Many Americans know fascism as an authoritarian ideology which blossomed in early 20th century Europe — first with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and later with Adolf Hitler and the rise of Nazi . But historian Michael Joseph Roberto argues that while Mussolini and Hitler were capturing the world’s attention, a type of fascist ideology was also taking hold in the United States, although the system looked different.
Roberto says monopoly-finance capitalism and the dominance of big business over personal liberties is America’s own mutation of fascism. He articulates this argument in the book “The Coming of the American Behemoth: The Origins of Fascism in the United States, 1920–1940” (NYU Press/2018). Michael Joseph Roberto is a former professor of contemporary world history at North Carolina A&T State University, an activist and a former journalist.
He s host Frank Stasio to review a history of the fascist ideology and describe how he sees fascism manifesting in America today.
Roberto will present his book at McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m., at Firestorm Books & Coffee in Asheville on Saturday, Feb. 9, and at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill on Monday, March 11.
