''Friendly Fascism: The New Face of Power in America'' is a book written by

Bertram Gross Bertram Myron Gross (1912 – March 12, 1997) was an American social scientist, federal bureaucrat and Professor of political science, Political Science at Hunter College (CUNY). He is known from his book ''Friendly Fascism (book), Friendly Fascism ...

, American

social scientist Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

and professor of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

. The book was published on June 1, 1980, by M. Evans & Company as a 419-page hardback book containing 440 quotations and sources. It examines the history of

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

and, based on the growth of

big business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

and

big government Big government is a term that refers to a government or public sector that is considered excessively large or unconstitutionally involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector. The term may also be used specifically concerning ...

, describes possible political scenarios for a future United States. According to a 1981 review in the journal ''Crime and Social Justice'', the book is described as "timely" on a subject requiring serious consideration. It is about the dangers of fascism, focusing primarily on the United States, but being aware that monopoly capitalism needs to be understood internationally since

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

"is not a national

mode of production In the Marxist theory of historical materialism, a mode of production (German: ''Produktionsweise'', "the way of producing") is a specific combination of the: * Productive forces: these include human labour power and means of production (tools, ...

". In 2016, the book prompted the following response right after

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

was elected President of the United States: "The next wave of fascists will not come with cattle cars and

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

, but they'll come with a smiley face and maybe a TV show. ..That's how the 21st-century fascists will essentially take over".

Reactions

According to Jason Epstein, editor, publisher and book reviewer for ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

'', "''Friendly Fascism'' ..reflects what seems to be a widespread feeling among liberals as well as

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

that democracy in America has played itself out: that soon Americans won’t be able to govern themselves". According to Gaddis Smith, professor emeritus of history at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and an expert on American

foreign relations Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

, the book is an "insightful lament over the growth of centralized power by business and government in alliance under the direction of faceless managers who ..are replacing democracy with a form of benevolent fascism". Writing on behalf of '' Eclectica Magazine'', reviewer Dale Wharton comments that the book offers "faint hope of averting neofascism", but as a possible offset suggests raising aspirations, notably by "setting forth clear lofty goals, broad enough to embrace a great majority". Help may come from insiders since "bubbling upward from all levels of the Establishment are longings for fulfilling employment disconnected from consumer exploitation,

environmental degradation Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

, or

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

". Reviewer Dennis Phillips notes in the ''Australian Journal of Law & Society'' that Gross wrote ''Friendly Fascism'' before

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

had become President of the United States, but Reagan's United States, presumed in part to be a result of neofascist techniques described in the book, had "proven Bertram Gross to be an amazingly astute prophet . ..The evidence for this n the bookis stunning". According to a book review in the journal ''Crime and Social Justice'' by Gregory Shank of the Institute for the Study of Labor and Economic Crisis, "''Friendly Fascism'' ..is written to alert readers to a clear and present danger in the current trajectory of

American politics In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal republic, federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches Separation of powers, share powers: United States Congress, C ...

". More recently in 2016, the book prompted the following response from

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...

right after

was elected President: "The next wave of fascists will not come with cattle cars and

, but they'll come with a smiley face and maybe a TV show. ..That's how the 21st-century fascists will essentially take over".

References

External links

* C. W Mills (1958)
"The Structure of Power in American Society"
(PDF). ''British Journal of Socoiology''. Vol. 9. No. 1.

Complete text of the essay "Dottrina" ("Doctrines"). A translation of the Benito Mussolini "Doctrines" section of the "Fascism" entry in the 1932 edition of the ''

Enciclopedia Italiana Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani ...

''. From the publication ''Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions'' (1935) by

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

, Ardita Publishers, Rome. Footnote numbers inserted in the text and a footnote appendix (both not found in the 1932 encyclopedia article) are found in this 1935 publication. The footnotes contain excerpts from his speeches.
"Benito Mussolini: What is Fascism?"

(

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

; October 15, 2018) {{Authority control 1980 non-fiction books Anti-fascist books Books about fascism Political concepts Political movements Books about political power Social concepts

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See also

References

External links