Review by Choice Review
Lee, a highly readable journalist, writes of the revival of right-wing extremism in Europe and America after the collapse of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The author emphasizes continuity with the past. He traces the origins of the contemporary racist and neo-Nazi right to the final days of the Third Reich. He recounts the flights of various Nazi war criminals to Latin America and the Middle East, journeys often undertaken with the tacit support of Western intelligence services obsessed with the communist threat. Such figures as Otto Skorzeny and Otto Remer were then able to pass their Nazi views on to succeeding generations of right-wing racists. Finally, when the time became propitious, in the 1990s, right-wing extremism reappeared throughout the entire Western world. Lee closes with a detailed account of relevant groups, organizations, and leading figures on both sides of the Atlantic. The author's understanding is a bit idiosyncratic in that most observers of the radical-right scene today emphasize the substantial differences and discontinuities between old and new manifestations of right-wing extremism over such issues as the role of nationalism and the status of the state. Nonetheless, the book makes for some exciting reading. Accessible to general readers and undergraduates. L. Weinberg University of Nevada, Reno
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Lee's work chronicles the activities, publications, and Fuhrer-imitators active since 1945 in Germany mainly, and in France, Belgium, the U.S., and Russia peripherally. Lee splits the fascists into two generations: those unregenerate ones who survived the defeat and their present-day admirers. A connecting figure between the generations was Otto Remer, a self-important SS kook whose claim to fame was suppressing the anti-Hitler coup in 1944. Neo-Nazi groups loved to listen to that bedtime story, and Remer obliged them for decades until he died in the 1980s. Lee also tracks the profitable postwar life in exile in Spain of Otto Skorzeny (commando rescuer of Mussolini) and connects him with the pro-Nazi sentiment of some Arab leaders in the 1960s. Lest readers dismiss this as dusty history, Lee convinces, through thorough research of what must be turgid contemporary fascist literature, that current advocates of ein Reich, ein Volk, und ein Fuhrer are a violent and odious lot, however debatable their actual threat may be. A sentinel against complacency, Lee keeps tabs on the fringe. Gilbert Taylor
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
After the Berlin Wall came down, images of emancipated Germans were soon replaced by footage of neo-Nazi skinheads torching immigrant hostels while raising their arms in Hitlerian salute. It appeared that the beast of fascism, thought to have been dead for almost half a century, had come back to life. Through meticulous research and more than 100 interviews, Lee (Acid Dreams) reveals that the beast only catnapped after WWII. Starting with the failed assassination attempt on the Führer in July 1944, Lee traces the splinter groups, fascist leaders and political movements that formed a complex network of ratlines and spy webs enabling expatriate Nazis to build fortunes and mold fledgling extremists. Lee skillfully forms his material into a coherent, often chilling account that opens with the tale of Otto Skorzeny, the ex-Nazi who became a major figure in Cold War espionage. The closing exploration of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and America's militia movement casts new light on seemingly overexposed topics and helps to illuminate the fascist agendas of shadowy organizations in the U.S. such as the Holocaust-denying Liberty Lobby. This compelling, intelligent investigation, which reads more like a thriller than a history lesson, contributes much toward understanding the politics of hatred. Photos not seen by PW. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Lee (Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD, and the Sixties, Grove Atlantic, 1987) traces neo-Nazism from the fall of the Third Reich to Oklahoma City. In this journalistic account, he uses certain personalities to trace a continuous thread of fascism over the 50 years. One of his main characters is Otto Skorzeny, the daring SS officer who became a favorite of Adolf Hitler. Skorzeny helped many Nazis escape from Germany and others gain positions in the intelligence agencies of the superpowers at the beginning of the Cold War. Lee has written a compelling work that should find an audience in public libraries, especially in light of recent interest in militia groups.Dennis L. Noble, North Olympic Lib. System, Port Angeles, Wash. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Readers not obsessed with Nazis may lose sight of disturbing trends in this volume's mass of tedious details. Lee (Acid Dreams, 1986, etc.) introduces us to the key figures and interlocking relationships that have kept the National Socialist strain of fascism alive. The primary focus is on events in Germany, from the waning days of the Third Reich to the 1990s, but manifestations of fascism in other European countries and the Middle East, South America, and the US are also considered. This is a purely descriptive effort; no psychological, sociological, or political explanations of fascism's continued appeal are discussed. While the result is an incredibly dense historical tome, those who can follow Lee down the neo-Nazi trail will find their emotions roused by the thought that Hitler is still a threat even from his grave. The relative absence from Lee's pages of the evil superhumans that populate Nazi-genre fiction is some comfort; indeed, his protagonists are often simply ridiculous, especially in the US. But most of the major neo-Nazi figures are at least borderline sociopaths in their attitudes toward ""Others""--defined ethnically or ideologically--and it is not obviously preferable to be threatened by fanatics characterized by irrational anger rather than ruthless efficiency. Lee's conclusion that fascism is ""on the march again"" is overly dramatic, considering the small number of explicit devotees, but he points to a more disturbing indicator of the growing strength of the radical right: its presence in the political mainstream. Promoting anti-immigrant sentiments is high on the agenda of contemporary neo-Nazis, and tactics have moved beyond attacks on foreigners by skinheads to actual legislation both in Germany and, more recently, the US. Many will disagree with Lee's interpretation of recent events, but no one committed to liberal democracy will find reason to be complacent. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
