How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them

Stanley seems to believe that the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the ensuing presidency of Donald Trump contain hallmarks of fascist politics. Do you believe that the examples he cites from the election and/or Trump’s presidency adequately support his argument? How, if at all, does your knowledge of events other than those cited as examples in the book affect your view of the strength of Stanley’s argument? 

Stanley’s first chapter discusses what he calls the “mythic past,” which is an idyllic vision of a past time. Describe the relationship that the mythic past is likely to have with any specific point in history, and then explain its likely relationship to the policy goals that the fascist politicians pursue once taking power. Given your responses, how would you expect that the mythic past functions to attract or repel constituents to support a fascist political group in a democratic contest?

Pick any two of the numbered chapters in the book and identify the main topic of each in one sentence per chapter. Then, explain how the topics of the two chapters interact to reinforce each other, or why you think they do not. Using two of Stanley’s examples from each chapter, briefly explain how each is strengthened, weakened, or otherwise affected by the dynamics discussed in the other chapter.