Fascism Comes to America

A deeply relevant look at what fascism means to Americans. From the time Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922, Americans have been obsessed with and brooded over the meaning of fascism and how it might migrate to the United States.Fascism Comes to Americaexamineshowwe have viewedfascismoverseas and its implications for our own country.Bruce Kuklickexploresthe rhetoric of politicians, who have used the language of fascism to smear opponents, and he looks at thediscussions of pundits,theanalyses ofacademics, andthedisplays of fascism in popular culture, including fiction, radio, TV, theater, and film. Kuklick argues thatfascism has little informational meaning in the United States, but instead, it is used to denigrate or insult.For example, every political position has been besmirched as fascist. As a result, the term does not describe a phenomenon so much as it denounces what one does not like. Finally,indisplaying fascism for most Americans, entertainment-and most importantly film-has been crucial in conveying to citizens what fascism is about.Fascism Comes to Americahas been enhanced by many illustrations that exhibit how fascism was absorbed into the US public consciousness.