Reddit reviews Fascism: A Very Short Introduction

I've done a bit of reading regarding fascism. Well before Trump got elected I read Fascism: A Very Short Introduction out of morbid curiosity. I noticed a trend back in 2014-2015 that nationalism was staunchly on the rise. So I figured I'd read about what I consider to be the most complicated of all ideologies.

Fascism put quite simply from articles I've read is just an outright rejection of Feminism, Multiculturalism, and any type of actual leftist economics. Instead it's replaced with an adherence to Paternalism, a struggle of racial/ancestral identities, and an embracing of violence to further advance one's Nation. From what I've read and have seen from the rise of the alt-right these people I fully consider to be fascist. However there is a key component missing from many of these groups that the traditional fascists movements of the mid 20th century had; which is an actual functioning para-military wing of the group.

>which is an actual functioning para-military wing of the group.

I'm quoting myself here for emphasis. In doing so I'm going to reject that the current paramilitary groups that align with the alt-right currently are not nearly as powerful, nor as large as their former mid-20th century counterparts in regards to their paramilitary groups. Sure, I'm willing to bet a few people here will link to articles showing paramilitary groups, but when compared with the amount of soldiers left over from WW1 that formed into the paramilitary groups of the 20th century , today's groups are small in comparison.

This I think is the biggest thing as to why we're not seeing a larger enforce alt-right movement with some actual heft to it. It's missing one of the largest components to fascism. Even in the book Nazis talked about bringing fascism to America; they believed America was ripe for fascism however the thing holding them back was the strict adherence and reverence for the Constitution (IIRC) which emphasized a federalized government vs a centralized government.

[Fascism: A Very Short Introduction] (http://www.amazon.com/Fascism-A-Very-Short-Introduction/dp/0192801554) is a really condensed and informative little book.

There's so much to say on this topic. I would recommend getting a hold of Fascism: A Very Short Introduction (on Kindle if you can) and reading through it, then you'll have a good idea about what fascism is and its pros and cons.

But just to get you started:

Pros:

• Fascism is nationalistic, and something like nationalism or in-group preference has been natural since the beginning of time. Things that are natural since the beginning of time have a tendency to be useful (see: natural selection) and hard to get rid of (see: atavism).
  
  
• Fascism criticizes capitalism, and you can insert your own reasons why capitalism is bad.
  
  
• Fascism is anti-materialistic, which is a good thing because materialism has caused humanity to become soft and concerned with trivia. There's got to be more to life than a fat belly, a full wallet, and a soft cushion.
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Fascism is syncretic. This means that it isn't based off a single unified principle or set of principles, but a combination of them. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, but in the post-Enlightenment age where abstract principle is king, most people are wary of it.
  
  
• Fascism is anti-individualist. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, but in the post-Enlightenment age where individual is king, most people are wary of it.
  
  
• Fascism tends to be shitty if you're a minority. It's hard to imagine modern multicultural societies becoming fascist without an intervening period of civil war along ethnic lines.
  
  etc.

If you're looking for nonfiction, I would recommend:

• Introduction to Socialism (1973) by Leo Huberman and Paul M. Sweezy
  
  Gives a general overview on the inherent problems capitalism (waste, unequal oppurtunity, greed, monopolies) as well as dispelling false arguments against socialism (distinction between property for means of production and ownership of private product, redistributing material goods, laziness in the population). Also highlights the major difference between socialism and communism--socialism is the distribution of goods according to deeds and communism is the distribution of goods according to needs.
  
  
• The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
  
  An obvious choice. Thousands of papers written on this originally 23 page pamphlet. He gives reasons for the inevitability to shift from capitalism to socialism as well as his 10 steps in doing so. Can't say much about it since Marx and Engels gets to the point rather quickly.
  
  
• A Very Short Introduction (series) by various writers/experts
  
  If you don't mind dry but succinct summarization of the history, people/leaders, and notion of types of government, look up A Very Short Introduction to Communism, A Very Short Introduction to Fascism, A Very Short Introduction to Socialism.
  
  I'll give you some advice as well. These ideas are obviously complex and contrary to what the media tells you, there is no one concrete idea that is socialism, communism, fascism, or any other types of government. Many thinkers and revolutionaries mix and match ideas due to the particular needs of the society in that time period. But at the same time, while there is not one trait given to each of these ideologies, there are generalities that we can take and learn from. And just because one of these types of government fails, it does not entail the ideology was bad and will forever be obsolete.
  
  edit: If you're looking for an interesting leader for socialism, Helen Keller was a radical socialist. Most Americans just think she was a blind and deaf person who overcame her disabilities and that should fill us up with hope but that was just her first 14 years of life. What about the next 60 years? So she became a socialist to try and obtain equal rights and oppurtunities for disabled people as well as women. If you can find any non-sensationalist books about her, it would be an interesting read.