Fascism: A Warning

“It is easier to remove tyrants and destroy concentration camps than to kill the ideas that gave them birth.” - former President Harry Truman

In Fascism: A Warning, Albright weaves her personal history with the history of the rise of fascism in Italy with Benito Mussolini and in Germany with Adolf Hitler in the early 20th century, then moves to more contemporary foreign affairs and dictators. She speaks from her own experience, while relating facts surrounding each fascist's rise to power, and later drawing from her time as Secretary of State.

She begins with the origins of Fascism and accounts of the rise to power of both Mussolini and Hitler. She is very good at choosing details with contemporary resonance (Mussolini liked to have his picture taken with his shirt off, Hitler couldn’t sit still and preferred oral briefings), but at her best when she demonstrates that Fascism rarely comes to power by the violent overthrow of a democracy, Instead, through a peaceful—though anomalous—election, a leader with Fascist instincts comes to power, and then proceeds to inflame public opinion and disparage tradition norms so that the constitution itself may be altered or ignored.

So it was in the days of Benito, Adolph, and Josef, and so it has continued with the autocrats of the last thirty years. (Some of whom Mrs Albright has met and describes from a first hand perspective.) Often, as with Chavez, Erdogan, and the leaders of the illiberal democracies of contemporary Poland and Hungary, each man may begin by expressing a concern for his people, but as time goes on, the autocrat widens his power and crushes all forms of opposition.

With an exploration of some of the world’s leaders, Albright turns the tables around and explores some of the American examples since early 2017. There has surely been a strong push towards American nationalism, which is less a pride-based rallying call, but one that seeks to divide and isolate. American ‘greatness’ has always been present, though President Trump created a mantra that led many to believe that it was completely gone. Albright effectively argues that the American people, or at least portions of it, have been lapping up the Trump rhetoric and not looking out for the bigger picture, where years down the road, it will not matter that American nuclear power is strong and the army is large. Without strong regional and international support, there will be a new and troublesome isolation that could take decade to rebuild. A powerful piece for those who have the inclination to hear some of the strong arguments made about the pending trouble that awaits America. Recommended to those whose political mind is piqued by these sorts of discussions, as well as the reader who seeks to take some reflective time determining which path they would like America to follow after the Trump versus Biden election.