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AMERICAN FASCISM
HOW THE GOP IS SUBVERTING DEMOCRACY Brynn Tannehill |
Trump is out of the White House, but American democracy is on the ropes and teetering on the brink of competitive authoritarianism controlled by theocrats and oligarchs. With its cherished institutions hobbled, political norms trampled, guardrails severely damaged, and body politic divided by chasms of race and geography, can the U.S. survive another administration dedicated to establishing de facto single party rule? In this compelling, comprehensive analysis, Brynn Tannehill draws on her expertise in studying the collapse of weak democracies around the globe and her previous research in law, political science, economics and right-wing populism to explain the trajectory of how we got here and the current threats we face. Most importantly, she analyzes what the characteristics of fascism are, if they are applicable to the base of the GOP today, and what that means for us should they succeed in establishing permanent minoritarian rule. American Fascism is a surgical analysis of 250 years of struggle for democracy in America and a prescient prognosis of what’s to come if we do not heed Tannehill’s warnings and advice.
REVIEWS
“Brynn Tannehill’s work American Fascism provides a nuanced, careful view of how a number of important institutions in American society collided in the last two decades to put democracy in an incredibly precarious place. Tannehill’s elucidation of how elements inside conservative Christianity worked in parallel with many of the most influential business interests in the United States to drive the Republican party to the extreme edge of the ideological spectrum is first rate. This is a phenomenon that we have only begun to understand and Tannehill’s work should be required reading for those interested in the topic.”
Ryan Burge, Professor of Political Science, Eastern Illinois University, author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going
“The only books worth reading are those that force you to examine the evidence as well as your preconceived notions. American Fascism is one such book. Forcefully argued, it is relentless in presenting evidence to support its central claim. And if Brynn Tannehill is right, we have serious work to do in order to preserve whatever form of democracy we have left in the United States."
Dr. Andrew Whitehead, author of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States
“Written with a verve and panache missing from most scholarly works on the topic, American Fascism displays Brynn Tannehill’s gift for mastering vital points of detail while still offering her readers the “big picture.” Paying particular attention to economics, the law, media, and religion, she offers the first attempt at a truly comprehensive understanding of how we got to this point in our nation’s troubled history—and how we might hope to emerge from it. Most importantly, she shows how we can both understand Trumpism as fascism while also probing the deep sources of this fascism from within our own history.”
Richard Steigmann-Gall, author of The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919-1945
“…[T]his book, which at first blush may appear like the latest escalation in the right/left popular polemic war, is for the most part shrewdly argued, deeply researched, and attentive to historic parallels between the United States and the Weimar Republic, Putin’s Russia, and other countries that have been pulled into autocracy...
“In crisp, stinging prose, Tannehill makes a case, digging deeper and wider than other books in the field while still demonstrating some playful elan even when the prognosis gets dire—the section “The End of America is Coming” is introduced with an on-point quote from Jean Luc Picard. Liberals, Democrats, and many open-minded independents will likely find Tannehill’s warning and analysis persuasive…"
Publisher's Weekly Booklife Review
“Brynn Tannenhill has written a deeply-researched, searing indictment of forces in American society working through the Republican Party to destroy democracy. She takes us back in history, showing how the groundwork has been laid and what will happen if people across this nation don't take the threat seriously. Written with vigor, clarity and enormous compassion, American Fascism is a five-alarm fire, warning of the danger all around us and how we must battle it head on."
Michael Signorile, Author of It's Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality
“Brynn Tannehill's American Fascism is an extended and convincing argument for despair. She shows with methodical brutality that the Republican party is fascist, and that there is little stopping it from solidifying one party rule within the next 5-10 years. United States democracy is dying; those who want to understand what's coming should read this book."
Noah Berlatsky, author of Nazi Dreams: Films About Fascism
“Brynn Tannehill is an incisive commentator with a remarkably keen mind, and her book, American Fascism, is a compellingly written warning that Americans need to heed if we want to have a fighting chance to stave off a future of minoritarian, white Christian authoritarian rule. Tannehill’s military-trained analyst’s eye for patterns and her thorough command of government and history impress, and these strengths complement each other as she constructs a powerful argument that American democracy remains in a crisis. While Tannehill's conclusions are unsettling, any fair-minded reader of American Fascism will be unable to dismiss them as simply alarmist."
Chrissy Stroop, author of Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church
“Tannehill [lays] out an analytical, no-nonsense case on what is happening in the body politic as we move through the post-Trump era, and why it’s happening… Using a combination of historical analysis about the growth of fascism and our current political scene, Tannehill shows how this competitive autocracy works in the contemporary American political and social context”
Karleigh Webb, OutSports Magazine
“Brynn Tannehill's American Fascism is a calm, clear, steely-eyed call to press the panic button on the fragile state of U.S. democracy, offered by a well-informed analyst not given to panic. Required reading for trans folx and our allies--we might not all be in the same boat, but we are definitely in the same storm.”
Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution