Shadows of the Republic: The Rebirth of Fascism in America and How to Defeat it for Good

Shadows of the Republic: The Rebirth of Fascism in America and How to Defeat it for Good by Omer Aziz is a review of recent American history which led to the state the country is in now. The current administration did not occur in a vacuum and Aziz went back in time to show how the 45th and then the 47th president could have come to power. Aziz maintained throughout the book that fascism in the United States is not a new phenomenon and existed for decades through various movements, yet was always simmering under the surface.

In order to understand how fascism could resurface in the United States, the author reviewed fascism in Europe, with a focus on Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany and how each man came to power. Aziz made this history accessible and the events of one hundred years ago seemed as fresh as the current state of affairs south of the border. Thus the connections between what is happening in Washington and what occurred in Italy and Germany are too close for comfort. He states it succinctly from as soon as page 2:

“In America, collective amnesia precedes collective hallucinations, and now this country lives through an authoritarian nightmare that violates the Constitution, upends centuries of norms, and controls a massive surveillance state that knows everything about us.”

Aziz was not blind to fascism on our own shores, and also looked at fascist, white supremacist and Nazi movements that existed in the US not only over a century ago, but those that lurk among us today. He looked at the origins of fascism and its connection to paganism, a link that I had discovered during my university days studying German history and culture. Fascism lays blame at any number of scapegoats, and can develop as a response to a bad economy, or feelings of disenfranchisement by others such as immigrants, or as a reaction to what we now call a woke agenda. The author looked at propaganda and how it was developed to blanket the masses with fascist ideology.

The latter part of the subtitle, How to Defeat it for Good refers to a 25-point Antifascist Playbook that Aziz lays out in the final chapter. One can actively counter fascism and undemocratic action by following the steps he outlines. A selection from this playbook includes having the courage to speak up; resist passivity; champion the free discussion of ideas; know your history; prosecute extremist organizations; work across the aisle to get big things done; and teach kids kindness.

The author often repeated dates and timelines, reminding his readers when Hitler came to power (in 1933) and that it was eleven years prior to Mussolini (in 1922). Aziz provided 22 pages of endnotes which I referred to after finishing each chapter, versus flipping to after each exponential encounter. Most of my notes were to references I later researched from the endnotes.

Shadows of the Republic is an accessible and intelligent read, bringing the past to life with stories that seem as if they could have actually happened yesterday versus a century ago. History does seem to be repeating itself and Aziz has given us the means to take action and stop it.

 Find this book in the Mississauga Library System's on-line catalogue