A History of Fascism, 19141945, Stanley G.  Payne
A History of Fascism, 19141945, Stanley G.  Payne
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A History of Fascism, 1914–1945

Author: Stanley G. Payne

Narrator: Michael Kramer

Unabridged: 20 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/27/2018


Synopsis

Focusing mostly on Italy and Germany but also considering Spain, Romania, Japan, and movements in other countries, Payne (history, U. of Wisconsin) describes fascism as revolutionary ultranationalism based on national rebirth, extreme elitism, mass mobilization, and the promotion of violence and military virtues. He also suggests that the early Russian communists borrowed many techniques from fascism, and that though we are fairly well inoculated against fascism itself, the values it represents could still emerge in new forms.

About Stanley G. Payne

Stanley G. Payne is the Hilldale–Jaume Vicens Vives Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His many books include The Franco Regime: 1936–1975; Fascism: Comparison and Definition; and Spain’s First Democracy: The Second Republic, 1931–1936, all published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

About Michael Kramer

Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brett on October 16, 2017

Written in 1980, Payne's book on fascism was considered one of the essential texts on the subject for many years. Even three-plus decades on, it is still a worthwhile read, though I found some of its analysis to be suspect. It's similar to Carsten's the Rise of Fascism in many ways, though Payne does......more

Goodreads review by Fabricio on August 15, 2018

Muy equidistante de prejuicios y emotivismos. A partir de la evidencia histórica, amplia, trata de identificar y hacer reflexionar al lector sobre si existe una categoría ideológica de aquello que se suele llamar fascismo o si no hay tal cosa como una ideología genérica que pueda denominarse con esa......more

Goodreads review by Readius Maximus on March 26, 2025

pg 212 "fascism will continue to be felt for years to come, not least among some of the most vociferous formal antifascists." More confused in some ways what Fascism is then before reading this. Although the easiest definition of Fascism is as a Marxist slur, invented by Stalin and used, to the prese......more

Goodreads review by YVAN on February 28, 2021

El fascismo lo es todo y nada a la vez. Entraña tantas ambigüedades y contradicciones como movimiento/régimen político que existen por lo menos 12 teorías que han desarrollado varios estudiosos, tratando de explicar qué es el fascismo. Aquí, el autor Payne hace una especie de síntesis sobre las genera......more

Goodreads review by Manel Haro on March 17, 2016

Este libro recoge las teorías más importantes sobre el fascismo y las estudia, analizando en gran medida en qué fallan. Desde por qué es incorrecto pensar en una idea global de fascismo, como si todos los regímenes autoritarios fueran iguales, hasta elaborar una teoría individualizada e independient......more


Quotes

“Likely to be the definitive study of its subject for a considerable time.” New York Times Book Review

“A magisterial, wholly accessible, engaging study…Payne defines fascism as a form of ultranationalism espousing a myth of national rebirth and marked by extreme elitism, mobilization of the masses, exaltation of hierarchy and subordination, oppression of women, and an embrace of violence and war as virtues.” Publishers Weekly

A History of Fascism is an invaluable sourcebook, offering a rare combination of detailed information and thoughtful analysis. It is a masterpiece of comparative history, for the comparisons enhance our understanding of each part of the whole. The term ‘fascist,’ used so freely these days as a pejorative epithet that has nearly lost its meaning, is precisely defined, carefully applied, and skillfully explained. The analysis effectively restores the dimension of evil.” Susan Zuccotti, The Nation