Friendly Fascism

After years of the creeping ascent of far Right parties making inroads in Europe, the world is reeling with the ascent of Donald Trump onto the US political scene and his shock victory in the November presidential election. Such a descent into the darkness of fascism was in many ways predicted by Bertram Gross in 'Friendly Fascism' (Black Rose Books, 1980), his provocative and original critique of the signs of a growing yet subtle fascism in the USA. The author shows how the chronic problems faced by the U.S. in the late twentieth century require increasing collusions between Big Business and Big Government in order to 'manage' society in the interests of the rich and powerful. This “friendly fascism”, Gross argues, will probably lack the dictatorships, public spectacles and overt brutality of the classic varieties of Germany, Italy and Japan, but has at its root the same denial of individual freedoms and democratic rights. No one who cares about the future of democracy can afford to ignore the frightening possibilities of Friendly Fascism. "At a time of escalating political uncertainty, when the forces of totalitarianism threaten once more to crawl out of the American woodwork, Friendly Fascism is a powerful tool- better yet, a weapon- that can help us avert a distinctly unfriendly future." - Alvin Toffler "First-rate…a fascinating, provocative job. Bertram Gross has written an important book, and it deserves the widest possible audiences." - Michael Harrington "This is the best thing I’ve ever seen on how America might go fascist democratically. Friendly Fascism offers a very clear exposition of where America is, and how we got there." - William Shirer