This month I reviewed Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism (2023) by Rachel Maddow. Maddow is an award-winning American television news program host.
She has a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University and a doctorate in political science from Oxford University.
I was a political science major before switching to business/economics, so I’d heard about the isolationists who wanted the United States to stay out of World Wars I and II, and the propaganda campaigns waged by foreign governments and prominent Americans to keep us out of both wars.
These were topics barely covered in my high school history courses. Instead, we read about Americans closing ranks and sacrificing for the war effort, victory gardens, food rationing, recycling, women working in factories, and women painting lines on the back of their legs to mimic the look of silk stockings because silk was needed for parachutes. These things did happen and I’m proud of the men and women who made those sacrifices.
But, before America embraced entering either world war, there were powerful fascist organizations setting up networks to undermine democracy in this country.
These forces opposed unions, people of color, and most immigrants, especially Jews. They sought the support of the Ku Klux Klan, and wielded the threat of socialism and communism like a knife.
Maddow painstakingly researched the formation of these organizations from before World War I through World War II. She exposes the names of powerful politicians, members of law enforcement, judges, industrialists, and celebrities with fascist, racist, and/or antisemitic beliefs who often financially supported these propaganda efforts.
She also discusses the work of men like Leon Lewis who devoted his life to fighting antisemitism and exposing fascist plots. Lewis assembled an anti-Nazi spy ring and intelligence gathering organization.
There have been many times when our government has been slow to act on threats to our citizens and democracy. It’s unacceptable, but sometimes it’s understandable. Threats must be verified. People have freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. If there’s insufficient evidence a law has been violated, prosecutors must tread lightly. Because of this, civilian men and women often took the lead in investigating and infiltrating these organizations and compiling data which was turned over to the military and law enforcement agencies.
I found this information fascinating and terrifying. Many of the techniques used to promote fascism are being used today to try to destabilize our democracy. It’s something I never thought could happen in our country. Imagine my surprise when I read how it almost worked before World War I and World War II.
Other Works by Rachel Maddow:
Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power (2012)
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and The Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth (2019)
Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House (2020) Co-written with Michael Yarvitz – This is about VP Spiro Agnew.
Image of Rachel Maddow:
By MSNBC, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83844596
Book Jacket:
By Rachel Maddow - https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/10/17/rachel-maddow-prequel-fascism-book-review/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75837652