by Federico Finchelstein
University of California Press
8/20/2019, paperback
SKU: 9780520309357
What is fascism and what is populism? What are their connections in history and theory, and how should we address their significant differences? What does it mean when pundits call Donald Trump a fascist, or label as populist politicians who span left and right such as Hugo Chávez, Juan Perón, Rodrigo Duterte, and Marine Le Pen? Federico Finchelstein, one of the leading scholars of fascist and populist ideologies, synthesizes their history in order to answer these questions and offer a thoughtful perspective on how we might apply the concepts today.
While they belong to the same history and are often conflated, fascism and populism actually represent distinct political trajectories. Drawing on an expansive record of transnational fascism and postwar populist movements, Finchelstein gives us insightful new ways to think about the state of democracy and political culture on a global scale.
This new edition includes an updated preface that brings the book up to date, midway through the Trump presidency and the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.
Reviews:
"Is Trump fascist? A proto-fascist? Fascist-curious? In his thoughtful new book, From Fascism to Populism in History, New School historian Federico Finchelstein concedes that Trump's campaign 'had clear fascist and racist undertones, ' and he cites the 'fascist pedigree' of Trump's 'America first' slogan."-- "The Washington Post"
"Finchelstein combines original research on many countries with a superb synthesis and critical examination of the literature on fascism and populism. A short review cannot do justice to his provocative insights. . . . Timely and fascinating."-- "Hispanic American Historical Review"
About the Author:
Federico Finchelstein is Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College in New York City. He is the author of several books, including A Brief History of Fascist Lies, The Wannabe Fascists, Transatlantic Fascism and The Ideological Origins of the Dirty War. He contributes to major American, European, and Latin American media, including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Mediapart, Politico, Clarin, Nexos, and Folha de S.Paulo.