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The US Antifascism Reader
How antifascism is as American as apple pie
Since the birth of fascism in the 1920s, well before the global renaissance of “white nationalism, ” the United States has been home to its own distinct fascist movements, some of which decisively influenced the course of US history. Yet long before Antifa became a household word in the United States, they were met, time and again, by an equally deep antifascist current. Many on the left are unaware that the United States has a rich antifascist tradition, because it has rarely been discussed as such, nor has it been accessible in one place. This reader reconstructs the history of US antifascism the twenty-first century, showing how generations of writers, organisers, and fighters spoke to each other over time.
Since the birth of fascism in the 1920s, well before the global renaissance of “white nationalism, ” the United States has been home to its own distinct fascist movements, some of which decisively influenced the course of US history. Yet long before Antifa became a household word in the United States, they were met, time and again, by an equally deep antifascist current. Many on the left are unaware that the United States has a rich antifascist tradition, because it has rarely been discussed as such, nor has it been accessible in one place. This reader reconstructs the history of US antifascism the twenty-first century, showing how generations of writers, organisers, and fighters spoke to each other over time.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2020
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503 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 28, 2021
A great collection of writings on fascism in the US mainly from anti-fascist authors in different decades but also, for context, from aspiring US fascists. Illuminating in its breadth and depressing in its exposure of a movement going on 100 years in the US through the ebbs and flows of fascism. However it is also full of action and hope.
May 25, 2020
Terrifying but very informative.
February 6, 2021
3,5. Bazı essayler çok iyiydi ama bazıları çok fazla amerikan siyasetine spesifikti, sıkıldım okurken. KKK tarihi, erken amerikan faşizmi, bunların avrupa faşizmiyle olan/olduğu sanılan ilişkileri/benzerlikleri, bu ve bunların antisi hareketlerin sonraya/bugüne olan etkileri, faşizm tanımları/analizleri, tüm bu konuların anti-faşizm muadilleri vs. için fena kaynak değil.
April 28, 2021
This sobering, analytical collection of antifascist writing paints a harsh picture of the USA: fascism has a hundred year history here and it’s not going away anytime soon. Not unless we do something about it. A mixture of history, theory, analysis, opinion, and instruction, the editors created a prescient tome for a critical time. “How did we get here?” and “what can we do?” are the central questions that seek answers. To be fair, the latter question is harder to thoroughly respond to, given the retrospective focus of the included writings. That’s not to say we can’t learn from the 1920s & 1930s activists who confronted fascists in the streets and newspapers. If anything, we can be emboldened, instead of despondent, that this insidious worldview has always met resistance - giving fascists room to talk and organize has never been acceptable. Though I have always opposed such violent economic nationalism, I am very grateful to have a better understanding of what I despise and why I oppose it. Shoutout to Verso Books for providing the ebook for free (https://www.versobooks.com/books/3089...).
(On a funnier, lighter note, when is my check from CEO of Antifa, George Soros, coming in the mail? I’d hate to prove the conspiracy theorists wrong and I kinda need the cash 😉)
(On a funnier, lighter note, when is my check from CEO of Antifa, George Soros, coming in the mail? I’d hate to prove the conspiracy theorists wrong and I kinda need the cash 😉)
December 15, 2021
Uneven. Some of the inclusions do an excellent job of identifying the conditions, behaviors and antidotes to fascism. Some selections seem to be included more because they appeal to the editors' political ethos than relevance to fascism and anti-fascism, which I suppose is their prerogative.
As a reader I felt it damaged the sense of cohesion, and made it far more difficult to decipher anything which is useful in the current political context.
As a reader I felt it damaged the sense of cohesion, and made it far more difficult to decipher anything which is useful in the current political context.
February 28, 2021
Hopeful and depressing all at the same time. An important read to understand where we've been, where we are, where we are most likely going. Probably can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm glad I took my time with it and let each article, speech, and essay truly sink in. Read it and then read it again. It's that essential.
January 30, 2021
An academically curated selection of writings on fascism throughout the century. There’s no attempts at drawing conclusions or connecting timelines here, each document stands alone for the most part. Took off a star because a couple of the pieces were a real slog to get through
November 19, 2020
Wonderfully curated
January 30, 2021
Great assemblage of essays and sides spanning history of antifascism in the US from the 1930s through the Trump presidency. Well worth reading.
March 19, 2021
A nice chronology/overview that also reminds one that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
August 10, 2021
An excellent collection of essays, articles, and speeches detailing the extensive anti-fascist tradition in America. Horrifying but enlightening
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August 25, 2020A good introduction to how discussions and resistances to fascism have developed over the decades. The editors have done a remarkably throughout job in selecting texts that showcase the diversity of the literature. Here is everything from the well known and expected to the obscure and forgotten. It's an ingenious decision to let each text be accompanied by a short introduction that situates the text in relation to the time it was written and its legacy.
Given book cover I expected the contributors to mainly been drawn from the (militant) far left, but the majority of the featured pieces are strikingly temperate. Of the different sections I personally found the pre-war and war period to be most stimulating. Vincenzo Vacirca’s careful dissection of what fascism is, and what is it not, ranges among the sharpest analysis of the ideology I’ve read. It reads with more power especially since it was written at advent of World War 2. Along with George Podmore’s discussion of colonialism and fascism, its one of those texts which resonates well with our contemporary world.
The weakest part of the reader in my eyes is the section covering 1960-1970, where all contributions are from among the ranks of the Back Panther Party. Without questioning the impact they had on their times, along with the significance of their legacy, I do feel the anthology would have benefited from a broader set of voices from this period.
Given book cover I expected the contributors to mainly been drawn from the (militant) far left, but the majority of the featured pieces are strikingly temperate. Of the different sections I personally found the pre-war and war period to be most stimulating. Vincenzo Vacirca’s careful dissection of what fascism is, and what is it not, ranges among the sharpest analysis of the ideology I’ve read. It reads with more power especially since it was written at advent of World War 2. Along with George Podmore’s discussion of colonialism and fascism, its one of those texts which resonates well with our contemporary world.
The weakest part of the reader in my eyes is the section covering 1960-1970, where all contributions are from among the ranks of the Back Panther Party. Without questioning the impact they had on their times, along with the significance of their legacy, I do feel the anthology would have benefited from a broader set of voices from this period.
June 4, 2025
Wish it weren’t so relevant to read this. I’m glad I did. Interesting read and I learned a lot, particularly about attitudes during the New Deal era and the AIDS crisis. I knew it would feel more familiar as I got to the end of the book & more modern pieces, but it was still striking to see a footnote explaining Pepe the Frog
Want to read
January 12, 2021This ebook is free on Verso Books's website right now! Timely read, don't you think?
March 10, 2021
Important read. Very dry but at least it's mostly excerpts from articles/books and not the whole works.
June 17, 2023
Some essays were more engaging than others. Overall important read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews