Books, Arts & Manners: Fascisms

The Appeal of Fascism By Alastair Hamilton Macmillan, 310 pages, $7.95 An extraordinary number of books has been appearing recently on the subject of fascism, the majority of them concerned specifically with the Third Reich. A quick check at a local bookstore in New York revealed some twenty new titles, and further digging would no doubt have turned up more. In general, moreover, the intellectual quality of these books has been high. Eschewing polemics and moral posturing, they have sought understanding and have succeeded in throwing a good deal of fresh light on the entire matter. (In addition to Albert Speer, and to the present book by Alastair Hamilton, I would particularly recommend Richard Hauser’s Putsch, James Douglas-Hamilton’s book on Rudolph Hess, Kedward’s Fascism, and Grunberger’s The Twelve Year Reich.)

It is tempting to speculate about the reasons for this sudden rush of books. Perhaps we have reached the point in time best suited for scholarly treatment of the fascist period—just far enough removed for objectivity, yet also close enough for the events themselves to remain within living memory, while the records, letters, diaries and so on are now pretty much available.

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Jeffrey Hart

Jeffrey Hart is a contributor to National Review.

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The Appeal of Fascism By Alastair Hamilton Macmillan, 310 pages, $7.95 An extraordinary number of books has been appearing recently on the subject of fascism, the majority of them concerned specifically with the Third Reich. A quick check at a local bookstore in New York revealed some twenty new titles, and further digging would no doubt have turned up more. In general, moreover, the intellectual quality of these books has been high. Eschewing polemics and moral posturing, they have sought understanding and have succeeded in throwing a good deal of fresh light on the entire matter. (In addition to Albert Speer, and to the present book by Alastair Hamilton, I would particularly recommend Richard Hauser’s Putsch, James Douglas-Hamilton’s book on Rudolph Hess, Kedward’s Fascism, and Grunberger’s The Twelve Year Reich.)

It is tempting to speculate about the reasons for this sudden rush of books. Perhaps we have reached the point in time best suited for scholarly treatment of the fascist period—just far enough removed for objectivity, yet also close enough for the events themselves to remain within living memory, while the records, letters, diaries and so on are now pretty much available.