David's Reviews > A History of Fascism, 1914-1945

A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 by Stanley G. Payne is a study of Fascism from before World War I th the end of World War II. Of course it includes, and even focuses on, the usual suspects of Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. But the author also looks at many other versions in various countries around the world and discusses why they are similar to Germany or Italy or not and what forms they actually had taken. Many of these have their roots in socialist states including Nazi Germany where the means of production were mostly privately owned but were controlled and told what to produce by the government. In fact their name stands for the National Socialist German Workers Party. The author presents a wide-ranging discussion of what characteristics define a fascist state, what is a totalitarian state, The differences between fascism and communism, and much more. This is the most comprehensive study on this topic that I've read.