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Resumen
Resumen
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today's world, written by one of the most admired public servants in American history, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state
A Fascist, observed Madeleine Albright, "is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have."
The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. Fascism: A Warning is drawn from Madeleine Albright's experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that assumption.
Fascism, as she shows, not only endured through the twentieth century but now presents a more virulent threat to peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates division and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological, and cultural factors are weakening the political center and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.
Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written by someone who not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.
Reseñas (5)
Reseña de Publisher's Weekly
Yes, it can happen here-and in other countries-according to Albright's far-ranging exploration of the history and latter-day prospects of fascism. The Georgetown professor and former Clinton secretary of state identifies various characteristics of fascism, including hypernationalism and populism mixed with authoritarian-leaning rule, militarism, contempt for democratic customs, persecution of minority populations, a dread of disorder and decadence, charismatic leaders, and public spectacles. After probing accounts of the fascist models of Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany, she finds that toxic brew in present-day Venezuela, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Russia, North Korea, and right-wing parties generally. And then, she writes, there's Donald Trump, "the first anti-democratic president in modern U.S. history," whose bluster, "paranoid bigotry" against Muslims and immigrants, America-firstism, and rhetorical attacks on the press and judiciary set a fascistic example for world leaders and abdicate America's role as global protector of democracy. Albright's incisive analyses are enriched by her experiences as a refugee from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia-her Jewish grandmother died in a concentration camp-and as America's diplomat-in-chief; her vivid sketch of a surprisingly rational Kim Jong-Il anchors a sharp critique of Trump's erratic approach to North Korea. Albright sometimes paints with too broad a brush in conceptualizing fascism, but she offers cogent insights on worrisome political trends. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A close observer of world governments sounds an alarm about threats to democracy.Former Secretary of State Albright (Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948, 2012, etc.) offers an authoritative and well-grounded analysis of the growing rise of fascism around the world. Why, she asks, "has international momentum toward democracy slowed, and why are so many charlatans seeking to undermine public confidence in elections, the courts, the media," and science? She counts the current president among the charlatans. "Trump's eyes light up," she writes, "when strongmen steamroll opposition, brush aside legal constraints, ignore criticism, and do whatever it takes to get their way." A fascist leader, Albright asserts, uses any means necessary to command obedience and therefore depends on a popular base willing to take orders. Preying upon the "fears and hopes of average people," fascism begins insidiously, with "a seemingly minor character" who professes to be the single person to solve a nation's problems. Deteriorating social and economic conditions offer an opportunity for "a gifted pied piper" to rise. As Mussolini observed, those seeking power should "do so in the manner of plucking a chickenfeather by feather" to keep the process as quiet as possible. "Soon enough," warns Albright, "the government that silences one media outlet finds muffling a second easer." Besides providing an overview of the careers of Mussolini and Hitler, Albright looks at leaders such as Venezuela's Hugo Chvez, Turkey's Recep Erdogan, Hungary's Viktor Orban, and Russia's Vladimir Putin. Putin, she observes, is not yet a "full-blown" fascist, but he "has flipped through Stalin's copy of the totalitarian playbook and underlined passages of interest to call on when convenient." Albright concludes with 10 questions to ask of any prospective leader: Do they inflame prejudices and incite desire for revenge; encourage contempt for governing institutions, the press, and the judiciary; exploit symbols of patriotism; brag about their power to solve all problems; and exhibit "pumped up machismo about using violence"?Sage advice in perilous times. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Reseña de Booklist
*Starred Review* The founders of fascism Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin and fascism's current practitioners Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Erdogan are profiled in former secretary of state and author Albright's (Prague Winter, 2012) cautionary primer on what democracy's antithesis looks like. Fascism is a term that is not easily nor universally defined, filtered, as it is, through the lens of personal biases and animosities. How, then, does one recognize fascism, and why is it important to do so now? Albright is forthright in stating that one reason is Donald Trump, and although her regime-by-regime analysis of fascism's genesis and evolution is not a de facto indictment of the current administration, it is a call to pay attention to the changes in America's national discourse and global standing under the Trump administration. Having fled both Hitler's Germany and Czechoslovakia's Communist uprising as a child, Albright's acquaintance with fascism is practically a part of her DNA. With America's global standing now downgraded from full democracy to flawed democracy by the Economist Intelligence Unit, this is no time for complacency. Albright outlines the warning signs of fascism and offers concrete actions for restoring America's values and reputation. There is priceless wisdom on every page.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2018 Booklist
Reseña de New York Review of Books
LAST STORIES, by William Trevor. (Viking, $26.) The great Irish writer, who died in 2016 at the age of 88, captured turning points in individual lives with powerful slyness. This seemingly quiet but ultimately volcanic collection is his final gift to us, and it is filled with plots sprung from human feeling. FASCISM: A Warning, by Madeleine Albright with Bill Woodward. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Albright draws on her long experience in government service and as an educator to warn about a new rise of fascism around the world. She is hopeful that this threat can be overcome, but only, she says, if we recognize history's lessons and never take democracy for granted. MOTHERHOOD, by Sheila Heti. (Holt, $27.) The narrator of Heti's provocative new novel, a childless writer in her late 30s - like Heti herself - is preoccupied with a single question: whether to have a child. Her dilemma prompts her to consult friends, psychics, her conscience and a version of the I Ching. INTO THE RAGING SEA: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of the El Faro, by Rachel Slade. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Pieced together from texts, emails and black box recordings, this is a tense, moment-by-moment account of the 2015 sinking of the cargo ship El Faro during Hurricane Joaquin. SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE: Essays, Criticism, and Commentary, by Lorrie Moore. (Knopf, $29.95.) The first essay collection by this gifted fiction writer features incisive pieces about topics like Alice Munro, John Cheever, "The Wire," Dawn Powell and Don DeLillo, all of it subject to Moore's usual loving attention and quirky perspective. CAN DEMOCRACY SURVIVE GLOBAL CAPITALISM? by Robert Kuttner. (Norton, $27.95.) Kuttner returns to the argument he's been making with increasing alarm for the past three decades: Countries need to have autonomy to control their economies, otherwise they'll be crushed by the whims of the free market. THE GIRL WHO SMILED BEADS: A Story Of War and What Comes After, by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil. (Crown, $26.) As a 6-year-old refugee of the Rwandan genocide, Wamariya crisscrossed Africa with her sister, enduring poverty and violence. She recounts her path to America lyrically and analytically. AND NOW WE HAVE EVERYTHING: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready, by Meaghan O'Connell. (Little, Brown, $26.) This honest, neurotic, searingly funny memoir of pregnancy and childbirth is a welcome antidote in the panicked-expectant-mothers canon - though its gripping narrative will appeal to nonparents, too. WHITE HOUSES, by Amy Bloom. (Random House, $27.) A psychologically astute novel that celebrates the intimate relationship of Eleanor Roosevelt and the A.P. reporter Lorena Hickok. The full reviews of these and other recent books are on the web: nytimes.com/books
Library Journal Review
Former U.S. secretary of state Albright began work on this book before the 2016 election as a response to assaults on democratic values in other countries but asserts its relevance only increased during and since the election. In discussions during Albright's classes at Georgetown University, she and her students concluded that fascism should be viewed more as a means of seizing and holding power than as a political ideology. They defined it as an extreme form of authoritarian rule linked to a doctrine of rabid nationalism. Through her perspective as a victim of Hitler's takeover of her native Czechoslovakia in 1938, Albright summarizes the history of fascism from its origins in Italy during the 1920s and rise in Germany in the 1930s. The author further documents modern experiences in countries such as Venezuela, Turkey, and Hungary that have replaced democratic systems with more authoritarian governments and relates meeting former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, explaining why government may best represent fascism today. Albright hopes that citizens are aware of the challenges to democratic values; for freedom to survive, she believes, it must be defended. Verdict Readers interested in political systems and international relations will appreciate Albright's outlook. [See Prepub Alert, 10/9/17.]-Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
