The Wannabe Fascists by Federico Finchelstein - Hardcover

Reviews

"An important book about the most significant threat to global democracy."
— Kirkus Reviews

"Exploring the histories and ideologies of fascism and populism, The Wannabe Fascists exposes a new political force on the rise that blends the two—a danger to democracy everywhere."
— Foreword Reviews

"It is Finchelstein’s parallel definitions—that is, of outlining what makes one a populist, rather than a fascist outright—that sets The Wannabe Fascists apart from the mountains of previous Trump-related analysis. Finchelstein’s efforts at tracing the arcs and outlines of not just fascism but also populism present the book’s most successful intervention."
— The Bulwark

"As Finchelstein ably argues, it’s only in properly defining Trump—and properly understanding his historical context, American and otherwise—that we can truly understand the threat he poses and navigate the world he’s ushered in."
— The Bulwark

"Finchelstein is a scholar of populism as well as fascism, and he offers useful historical background for understanding the difference between the two. . . . Finchelstein presents four criteria to evaluate where a country sits on the fascist spectrum: political violence, propaganda and misinformation, xenophobia, and dictatorship. It is, to put it mildly, disconcerting to see where the United States now finds itself on that spectrum."
— New York Review of Books

“Finchelstein’s book is stimulating and provocative. Its comparative approach draws attention to ‘similar impulse[s]’, ‘echoes’ and common ‘patterns’ of twentieth-century fascism and modern right-wing populists.”
— International Affairs

“Masterful. . . Finchelstein compellingly portrays these current developments by showing how in American politics Trump and his factions are actively and purposefully promoting the extremist dimensions of classic fascism, all the while ascribing these to their enemies”
— European Legacy

"Finchelstein argues that the populists believe a leader can personify a nation’s wishes, adhere to democratic procedures and electoral representation (not dictatorship), and vilify (but not eliminate) their enemies (identified by national allegiance, not identity). The fascism of the wannabes is more aspirational, much less capacious in the definition of who is a citizen (including ethnic, racial, and religious discrimination), and yet incapable of taking the next step toward dictatorship, which, for the author, does not make the ideology any less dangerous."
— Choice

"Federico Finchelstein's timely and carefully argued book unpacks the differences between fascism and populism and argues that many populists in the US, Europe, and Latin America are increasingly using violence, propaganda, xenophobia, and styles of self-presentation in ways that recall historic fascism and classic dictatorship."—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

"The Wannabe Fascists is a brilliant and provocative book of interest to those who want to learn how to defend democracy from fascist nightmares."—Carlos de la Torre, author of Populisms and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida

"Finchelstein is a leading figure in right-wing studies and offers us a new concept that is clever and very relevant in our contemporary political context."—Mabel Berezin, author of Making the Fascist Self and Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Sociology, Director of the Institute for European Studies, Cornell University

"Finchelstein, who is one of the world's leading experts on both fascism and populism, is essential reading for the times in which we live."—Times Literary Supplement

The Wannabe Fascists

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

Reviews

The Wannabe Fascists

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

Reviews