Reflections on Italian Fascism

Are we witnessing the return of fascism? The recent shift to the political right across the globe has prompted many to announce the renewed rise of a political ideology that most thought overcome with World War II. Jihadists, anti-Jihadists, perpetrators of isolated acts of terrorism, politicians using hate-speech -- suddenly all of these are frequently and indiscriminately labelled as 'fascist' by the media and in public discourse. 'Fascism' has become an inextricable part of our everyday vocabulary, and in the process has been reduced to an all but entirely emotive term with little, if any, substance.



In this timely, much-needed intervention, one of the world's leading experts on fascism disentangles the confusion this misuse causes. Retracing the sometimes obscure passage of fascism from one time to another, A. James Gregor reclaims the term and shows how it has shaped the global political landscape over more than half a century. Captivating, informative, and urgent, Gregor's insightful account helps to clarify the history of radical politics in the last 60 years.

A. James Gregor is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of 24 books, most recently including The Faces of Janus: Marxism and Fascism in the Twentieth Century, Phoenix: Fascism in Our Time, Interpretations of Fascism, and Marxism, China and Development. He is a previous Guggenheim Fellow. Gregor has published 100 professional articles and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Strategic Studies, Strategic Review, and Society.