Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance waswiththe Axis, not against it. It was a sophisticated and shockingly well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens' confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.
That effort worked--tongue and groove--alongside an ultra-right paramilitary movement that stockpiled bombs and weapons and trained for mass murder and violent insurrection.
At the same time, a handful of extraordinary activists and journalists were tracking the scheme, exposing it even as it was unfolding. In 1941 the U.S. Department of Justice finally made a frontal attack, identifying the key plotters, finding their backers, and prosecuting dozens in federal court.
None of it went as planned.
While the scheme has been remembered in history--if at all--as the work of fringe players, in reality it involved a large number of some of the country's most influential elected officials. Their interference in law enforcement efforts against the plot is a dark story of the rule of law bending and then breaking under the weight of political intimidation.
That failure of the legal system had consequences. The tentacles of that unslain beast have reached forward into our history for decades. But the heroic efforts of the activists, journalists, prosecutors, and regular citizens who sought to expose the insurrectionists also make for a deeply resonant, deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times.
0 有用 風颭雲 2024-02-07 02:30:43 加拿大
【有聲書】Rachel Maddow不愧是知名新聞人,歷史也可以讀得如此聲請並茂。話說回書本身的內容讓我了解到了一段之前毫不知曉的美國歷史。美國本土和引入的納粹和法西斯勢力甚至滲入到了美國國會內部。在聽Maddow敘述這段歷史的過程中,我也不由自主得聯想到當今美國再度崛起的右翼民粹甚至新法西斯的苗頭。當年的那些右翼勢力在權力的庇護下沒有得到應有的懲罰,而與這些勢力作鬥爭的英雄們也沒有得到應有的認可... 【有聲書】Rachel Maddow不愧是知名新聞人,歷史也可以讀得如此聲請並茂。話說回書本身的內容讓我了解到了一段之前毫不知曉的美國歷史。美國本土和引入的納粹和法西斯勢力甚至滲入到了美國國會內部。在聽Maddow敘述這段歷史的過程中,我也不由自主得聯想到當今美國再度崛起的右翼民粹甚至新法西斯的苗頭。當年的那些右翼勢力在權力的庇護下沒有得到應有的懲罰,而與這些勢力作鬥爭的英雄們也沒有得到應有的認可。難怪Maddow稱美國歷史的這一章為“前傳”,不接受歷史的教訓不只會讓歷史重演,甚至會惡化。 (展开)
0 有用 風颭雲 2024-02-07 02:30:43 加拿大
【有聲書】Rachel Maddow不愧是知名新聞人,歷史也可以讀得如此聲請並茂。話說回書本身的內容讓我了解到了一段之前毫不知曉的美國歷史。美國本土和引入的納粹和法西斯勢力甚至滲入到了美國國會內部。在聽Maddow敘述這段歷史的過程中,我也不由自主得聯想到當今美國再度崛起的右翼民粹甚至新法西斯的苗頭。當年的那些右翼勢力在權力的庇護下沒有得到應有的懲罰,而與這些勢力作鬥爭的英雄們也沒有得到應有的認可... 【有聲書】Rachel Maddow不愧是知名新聞人,歷史也可以讀得如此聲請並茂。話說回書本身的內容讓我了解到了一段之前毫不知曉的美國歷史。美國本土和引入的納粹和法西斯勢力甚至滲入到了美國國會內部。在聽Maddow敘述這段歷史的過程中,我也不由自主得聯想到當今美國再度崛起的右翼民粹甚至新法西斯的苗頭。當年的那些右翼勢力在權力的庇護下沒有得到應有的懲罰,而與這些勢力作鬥爭的英雄們也沒有得到應有的認可。難怪Maddow稱美國歷史的這一章為“前傳”,不接受歷史的教訓不只會讓歷史重演,甚至會惡化。 (展开)