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Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

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'Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism' by Michael Parenti draws parallels between historical events and contemporary issues, debunking myths about former communist regimes while highlighting the importance of awareness and resistance against fascism. Through a methodical examination, the book provides insights into the forces that shaped the modern world, making it a valuable resource for those interested in equity, the future of society, and understanding the dynamics between authoritarianism and communism. With a succinct and accessible writing style, Parenti differentiates fascism from socialism, offering a critical analysis of capitalism's relationship with fascism.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is accessible, straightforward, and methodical, aimed at a US readership with conventional language.

Plot/Storyline:

The book explores the connections between fascism and capitalism while analyzing historical events and movements relevant to the working class.

Setting:

The setting revolves around the historical context of the 20th century, particularly the rise of fascism and its global implications.

Pacing:

The pacing is fast, making it engaging and easy to read quickly.
Let us begin with a look at fascism’s founder. Born in 1883, the son of a blacksmith, Benito Mussolini’s early manhood was marked by street brawls, arrests, jailings, and violent radical political act...

Notes:

The book helps readers understand how fascism is used by capitalism against socialism.
Michael Parenti writes in accessible language, making complex ideas easier to grasp.
Despite being published over 20 years ago, the themes in the book remain relevant today.
Parenti does not shy away from critiquing both capitalism and anti-communist leftists.
The book provides a thorough examination of the historical relationship between fascism and capitalism.
It challenges common misconceptions about communism and its historical implementations.
Readers emphasize that the book can change one's perspective on political ideologies.
The book serves as a historical analysis of fascism not often covered in mainstream narratives.
Many readers recommend the book as essential for anyone interested in political philosophy.

From The Publisher:

A bold and entertaining exploration of the epic struggles of yesterday and today.

Blackshirts & Reds explores some of the big issues of our time: fascism, capitalism, communism, revolution, democracy, and ecology. These terms are often bandied about, but seldom explored in the original and exciting way that has become Michael Parenti's trademark.

Parenti shows how rational fascism renders service to capitalism, how corporate power undermines democracy, and how revolutions are a mass empowerment against the forces of exploitative privilege. He also maps out the external and internal forces that destroyed communism, and the disastrous impact of the free-market victory on eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. He affirms the relevance of taboo ideologies like Marxism, demonstrating the importance of class analysis in understanding political realities and dealing with the ongoing collision between ecology and global corporatism.

Written with lucid and compelling style, this book goes beyond truncated modes of thought, inviting us to entertain iconoclastic views, and to ask why things are as they are.

A penetrating and persuasive writer with an astonishing array of documentation to implement his attacks. -The Catholic Journalist

By portraying the struggle between fascism and Communism in this century as a single conflict, and not a series of discrete encounters, between the insatiable need for new capital on the one hand and the survival of a system under siege on the other, Parenti defines fascism as the weapon of capitalism, not simply an extreme form of it. Fascism is not an aberration, he points out, but a 'rational' and integral component of the system.-Stan Goff, author of Full Spectrum Disorder: The Military in the New American Century

Michael Parenti, PhD Yale, is an internationally known author and lecturer. He is one of the nation's leading progressive political analysts. Author of over 275 published articles and twenty books, his writings are published in popular periodicals, scholarly journals, and his op-ed pieces have been in leading newspapers such as The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. His informative and entertaining books and talks have reached a wide range of audiences in North America and abroad.

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About the Author:

Michael Parenti, PhD Yale, is an internationally known author and lecturer. He is one of the nation's leading progressive political analysts. He is the author of over 250 published articles and seventeen books. His writings are published in popular periodicals, scholarly journals, and his op-ed pieces have been in leading newspapers such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. His informative and entertaining books and talks have reached a wide range of audiences in North America and abroad.

 
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