by Robert O. Paxton
Two weeks before the U.S. election on November 5, Columbia University emeritus history professor Robert O. Paxton was interviewed in the New York Times Magazine about whether the political label of “fascism” is still relevant today. His own scholarship included a deep study of the fascist elements of Vichy France during World War II, and he is considered an eminent expert on this political ideology. Naturally, the question of the day was, “is Donald Trump a fascist?”
As a result of reading this interview I decided to read Paxton’s “The Anatomy of Fascism,” first publsihed in 2004. If this is where we are headed, I really want to understand what is happening.