Fascism: A History

The reviewer from Redondo Beach, California is correct -- Eatwell's thesis that fascism is a unified political philosophy is not terribly believable. The fascists were power-hungry thugs who changed their rhetoric to gain votes, in both cases, Italy and Germany.That being said, I still strongly recommend this book as a good introduction to the roots of fascism. Eatwell's writing is lucid and his research of the behind-the-scenes politics is impressive.While I would have appreciated more on the ideology rather than the politics of fascism, apparently the ideology was almost a facade, so no deep philosophical questions need be raised.

Fascism is a subject that always seems to fascinate a lot of people, whether their interest is historical or ideological. This is not surprising given its impact on the twentieth century world.The basis of Eatwell's book lies in the thesis that fascism is a coherent political and social ideology. While the media usually associates fascism with rampaging skinheads or soccer hooligans, Eatwell points out that there is more to the movement than mere street thuggery. This point is becoming increasingly pertinent as the fascist parties of Europe gain ever increasing support. (For example, Austria last year elected a fascist party as coalition partner to their Government.) Eatwell also shows that historically, like Communism, fascism has taken many different strands, such as the Fascism of Mussolini, the Nazism of Hitler, Strasserism, etc. etc. While broadly similar in aims, the streams of fascism often differed in key respects. Well written in a clear and jargon-free manner, Eatwell surveys the intellectual origins of fascism and charts its history in Europe both in the past and more recently. He concentrates on Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom.This is an absorbing book and an excellent introduction to further reading on this subject.