or government officials as they generally have an agenda and one does not get an unbiased view or analysis. But I was very pleased by this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in history, leadership and democracy.
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State. The topic of the book is very timely given the political circumstances around the world and sadly, within the United States.Mrs. Albright presents an overview of the governing styles of various dictators and national leaders including Hitler, Mussolini, Putin, Chavez, and Kim Jong-il. She had the opportunity to meet with Kim Jong il at the end of the Clinton presidency. Her observations, within the book, are very timely given the proposed summit scheduled for June 12, 2018.
She also expressed her anxiety about the present and future state of democracy within the United States.
I do not ordinarily read books written by political or government officials as they generally have an agenda and one does not get an unbiased view or analysis. But I was very pleased by this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in history, leadership and democracy.
Show Less
LibraryThing member write-review
Are You Being Plucked?
Who better to help former Secretary of State Madeline Albright make her point than the first fascist, Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. He advised, pluck the chicken feather by feather so as to keep the squawking discrete; in this way, disappearing freedoms go unnoticed until too
Using fascist leaders, dictators, and authoritarian rules from Mussolini’s and Hitler’s days, Albright describes and thereby alerts us to the pattern of how these people work. Wise people should pay attention.
Early on, Albright offers a checklist for defining a Fascist, and it’s worth quoting it here, for if you go no further than this, at least you will have a handy way for judging many of today’s strong men. “To my mind, a Fascist is someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary—including violence—to achieve his or her goals. In that conception, a Fascist will likely be a tyrant, but a tyrant need not be a Fascist.”
Albright reinforces her point by taking readers through the circumstances allowing, the rise of, and the methods of control employed by a real rogues gallery of tough guys: Mussolini, Hitler, Franco (Spain), Sir Oswald Mosley (England), Stalin, Joe McCarthy, Milošević, Marcos and Duterte (Philippines), Chávez, Erdoğan, Orbán (Hungry), Putin, and the list, unfortunately, could be much longer. Learning about the motives and methods of these men, it won’t be lost on readers how Donald Trump seems to be drawing from these authoritarians’ playbooks. The message here is quite clear, forcefully laid out for all but the blind and addled to see: we like to believe that American democracy and our republican governmental checks and balances afford us protection against such strong men overwhelming our way of life, but we may be much to optimistic.
Back in the dim days of the Great Depression, when fascism rose in Italy and Germany, American author Sinclair Lewis saw clearly that we too could succumb to the siren song of order and national chauvinism. It’s well worth taking a look at his novelistic toppling of our government, It Can’t Happen Here (1936), both about fascist revolution and American populism manifested by Huey Long.
Again, with Albright’s book, we have yet another red flag volume that Americans should read, and that, alas, most, especially those who should, will not.
Who better to help former Secretary of State Madeline Albright make her point than the first fascist, Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. He advised, pluck the chicken feather by feather so as to keep the squawking discrete; in this way, disappearing freedoms go unnoticed until too
Show More
late. Sounds similar to what we are experiencing in the form of lie constantly, toss out outrageous statements regularly, do all to divert attention and confuse matters. Using fascist leaders, dictators, and authoritarian rules from Mussolini’s and Hitler’s days, Albright describes and thereby alerts us to the pattern of how these people work. Wise people should pay attention.
Early on, Albright offers a checklist for defining a Fascist, and it’s worth quoting it here, for if you go no further than this, at least you will have a handy way for judging many of today’s strong men. “To my mind, a Fascist is someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary—including violence—to achieve his or her goals. In that conception, a Fascist will likely be a tyrant, but a tyrant need not be a Fascist.”
Albright reinforces her point by taking readers through the circumstances allowing, the rise of, and the methods of control employed by a real rogues gallery of tough guys: Mussolini, Hitler, Franco (Spain), Sir Oswald Mosley (England), Stalin, Joe McCarthy, Milošević, Marcos and Duterte (Philippines), Chávez, Erdoğan, Orbán (Hungry), Putin, and the list, unfortunately, could be much longer. Learning about the motives and methods of these men, it won’t be lost on readers how Donald Trump seems to be drawing from these authoritarians’ playbooks. The message here is quite clear, forcefully laid out for all but the blind and addled to see: we like to believe that American democracy and our republican governmental checks and balances afford us protection against such strong men overwhelming our way of life, but we may be much to optimistic.
Back in the dim days of the Great Depression, when fascism rose in Italy and Germany, American author Sinclair Lewis saw clearly that we too could succumb to the siren song of order and national chauvinism. It’s well worth taking a look at his novelistic toppling of our government, It Can’t Happen Here (1936), both about fascist revolution and American populism manifested by Huey Long.
Again, with Albright’s book, we have yet another red flag volume that Americans should read, and that, alas, most, especially those who should, will not.
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LibraryThing member write-review
Are You Being Plucked?
Who better to help former Secretary of State Madeline Albright make her point than the first fascist, Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. He advised, pluck the chicken feather by feather so as to keep the squawking discrete; in this way, disappearing freedoms go unnoticed until too
Using fascist leaders, dictators, and authoritarian rules from Mussolini’s and Hitler’s days, Albright describes and thereby alerts us to the pattern of how these people work. Wise people should pay attention.
Early on, Albright offers a checklist for defining a Fascist, and it’s worth quoting it here, for if you go no further than this, at least you will have a handy way for judging many of today’s strong men. “To my mind, a Fascist is someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary—including violence—to achieve his or her goals. In that conception, a Fascist will likely be a tyrant, but a tyrant need not be a Fascist.”
Albright reinforces her point by taking readers through the circumstances allowing, the rise of, and the methods of control employed by a real rogues gallery of tough guys: Mussolini, Hitler, Franco (Spain), Sir Oswald Mosley (England), Stalin, Joe McCarthy, Milošević, Marcos and Duterte (Philippines), Chávez, Erdoğan, Orbán (Hungry), Putin, and the list, unfortunately, could be much longer. Learning about the motives and methods of these men, it won’t be lost on readers how Donald Trump seems to be drawing from these authoritarians’ playbooks. The message here is quite clear, forcefully laid out for all but the blind and addled to see: we like to believe that American democracy and our republican governmental checks and balances afford us protection against such strong men overwhelming our way of life, but we may be much to optimistic.
Back in the dim days of the Great Depression, when fascism rose in Italy and Germany, American author Sinclair Lewis saw clearly that we too could succumb to the siren song of order and national chauvinism. It’s well worth taking a look at his novelistic toppling of our government, It Can’t Happen Here (1936), both about fascist revolution and American populism manifested by Huey Long.
Again, with Albright’s book, we have yet another red flag volume that Americans should read, and that, alas, most, especially those who should, will not.
Who better to help former Secretary of State Madeline Albright make her point than the first fascist, Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. He advised, pluck the chicken feather by feather so as to keep the squawking discrete; in this way, disappearing freedoms go unnoticed until too
Show More
late. Sounds similar to what we are experiencing in the form of lie constantly, toss out outrageous statements regularly, do all to divert attention and confuse matters. Using fascist leaders, dictators, and authoritarian rules from Mussolini’s and Hitler’s days, Albright describes and thereby alerts us to the pattern of how these people work. Wise people should pay attention.
Early on, Albright offers a checklist for defining a Fascist, and it’s worth quoting it here, for if you go no further than this, at least you will have a handy way for judging many of today’s strong men. “To my mind, a Fascist is someone who identifies strongly with and claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use whatever means are necessary—including violence—to achieve his or her goals. In that conception, a Fascist will likely be a tyrant, but a tyrant need not be a Fascist.”
Albright reinforces her point by taking readers through the circumstances allowing, the rise of, and the methods of control employed by a real rogues gallery of tough guys: Mussolini, Hitler, Franco (Spain), Sir Oswald Mosley (England), Stalin, Joe McCarthy, Milošević, Marcos and Duterte (Philippines), Chávez, Erdoğan, Orbán (Hungry), Putin, and the list, unfortunately, could be much longer. Learning about the motives and methods of these men, it won’t be lost on readers how Donald Trump seems to be drawing from these authoritarians’ playbooks. The message here is quite clear, forcefully laid out for all but the blind and addled to see: we like to believe that American democracy and our republican governmental checks and balances afford us protection against such strong men overwhelming our way of life, but we may be much to optimistic.
Back in the dim days of the Great Depression, when fascism rose in Italy and Germany, American author Sinclair Lewis saw clearly that we too could succumb to the siren song of order and national chauvinism. It’s well worth taking a look at his novelistic toppling of our government, It Can’t Happen Here (1936), both about fascist revolution and American populism manifested by Huey Long.
Again, with Albright’s book, we have yet another red flag volume that Americans should read, and that, alas, most, especially those who should, will not.
Show Less
LibraryThing member RajivC
Overall, this is a book worth reading. Madeline Albright brings in a refreshing personal angle to the book, with memories of her own childhood at the time of World War II. She is professionally qualified to write on fascism, having seen it up front, and having had the chance to meet many autocratic
Yet, she missed the chance to write a more insightful book. This does not mean to say that the book is devoid of insight. It is not. She could have gone deeper and did not.
I am surprised she did not comment on the changes taking place in India. This is a critical omission
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leaders during her career. In addition, she is - has been - a professor. Yet, she missed the chance to write a more insightful book. This does not mean to say that the book is devoid of insight. It is not. She could have gone deeper and did not.
I am surprised she did not comment on the changes taking place in India. This is a critical omission
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LibraryThing member Michael_Lilly
An important and prescient book. It was written after the Russian annexation of Crimea but before Putin's 2022 invasion of the rest of the Ukraine; after Trump was elected president, but before Trump's defeat when he ran for a second term. I sheds light on these events and helps to make sense of
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what has happened after the book was written. I give it the highest possible recommendation. Show Less
LibraryThing member BenKline
There was a lot more history to this and background than I was anticipating. I was nearly expecting it to be a full and total launch all assault on Trump and his presidency, and the fact that it wasn't, was very nice, refreshing, and so when the book does come to him, its not a full on attack, and
The past and present dictators and fascists and the histories should be essential reading for any political course, and for those looking to get background information on HOW **NOT** to run a country.
The ending is a nice optimistic hopeful outlook but realistically grounded. She realizes what Trump is, what he is doing to democracy, and how in some ways democracy is changing. She also looks at the possible worst-case situations and showcases how they could come about.
All in all, its a great political and informative read.
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comes across well.The past and present dictators and fascists and the histories should be essential reading for any political course, and for those looking to get background information on HOW **NOT** to run a country.
The ending is a nice optimistic hopeful outlook but realistically grounded. She realizes what Trump is, what he is doing to democracy, and how in some ways democracy is changing. She also looks at the possible worst-case situations and showcases how they could come about.
All in all, its a great political and informative read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member billsearth
Mrs. Albright is an authority on fascism for several reasons. She lived through it, and as the head of state and then the US United Nations representative, she learned the detailed relationships and the people of other nations who influenced their governments' leadership style. Her many decades of
In this book she documents facts and provides names and dates on all she covers. If the reader does not see that, just flip over to the start of the index and the facts are in a section immediately before that index, if not stated directly in the book where the reader might expect it..
She begins with her family's experience growing up under the influence f fascism first spread by Italy, then by Germany and then by her own Czechoslovakia. She identifies the traits common to all fascist leaders, from then to the present and traces the uses of those tools in each fascist leader starting with Mussolini, who she claims invented the phrase "drain the swamp".
The first 40 or so pages are startling as they show a very cleat similarity to whet we in America are experiencing. In the middle of the book she has a chapter on Trump in which she delves further into those similarities and shows what stage we are in along the way to fascism. She follows that with bringing us up through history to the present, following fascism all the way.
The final quarter of the book deals with her view of why we are seeing a return to fascism popularity and what danger it poses to our country and the global economy and quality of life.
Pages 245 through 252 are a summary of where we and the world stand today on this issue and the dangers for the future.
In the last two pages, she offers us three possible outcomes of the problem we are in. Of those she points out the danger we are already in and her opinion of how long it will take to become a stable democracy again, if we can recover at all, and she shows which of those paths she feels will be our future, and again, how long it will take us to get there.
But do not read this book for just that last summary and conclusion part as you will miss the personal descriptions on how fascism spreads and how it affects the people living under it. Those are important.
This book is in the category of Silent Spring. It is a wake up call that we as individuals and a nation must act on.
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being immersed in this issue has given her a deep perspective others cannot match.In this book she documents facts and provides names and dates on all she covers. If the reader does not see that, just flip over to the start of the index and the facts are in a section immediately before that index, if not stated directly in the book where the reader might expect it..
She begins with her family's experience growing up under the influence f fascism first spread by Italy, then by Germany and then by her own Czechoslovakia. She identifies the traits common to all fascist leaders, from then to the present and traces the uses of those tools in each fascist leader starting with Mussolini, who she claims invented the phrase "drain the swamp".
The first 40 or so pages are startling as they show a very cleat similarity to whet we in America are experiencing. In the middle of the book she has a chapter on Trump in which she delves further into those similarities and shows what stage we are in along the way to fascism. She follows that with bringing us up through history to the present, following fascism all the way.
The final quarter of the book deals with her view of why we are seeing a return to fascism popularity and what danger it poses to our country and the global economy and quality of life.
Pages 245 through 252 are a summary of where we and the world stand today on this issue and the dangers for the future.
In the last two pages, she offers us three possible outcomes of the problem we are in. Of those she points out the danger we are already in and her opinion of how long it will take to become a stable democracy again, if we can recover at all, and she shows which of those paths she feels will be our future, and again, how long it will take us to get there.
But do not read this book for just that last summary and conclusion part as you will miss the personal descriptions on how fascism spreads and how it affects the people living under it. Those are important.
This book is in the category of Silent Spring. It is a wake up call that we as individuals and a nation must act on.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Chris.Wolak
A history of fascism highlighting how it often creeps in with men who’ve been legally elected. A warning that Albright had planned on writing regardless of who was president. A warning to help heat up people’s love of democracy. A warning that it could happen here. I’m not willing to bet it
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can’t happen here. Are you? Show Less
Awards
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Nonfiction — 2019)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Social Sciences — 2018)
NPR: Books We Love (2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018
Physical description
304 p.; 8.74 inches
ISBN
0008282269 / 9780008282264
Similar in this library
DDC/MDS
| 320.533 |