The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fascism
Someone understood Hitler and fascism as it was unfolding in Germany. He wrote about it in 1939.
We're heading into an ugly election year. Despite all odds, Donald Trump will be running against Joe Biden. It's a rematch.
He could win.
Someone understood what was going to happen before Trump was even born. He understood Hitler and fascism as it was unfolding in Germany. He also understood how much danger it posed for America.
He wrote about it in 1939, in The Southern Review of all places.
The essay was titled, "The Rhetoric of Hitler's Battle."
His name was Kenneth Burke.
Burke described exactly how fascism works. According to his philosophy, fascists were appealing to the masses for a few simple reasons. It had nothing to do with Hitler or Mussolini's charisma. They weren't that charismatic. They were unhinged and aggressive, unpleasant to be around.
But they offered something nobody else did:
They offered unity.
Here's what Burke had to say:
"Hitler provided a worldview for people who had previously seen the world but piecemeal." Fascists gain power when ordinary people lose …