Ayoh - Shop now
Buy new:
-43% $15.26
FREE delivery Friday, May 30 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$15.26 with 43 percent savings
List Price: $27.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 30 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Wednesday, May 28.
In Stock
$$15.26 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.26
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.30
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery June 5 - 9 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery June 5 - 6
$$15.26 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.26
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change Paperback – June 2, 2009

4.6 out of 5 stars 1,486 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.26","priceAmount":15.26,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"26","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"yPF2n9%2BvpHX11YhGO0IQ7jC72B9hQT6VMFXfZeBh3mKEvZEkUgHJSvfrqz9YsN95%2B4mry5eLUW4t5GpxnbTiTeoIr4tkferEv1qDZUOrFSSIdHjDPVATGhOElEawyTbwEyPV7rVyyJU%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.30","priceAmount":8.30,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"30","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"yPF2n9%2BvpHX11YhGO0IQ7jC72B9hQT6VEr5S74M3JXE1%2B2Q8rm0nrqAm844QzflPz9VC0%2FIjTMHqOCheJqF6iyMlPo4eSbzy7IUXQnIpVtjzakdEeVSp7M38URI%2F%2BCEsJYndcIT1vKLVievoflz9Vxcr6PLiwi64sEcLcOVxqYtq%2BDPjsG%2BRKBtmHTO2qiDg","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Fierce, funny, and controversial, Jonah Goldberg's #1 New York Times bestseller traces fascism back to its surprising roots--in liberalism.

“Fascists,” “Brownshirts,” “jackbooted stormtroopers”—such are the insults typically hurled at conservatives by their liberal opponents. Calling someone a fascist is the fastest way to shut them up, defining their views as beyond the political pale. But who are the real fascists in our midst?

Liberal Fascism offers a startling new perspective on the theories and practices that define fascist politics. Replacing conveniently manufactured myths with surprising and enlightening research, Jonah Goldberg reminds us that the original fascists were really on the left, and that liberals from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to Hillary Clinton have advocated policies and principles remarkably similar to those of Hitler's National Socialism and Mussolini's Fascism.

Contrary to what most people think, the Nazis were ardent socialists (hence the term “National socialism”). They believed in free health care and guaranteed jobs. They confiscated inherited wealth and spent vast sums on public education. They purged the church from public policy, promoted a new form of pagan spirituality, and inserted the authority of the state into every nook and cranny of daily life. The Nazis declared war on smoking, supported abortion, euthanasia, and gun control. They loathed the free market, provided generous pensions for the elderly, and maintained a strict racial quota system in their universities—where campus speech codes were all the rage. The Nazis led the world in organic farming and alternative medicine. Hitler was a strict vegetarian, and Himmler was an animal rights activist.

Do these striking parallels mean that today’s liberals are genocidal maniacs, intent on conquering the world and imposing a new racial order? Not at all. Yet it is hard to deny that modern progressivism and classical fascism shared the same intellectual roots. We often forget, for example, that Mussolini and Hitler had many admirers in the United States. W.E.B. Du Bois was inspired by Hitler's Germany, and Irving Berlin praised Mussolini in song. Many fascist tenets were espoused by American progressives like John Dewey and Woodrow Wilson, and FDR incorporated fascist policies in the New Deal.

Fascism was an international movement that appeared in different forms in different countries, depending on the vagaries of national culture and temperament. In Germany, fascism appeared as genocidal racist nationalism. In America, it took a “friendlier,” more liberal form. The modern heirs of this “friendly fascist” tradition include the
New York Times, the Democratic Party, the Ivy League professoriate, and the liberals of Hollywood. The quintessential Liberal Fascist isn't an SS storm trooper; it is a female grade school teacher with an education degree from Brown or Swarthmore.

These assertions may sound strange to modern ears, but that is because we have forgotten what fascism is. In this angry, funny, smart, contentious book, Jonah Goldberg turns our preconceptions inside out and shows us the true meaning of Liberal Fascism.
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.

Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.

Frequently bought together

This item: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change
$15.26
Get it as soon as Friday, May 30
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$20.46
Get it as soon as Friday, May 30
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$16.99
Get it as soon as Friday, May 30
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Brilliant, insightful, and important.” —New York Sun


“Well-researched, seriously argued, and funny.” —
Publishers Weekly“Bold and witty… [Goldberg] makes a persuasive case that fascism was from the beginning a movement of the left.” —New York Post“Jonah Goldberg is the first historian to detail the havoc this spin of all spins has played upon Western thought for the past seventy-five years, very much including the present moment.” —Tom Wolfe

About the Author

JONAH GOLDBERG is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and contributing editor to National Review. A USA Today contributor and former columnist for the Times of London, he has also written for The New Yorker, Commentary, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ PRH Christian Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 2, 2009
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0767917189
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0767917186
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 1.28 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 1,486 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jonah Goldberg
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

JONAH GOLDBERG is the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute and is a Senior Editor at National Review. A best-selling author, his nationally syndicated column appears regularly in over a hundred newspapers across the United States. He is also a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a member of the board of contributors to USA Today, a Fox News contributor, and a regular member of the “Fox News All-Stars” on “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

He was the founding editor of National Review Online. The Atlantic magazine has identified Goldberg as one of the top 50 political commentators in America. Among his awards, in 2011 he was named the Robert J. Novak Journalist of the Year at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He has written on politics, media, and culture for a wide variety of leading publications and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. He is the author of the forthcoming "Suicide of the West" (Crown Forum, 2018), as well as two New York Times bestsellers: “The Tyranny of Clichés” (Sentinel HC, 2012) and “Liberal Fascism” (Doubleday, 2008).

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,486 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book highly informative and well-documented, serving as a good introduction to the history of fascism. Moreover, they appreciate its readability, informative writing style, and edgy humor. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its sturdiness and serious pacing. However, customers disagree on the book's effectiveness, with some finding it useful while others consider it useless.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

251 customers mention "Information quality"235 positive16 negative

Customers praise the book's information quality, describing it as a serious scholarly work that is well-documented and serves as a good introduction to the history of fascism.

"...This is a serious scholarly work, and it deserves to be read and judged as such. Goldberg is attempting to right a historical injustice...." Read more

"...This is an important work, tracing the intellectual development of the idea that the all-powerful people's State should always trump the..." Read more

"...but to the greater waves of History. This book digs deep...." Read more

"...Jonah Goldberg's 'Liberal Fascism' is an excellent treatise of the concept of Fascism, making Fascism and its history accessible to understanding by..." Read more

170 customers mention "Readability"167 positive3 negative

Customers find the book readable and thoroughly enjoyable, with one customer noting it is well-researched.

"...More like a classic work of literature that is kind of boring to read, but which exactly because it's not propagandistic or overly emotional, is one..." Read more

"...Well in closing I highly recommend the book and even though it is only January I think this will be the book of the year." Read more

"...The best chapter in the book is probably that on the 1960s counterculture youth movements, which had much in common with classical fascism in terms..." Read more

"...The book is well worth the price. I learned a ton and thought through the arguments in new ways...." Read more

109 customers mention "Readable"90 positive19 negative

Customers find the book well-written and informative, with one customer noting it is fastidiously researched and historically accurate.

"...I find his conversational and somewhat informal style to be witty and readable...." Read more

"...I love this book and think it should be required reading for every high school and college student in the United States...." Read more

"...I is pretty much written to the choir. It goes into depth to show many of the similarities of modern liberalism and fascists...." Read more

"...but especially the foundations of the "Progressive Movement" are well outlined...." Read more

14 customers mention "Humor"14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's edgy humor and interesting writing style, with one customer noting its masterful use of left-wing rhetoric.

"...I find his conversational and somewhat informal style to be witty and readable...." Read more

"...His chapters on the Clintons have lots of tweaks and chuckles...." Read more

"...Goldberg's is sometimes worrisome, scary, humorous, and hopeful...." Read more

"...essence of all of these approaches is a totalitarian, utopian and well-meaning, but ultimately deeply flawed vision of the relationship between..." Read more

11 customers mention "Sturdiness"9 positive2 negative

Customers find the book exceptionally well sourced and in excellent condition as advertised.

"...Well sourced and footnoted...." Read more

"...for the last few years since this book is a goldmine of wonderfully researced material about fascism vs. communism, which really is the same..." Read more

"...It is not. It is a well-sourced and thoughtful work about the basic error in thinking about political philosophy as left-right...." Read more

"...Exceptionally well sourced and very well written. I've read this book twice and may do so a third time...." Read more

10 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive3 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book serious and frightening.

"...The book is both better and worse than I was expecting. It is more serious but more weakly argued. Narrower in scope but less focused...." Read more

"...Goldberg has produced a serious, well researched work that explores the thesis that is at once both obvious and rarely observed; that modern leftism/..." Read more

"This is a big book and can be a bit tedious in places...." Read more

"...Well written and interesting to read. Also scary. A clear look into parts of U.S. history a lot of people want forgotten." Read more

35 customers mention "Fascism"15 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed views on the book's treatment of fascism, with some noting that it equates fascism with leftism and emphasizes its connection to Nazism, while others find these aspects poorly explained.

"...Yes, it *does* over-simplify, over-generalize a *bit*, but that's the point, for otherwise it would be a mere random collection of RECENT history,..." Read more

"...and the common good over the individual, secularism, anti-Christian rhetoric and policies, anti-Church, anti-Monarchy, anti-traditional family values..." Read more

"...I see with the book are that it (1) straddles the worlds of intellectual history and political polemics and (2) resists using a working definition..." Read more

"...individual responsibility, low taxes, and respect for traditional values such as religion, respect for parents and authority...." Read more

12 customers mention "Effectiveness"4 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's effectiveness, with some finding it effective while others describe it as useless.

"...The second problem--a failure to use a consistent working definition of fascism--leaves the book's purpose and line of argumentation shifting and at..." Read more

"...Goldberg's book is courageous and effective in outlining the true nature of fascism as the definition of the American Left since the early twentieth..." Read more

"...liberty was beginning to be viewed as antiquated, failed, and inefficient...." Read more

"...For those already in agreement, this is too much like work, and for those who don't believe the premise, they won't do this much work only to prove..." Read more

Five Stars
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Jonah is a great writer that tells the truths of the liberal debauchury infecting this country.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2008
    And boy, does Jonah Goldberg have himself some enemies.

    It was inevitable that the review section for Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" would degenerate into the Mother of all Flame Wars. The advance dislike for this book simmered for months, and now the floodgates for negative reviews are open. I'd advise all potential readers of this book to bear in mind how few of the negative reviews appear to reflect a reading of the book.

    For those willing to give Goldberg the chance, he offers the following thesis: that the label fascist has its roots in the governing philosophies of Italy's National Fascist Party and Germany's National Socialist (Nazi) Party. He argues that there has been a false duality created between the Soviet Socialists of the USSR and the socialists united under the fascists in Italy and Germany. He argues that the totalitarian impulse, the philosophy of state control of decisions taking priority over individual freedoms, is the core uniting principle behind these movements, and he argues that the ongoing home of such statism is in what has come to be known as the "liberal" politics of the modern progressive movement. As you can imagine, that doesn't sit very well with the targets of his argument (hence the rain of 1-star reviews).

    I'd encourage open minded readers of all backgrounds to read Goldberg's book and address his arguments. I find his conversational and somewhat informal style to be witty and readable. That said, longtime Goldberg fans should know that this is not a book-length "G-File" (the hip and irreverent column he wrote for National Review Online). This is a serious scholarly work, and it deserves to be read and judged as such. Goldberg is attempting to right a historical injustice. This book is not attempting, as many seem to think, to say that all liberals are closet Nazis, but rather that, contrary to popular misconception, it is not conservatism, but liberalism, that traces its roots to the fascists. In some ways it is a book-length extension of the question conservatives sometimes pose to liberals: "If you leave out the parts about killing all the Jews and invading Poland, what specifically about the Nazi political platform do you disagree with?" (That platform is handily provided in the appendix.) After Goldberg's book, this question is much harder to simply shrug off.

    Still, one doesn't need nearly 600 citations just to allow conservatives to say "I'm rubber, you're glue" the next time they are called a fascist. Goldberg argues that our focus on the atrocities committed by fascists in Germany obscures the fact that the fascist drive is, to a degree, universal in modern politics. The heritage and institutions of America lead it to manifest itself in a different form here. Whether it is the smothering embrace of the "It Takes a Village" mommy state or, to a lesser degree, the big-government, "compassionate conservatism" of Bush, fascism in the U.S. is well-intention, "smiley face" fascism, but it still looks first to the state, last to the individual.

    In the end, that's what I liked best about this book. Yes, it's great to have a 5-pound rebuttal to the next person who tries to use "fascist" as an epithet to end criticism of a liberal program. However, what comes through in the end is not so much Goldberg's hatred of fascism, but his love of liberty. Fascism in all its forms is the enemy of liberty, and recognizing it for what it is will always be a prerequisite for stopping it. Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" clears away decades of obfuscation to allow that recognition in both the past and present day politics. Those who continue to fight for individual freedom will enjoy and appreciate this book.
    3,152 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2008
    First of all, allow me to say that I have purchased and read this book -- something I believe few, if any, of the negative reviewers have done.

    This is an important work, tracing the intellectual development of the idea that the all-powerful people's State should always trump the individual and be in firm control of all aspects of the population's culture, education, defense or military expansion, information, health and economy, from its modern beginnings under Wilson to the currently epoused nanny state. One could go further back to the French Revolution or further to Thomas More, of course, but given the deplorable state of history knowledge in the US, this might well be counter-productive. Monarchies need not be considered as they are not states that derive their legitimacy from the people -- but rather from God and inheritance.

    The most negative aspect of this book is its title, "Liberal Fascism." A careful reader will learn what is meant by the author, but the vast majority will simply see the juxtaposition of the two words, "Liberal" and "Fascism" and read into this anything their pre-conceived ideas suggest. Actually, the author meant to describe something like "Benevolent Fascism", "Soft Fascism", "Smiley-Face Fascism", or my favorite, "Fuzzy Fascism" (e.g. Fascism that will not hurt you.) The word "Liberal" is used to put a more moderate or liberal face on Fascism, something more appropriate to nanny-state fascism. If the reader misinterprets the title, then little rational discussion can ensue.

    The strengths of the book are in its rediscovery of the truly disturbing policies of the Wilson administration in 1917 and 1918 whereby opponents of his administration and policies were brutally suppressed. One should review the repressive Alien and Sedition Act and the Espionage Acts that Wilson promulgated. Nor did he shrink from meddling in other countries' affairs and supporting leaders he favored. The reader is advised to study his backing of Carranza and his Vera Cruz expedition in Mexico. At any rate, the Progressive movement in the US really did bring many ideas into the mainstream of American political thought that were later used as cornerstones of fascist ideology.

    The author traces the support of communist and fascist states by American progressives until World War II -- an historical fact that should not be denied today as an inconvenient truth.

    He also argues succinctly that Fascism replaces a religion based on a supreme being (God) with a religion based on a supreme State. So does communism as a matter of fact. The new God becomes the will of the people as interpreted and enforced by the State's elite for the people's benefit. Hence the development of the nanny-state political philosophy is a direct descendent of Fascism and features many of its evils. Bill O'Reilly has coined the name "Secular-Progressive" to describe thie political philosophy, although I wonder if he realized the historical accuracy of his term. The missing part is the militarism and genocide associated today with Fascism, which were outgrowths of the core ideas of Fascism and may well yet develop in the nanny state. After all, what would there be to stop such a development? It should be remembered that one of Hitler's early steps was to introduce full gun control in Germany to reduce any possibility of internal resistance to his regime.

    The argument that "it can't happen here" should be revisited in light of Wilson's actions, Roosevelt's creation of concentration camps for Japanese during World War II, and the more recent Patriot Act. Unfortunately, many turn to the ACLU for solace, but it must be remembered that this organization was founded to foster the spread of communist ideology, and consistently supports the all-powerful leftist and secular state against the individual and religion.

    The book bogs down somewhat in the argument that fascism is a product of the left and not of the right (politically.) The author is correct here, but he is swimming upstream against a powerful current from the mainstream American media which is firmly leftist and committed to the creation of a nanny state. In addition, he is trumped by the educational industry, both in public schools and in universities which has consistently taught socialist ideology since World War Two under the rubric of liberal teaching. As of this date, we have had a steady diet of socialist propaganda in our schools and universities for so long than no national or local figure has escaped its pernicious effects. What was thought to be "far-left" in 1960 is now centrist -- so far have we gone down the road towards a fascist state.

    Nevertheless, the use of terms that everyone interprets in their own fashion by the author colors this discussion so markedly that constructive dialog between liberals and conservatives over this work is highly improbable. That is a great loss to our democracy.

    So what is the solution? There probably isn't one. Politicians eloquently espousing "change" and "hope" have already very effectively learned how to evade issues in favor of vacuous but thrilling demagogy to rise to power. It must be remembered that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama studied Saul Alinsky thoroughly, making him possibly the most important individual in the background of the 2008 election. Senator Clinton even did double duty traveling to California to study under an unrepentant Stalinist. Perhaps they do not understand the road on which they are traveling -- after all, they've never been taught anything different. (That's why home schooling and even charter schools are such threats.) I suspect that the US will survive anything they do in the short term, but they are harbingers of things to come. The trend is there from the days of Wilson, and the ultimate denouement is in sight with Europe cheering us on out of envy every day. Even the mass demonstrations so loved by fascism to demonstrate the power and popularity of the State and its leaders are now being copied.

    Before I receive thousands of hate comments from Obama supporters, allow me to state that the epithet "Fascist" does not fit Barack Obama in any way, shape or form. But the parallels I noted should not be overlooked in a study of the historical sweep of events and the acceptance of ideas. There is no question that the US has taken many steps on the road to the author's fascist nanny state, and opposition to this trend is fast being suppressed.
    838 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
    Reviewed in Australia on June 26, 2018
    Enjoyed it all the way through. A brilliant and compelling political/historical/philosophical view on the development of the American left. Highly recommended. I need two more words to finish this review.
  • Alpha Bet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and revealing. This book is worth reading!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2025
    Written by a respected reporter, this book reveals historical facts that I was never taught in school. Even though this book was published at least a decade ago, the facts have not changed, and it is still well worth reading. I highly recommend it.
  • Mikenanoda
    5.0 out of 5 stars アメリカの共産主義者の実態を暴く
    Reviewed in Japan on June 13, 2013
    そもそもフランクリンルーズベルトの閣僚に共産主義者でソ連のスパイが何人もいて、
    政府職員を入れれば、1000人は下らないと言う容共、共産主義者かつソ連のスパイ
    の実態を明らかにする、と同時に左翼、共産主義はファシズムに通ずることを
    明確に説明する。
    第2次世界大戦を、ファシズムグループと民主主義グループに分けて、
    ソ連を仲間とし、援助するアメリカは善意変じて偏執狂の馬鹿としか思えない
    Report
  • Juan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for everyone.
    Reviewed in Spain on December 17, 2019
    Interesting book with many unknown facts silenced by the socialist academics and media.
  • Humberto Sandmann
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 3, 2017
    Com referências bibliográficas, o autor apresenta um histórico do "movimento" liberal americano, inclusive sua tentativa de descolamento do rótulo de progressista, que agora volta com forma nas palavras de Clinton e Krugman.