Think of this admirable book as a victory lap by a distinguished scholar. Or, from the standpoint of the reader, as an aged brandy, subtle and nuanced with a smooth aftertaste. Robert O. Paxton has spent his career trying to make sense the dark hours in the middle of the 20rth Century. He's enjoyed-and earned-the privilege of working with challenging colleagues, and with bright, informed students. Now nearing the end of his career, he gets to deliver his informed judgment.Paxton does a commendable job o..
This very thoughtful book is aimed at understanding the basic features of fascism. Paxton is very concerned with rescuing the term from its present status as a convenient insult. As Paxton points out, though not until relatively late in the book, all modern democracies contain nascent fascist elements. Given the incredibly destructive consequences of successful or even partially successful fascist movements, we should have a good understanding of fascism so as to be able to recognize fascist threats. Pa..
The Marquis de Morés, returning to 1890s Paris after his cattle ranching venture in North Dakota failed, recruited a gang of men from the Parisian cattle yards as muscle for his "national socialism" project -- a term Paxton credits Morés' contemporary Maurice Barres, a French nationalist author, with coining. Morés' project was potent and prophetic: his national socialism was a mixture of anti-capitalism and anti-Semitism. He clothed his men in what must have been the first fascist uniform in Europe -..