Fascism: A Warning

The book is set against the historical backdrop of rising authoritarianism and political instability in the 21st century, but Albright situates her analysis within the broader scope of the 20th century, particularly the aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe. She draws clear parallels between the conditions that enabled fascist regimes to take power in the 1920s and 1930s and the current global political climate. Albright emphasizes that fascism thrives in times of economic uncertainty, social unrest, and political fragmentation, all of which are present today in varying degrees.

The most famous example of 20th-century fascism is Nazi Germany. Fascism in Germany arose partly out of the conditions created by the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles, ratified in 1919, was a treaty to bring a formal end to World War I (1914-1918). The Treaty was controversial because it excluded Germany from the settlement negotiations and ended up placing the blame for the conflict entirely on Germany; the terms of the Treaty forced Germany to pursue disarmament and exacted heavy financial reparations. These conditions created widespread economic hardship in Germany throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, which placed the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) under an enormous strain.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis exploited the growing societal discontent in Germany to take power, instituting a dictatorship that turned Germany into a totalitarian society. Hitler and the Nazis blamed many of Germany’s economic ills on the Jews, communists, and other groups that they labeled as “undesirable” or as threats to the “Aryan” social order, which resulted in violent, systematic persecution of these so-called “enemy” groups. The Nazis’ virulent antisemitism fueled some of the regime’s most notorious persecution, stripping German Jews of their civil rights and murdering millions of Jews in concentration camps in what came to be known as the Holocaust. Albright draws upon the historical example of Germany and other fascist regimes to warn that similar dynamics can recur if democratic institutions are weakened and populist leaders manipulate public frustration for personal gain, often through the use of xenophobic sentiments.

The book also reflects on the post-World War II order, which was characterized by the creation of international institutions like the United Nations and NATO, designed to prevent the reemergence of totalitarian regimes. Albright discusses how the end of the Cold War was seen as a triumph for liberal democracy, but she cautions that the optimism of the 1990s has given way to new threats. The rise of authoritarian leaders in countries like Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela demonstrates that fascism is not a relic of the past, but a persistent threat. By examining these historical events, Albright underscores the importance of maintaining strong democratic norms, checks on power, and international cooperation to prevent the spread of authoritarianism.