Christopher Vials
Against the Current, March-April 2017
Based on research during and immediately following World War 2, this pathbreaking book analyzed the proclivities individuals might have toward support for authoritarian regimes, stressing preconceived attitudes on race, class, sexuality and nationalism, concluding that fascism’s attraction came not (or not just) from political agreement but from a personality structured by larger, repressive social forces in which sociological influences upon ideology are mediated.
Democracy is in crisis around the world, while authoritarianism is on the rise in a growing number of countries. Existing democratic institutions are hollowed out and increasingly unable to respond to the authoritarian wave.
As with many epic fantasies, the show’s heroes are framed as liberators and defenders of the common people—despite holding absolute power.
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