I digested the audiobook version of "Fascism" on and off over the course of two months, and found Madeline Albright's writing to be sharp, commanding, and witty. I thought her narration style - not exaggerated or showy (which would have been jarring for a non-fiction book covering this subject matter - thankfully, this ain't no Matthew McConaughey's Greenlights) - struck the perfect balance between authoritative, matter of fact, and with several hints of bemusement. As Clinton's Secretary of State in the 90's (and first woman in the role to boot), Albright has the credibility to relay anecdotes of her up close and personal interactions with dictatorial world leaders of Russia, Turkey, North Korea and to plausibly highlight the eerily similar personality traits they share with the worst and well-known Fascists in history, starting with the obvious - Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin. Each chapter is a mini-history lesson, and a detailed one, on each despot's rise to power and the factors portending their success.
This is an IMPORTANT book for anyone keen to understand the criminality and brutality of past fascist regimes, in order to spot modern day red flags amongst contemporary leaders (and there are many). I picked up this book after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Interestingly, it was published in 2019 and while Albright witnessed Putin's controversial annexation of Crimea in 2014 (acknowledged in the book), she in no way predicted just how far off the boil he would go in 2022. Her take on other lesser known, but equally disruptive, fascist-like leaders such as PM Ergodan in Turkey or President Duterte in the Philippines, is nothing short of illuminating. Politics aside - and yes, she does heavily criticize Donald Trump (still in power at the time of writing) in the conclusion of the book - this is truly a well-written guide for lovers of history or anyone who wishes to improve their knowledge of geopolitics. 5 out or 5 stars.
This is an IMPORTANT book for anyone keen to understand the criminality and brutality of past fascist regimes, in order to spot modern day red flags amongst contemporary leaders (and there are many). I picked up this book after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Interestingly, it was published in 2019 and while Albright witnessed Putin's controversial annexation of Crimea in 2014 (acknowledged in the book), she in no way predicted just how far off the boil he would go in 2022. Her take on other lesser known, but equally disruptive, fascist-like leaders such as PM Ergodan in Turkey or President Duterte in the Philippines, is nothing short of illuminating. Politics aside - and yes, she does heavily criticize Donald Trump (still in power at the time of writing) in the conclusion of the book - this is truly a well-written guide for lovers of history or anyone who wishes to improve their knowledge of geopolitics. 5 out or 5 stars.