Has fascism arrived dressed in stars and stripes? This book offers a sharp analysis of American authoritarianism, how we got here, how to organize, and how to resist.
"Gangster capitalism," that's how Henry Giroux describes the system where a billionaire class controls the institutions that shape our lives—the media, corporations, universities, courts, and government. But does this centralization of power on behalf of the super-rich mean that fascism has taken over the United States? Certainly, the signs are there: Individuals not charged with a crime are picked up on the street by masked police and "disappeared." Right-wing strongmen like Javier Milei of Argentina or Nayib Bukele of El Salvador are embraced warmly on the steps of the White House. The aptly titled Trump v. United States Supreme Court ruling just handed the president broad immunity for “official acts.” And Elon Musk, the president's unelected scourge of government inefficiency, gave repeated fascist-style salutes at Trump’s inauguration rally. His DOGE have fired tens of thousands of people, and illegally seized private personal data on millions of Americans.
So is this fascism, oligarchy, authoritarianism—or all of the above? Is there a special brand of American fascism? And, if so, what direction is it likely to take, and how can it best be resisted? In From the Flag to the Cross: Fascism American Style, seven prominent American socialists explore these questions. They come at the issues from different angles in an enlightening spectrum of opinion. But on one point, they are in unison: Trump is not the disease. He’s the symptom. The real threat is a violent, deeply embedded system—fueled by capitalism, white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and authoritarian rule—that long predates the 47th president.
Contributors: Chris Hedges, Richard Wolff, Dianne Feeley, Henry Giroux, Bill Mullen, Margaret Kimberley, and Kshama Sawant.
Michael Steven Smith is a retired attorney and the founder and cohost of the radio show Law And Disorder. He has testified on the rights of Palestinians in the United States Congress and the United Nations. He’s the author or editor of several books, including Lawyers for the Left (OR Books, 2018) and Imagine: Living in a Socialist USA.
Zachary Sklar is best known as co-writer, with Oliver Stone, of the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the film JFK. He has edited numerous non-fiction books, including the number-one-bestselling On the Trail of the Assassins by Jim Garrison, Moving the Bar: My Life as a Radical Lawyer by Michael Ratner, Profits of War by Ari Ben-Menashe, and Deadly Deceits: My 25 Years in the CIA by Ralph McGehee. He teaches screenwriting at the Harlem Dramatic Writing Workshop and is the author of a book of personal essays, The Work: A Jigsaw Memoir.
