In the opinion of some historians the era of fascism ended with the deaths of Mussolini and
Hitler. Yet the debate about its nature as a historical phenomenon and its value as a term of
historical analysis continues to rage with ever greater intensity each major attempt toresolve
it producing different patterns of support dissent and even hostility from academic
colleagues. Nevertheless a number of developments since 1945 not only complicate the
methodological and definitional issues even further but make it ever more desirable that
politicians journalists lawyers and the general public can turn to experts for a
heuristically useful and broadly consensual definition of the term. These developments include:
the emergence of a highly prolific European New Right the rise of radical right populist
parties the flourishing of ultra-nationalist movements in the former Soviet empire the
radicalization of some currents of Islam and Hinduism into potent political forces and the
upsurge of religious terrorism. Most monographs and articles attempting to establish what is
meant by fascism are written from a unilateral authoritative perspective and the intense
academic controversy the term provokes has to be gleaned from reviews and conference
discussions. The uniqueness of this book is that it provides exceptional insights into the
cut-and-thrust of the controversy as it unfolds on numerous fronts simultaneously clarifying
salient points of difference and moving towards some degree of consensus. Twenty-nine
established academics mostly German but including several prominent experts working in English
were invited by the periodical Erwägen Wissen Ethik (Deliberation Knowledge Ethics) to engage
with an article by Roger Griffin one of the most influential theorists in the study of generic
fascism in the Anglophone world. The resulting debate progressed through two rounds of critique
and reply forming a fascinating patchwork of consensus and sometimes heated disagreement. In a
spin-off from the original discussion of Griffin s concept of fascism a second exchange
documented here focuses on the issue of fascist ideology in contemporary Russia. This
collection is essential reading for all those who realize the needto provide the term fascism
with theoretical rigour analytical precision and empirical content despite the complex issues
it raises and for any specialist who wants to participate in fascist studies within an
international forum of expertise. The book will change the way in which historians and
political scientists think about fascism and make the debate about the threat it poses to
infant democracies like Russia more incisive not just for academics but for politicians
journalists and the wider public.
