Fascism Today What It Is and How to End It

A detailed map of the far right and a game plan for building the mass movement that will stop it.

We can no longer ignore the fact that fascism is on the rise in the United States. What was once a fringe movement has been gaining cultural acceptance and political power for years. Rebranding itself as “alt-right” and riding the waves of both Donald Trump’s hate-fueled populism and the anxiety of an abandoned working class, they have created a social force that has the ability to win elections and inspire racist street violence in equal measure.

Fascism Today looks at the changing world of the far right in Donald Trump’s America. Examining the modern fascist movement’s various strains, Shane Burley has written an accessible primer about what its adherents believe, how they organize, and what future they have in the United States. The ascension of Trump has introduced a whole new vocabulary into our political lexicon—white nationalism, race realism, Identitarianism, and a slew of others. Burley breaks it all down. From the tech-savvy trolls of the alt-right to esoteric Aryan mystics, from full-fledged Nazis to well-groomed neofascists like Richard Spencer, he shows how these racists and authoritarians have reinvented themselves in order to recruit new members and grow.

Just as importantly, Fascism Today shows how they can be fought and beaten. It highlights groups that have successfully opposed these twisted forces and outlines the elements needed to build powerful mass movements to confront the institutionalization of fascist ideas, protect
marginalized communities, and ultimately stop the fascist threat.



Praise for Fascism Today

"A clarion call for ethical, intersectional resistance."
—Alexander Reid Ross, author of Against the Fascist Creep

"Shane Burley was one of the first people to recognize the influence of the Alt Right and closely track its political development and intellectual approach. I highly recommend Fascism Today as both an accessible and comprehensive account of the Alt Right and related white nationalist groups—as well as their antifascist opposition."
—Spencer Sunshine, author of Up in Arms: A Guide to Oregon’s Patriot Movement

"No better volume exists to understand the nexus of alt-right bigotry and anti-fascist resistance in the United States than Fascism Today. Burley’s work is an essential 'tool for opposition' that brings to bear years of in-depth research and investigation into the resurgence of the far right. To destroy fascism, we must first understand it—that understanding starts here."
—Mark Bray, historian and author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook

"Fascism Today is a top-quality work adding critical knowledge and ideas to the modern anti-fascist movement in a time when such information is needed most. The clear depth of knowledge coupled with the easy to follow organization, language and arguments makes it an invaluable addition to any grassroots activist’s collection. If one could say there is a modern anti-fascist canon, this book would definitely be a key addition to it."
—Ryan Smith, Truthout


Shane Burley is an author based in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse and editor of and ¡No Pasarán! Antifascist Dispatches from a World of Crisis, and has appeared in a number of other anthologies and journals. His work has been featured in places such as NBC News, Al Jazeera, The Baffler, The Independent, Jacobin, The Daily Beast, Bandcamp Daily, Jewish Currents, Haaretz, and Full Stop.