Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism (2025)

"Let freedom never perish in your hands.” – Joseph Addison

I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book. Not because I don’t respect this author. On the contrary. I find her a brilliant commentator. It is because the more I read, the more informed I become. And, the more informed I become, the sadder I feel about what I see happening around me.

I am writing this review on July 4. Our American Independence Day. We are known as the United States. Today, we are not United. It is troubling how divided we are. And here we are supposed to be celebrating our Independence Day, and yet, there doesn’t feel anything celebratory about it. Everything this day was supposed to stand for feels like we are missing the most important point of all. As an American we would be valuing living in the greatest democracy ever conceived. And yet at this moment, it feels this same democracy is under siege – these rights we value – no longer reflect who we are as a majority people. So, what ideals and values do we hold sacred? What keeps us united? How do we keep hope alive? How do we put our country first? Our Voice Must count for something. November’s vote will be more than important. It will be crucial. Our future matters. How will we find ourselves United again?

Senator Raphael G. Warnock of Georgia wrote the following in his book, “A Way out of Now Way”...:

"I love our country. I love it enough to hold up a mirror so that we might see ourselves in all our beauty, complexity, and imperfection, and work to be better. The work starts with a basic question: Who do we want to be as a nation? Do we lean toward the hopeful, multiracial majority that showed up in Georgia, ready to move forward on January 5? Or do we fall back to the America that showed up on January 6, bitter, destructive, divisive? Reconciling those two Americas is the daunting challenge ahead. I choose the beloved community. That is the kind of world I want for my beautiful children and for yours. I do not believe that those who seek to divide us will have the last word. But that is left to us. We must put forth a vision of America that embraces all of us, all of our children.

In a system deviled by pernicious schemes of voter suppression, we must insist that our democracy belongs not to the politicians and their sponsors but to the people.
With vision and courage, we can live up to the promise and the power of our name. We can take all of the broken and beautiful pieces of our complicated American story and weld them together in a new chapter of hope and possibilities. We the people are called to this moment. And as my dad used to say, it’s time to get up, get ready, and put our shoes on. Together, we can make a way out of no way."

Even Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

So, reading “Prequel” was important for me. Reading any of these eloquent souls who care about the direction our country is going is important. It seems every day forward matters. And all I can do is be hopeful not just for America but for the world. And, in this book this author talks. She is helping us look at the past so we can better understand the threats we are facing today.

Are we listening?

She documents what occurred before and during WWII when German agents and Nazi sympathizers attempted to steer the United States away from fighting Germany – hoping they would align with Hitler. And, how this attempt worked to arm fascism in the United States.

“The German propaganda operation in America, according to the first U.S. academic study on the topic, identified these kernels of disturbance as “racial controversies, economic inequalities, petty jealousies in public life,” and “differences of opinion which divide political parties and minority groups.” Even the “frustrated ambitions of discarded politicians.” Germany’s agents were tasked with finding these fissures in American society and then prying them further apart, exploiting them to make Americans hate and suspect each other, and maybe even wish for a new kind of country altogether. A partisan, bickering, demoralized America, the Nazis believed, would be incapable of mounting a successful war effort in Europe. It might even soften us up for an eventual takeover.”

And, it is amazing how much of what occurred was bankrolled by the Nazi regime.

“Hitler was counting above all on racism and religious bigotry to carry the day in the United States, and to set the stage for global domination.” Hitler said. “The great issue was to liberate the world from the poison of democracy, with its degenerating doctrine of liberty and equality.”

But what is even more amazing is how history keeps moving forward. And, how she allows us to see the connections to the present moment.

“One big appeal of fascism, if nothing else, was its unapologetic embrace of cruelty. Cruelty toward others, coupled with hypersensitivity toward any slight to oneself.”

This is a powerful and captivating work of history, past and present. Fortunately, through her telling, she shows us that there were and still are the fighters, against the fascist movement. Civil rights. Women’s movement. LGBTQ movement and others who transform the way Americans think about equality. As well as, political action groups. Her book gives us hope. And, hope is certainly something we need.

Still, we are in a place of urgency. We cannot ignore the present threat. And, we have to hope we can stop this one.

I recommend this book highly to those who believe in democracy and finding our voices in November. And, for those who live outside the United States, this book will also be an invaluable historical lesson.

Rachel Maddow is a journalist, but she's also one of our leading public intellectuals, a historian in the vein of Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States. I also listened to her book about the oil and gas industry--not a good look for capitalism, big biz and social and economic equality. Prequel, in the light of election-denialism and the rise of fascist tendencies in the US today, takes a look at how what goes around, comes around: The pro-fascist, pro-Hitler, anti-semitic movements in the US were widespread in the forties, in part fueled by Germany's media-bombing of the US with millions of leaflets and letters. Conspiracy theories about the Jews, intermarriage, blood-spoiling white purity, all of it, in the guise of America First and isolationism, and nationalism and populism.

The book had its roots in Maddow's podcast, Ultra, an exploration of how close America came to falling into Nazi Fascism in the lead up to and during WW2.

The cast of pro-fascist, anti-semitic Nazi sympathizers is by now familiar to a lot of people; The architects Philip Johnson, Father Coughlin, Henry Ford, Charles Lindberg, Minnesotan George Sylvester Viereck, their anti-semitic and pro-Hitler views dismissed as was Hitler early on as crackpots, but these folks campaigned against FDR as a communist, as a secret Jew, and so on. Maddow names Huey Long as possibly the first protofascist in the US, but there were others.

You don't know any of this? Well, that's because you didn't learn it in history classes, as US history books tend to accentuate the positive, how the US was instrumental in--and this is true, of course!--defeating Hitler, but there were strong factions in this country that sought out fascism and dictatorship and "race purity" for white people, excluding Jews and blacks.

Hitler and his henchmen used Jim Crow as a central model for their racist policies. That's hard to hear, that he and his men admired the US for that, but there is a lot of evidence to that effect.

Maddow is a good and entertaining and startling storyteller, who admits up front (and not just buried in appendices) that the evidence is all there and has been catalogued in various books and scholarly works she is drawing on to make her case. She does not connect the dots from then to today, but the elements are there, and she knows we can see them. The foreign election interference of Hitler, as Putin and others have done. The media blitz to denounce democracy, and so on. But when the US got involved in the war, there was almost unanimous approval to defeat Hitler (and Japan, after Pearl Harbor), and though a massive sedition trial crime to naught, most Americans came to realize that siding with pro-fascist forces and alt-right factions would lead to disaster.

Now, again, we seem to have been deluded that Communism is worse than authoritarianism, with strongman dictators again on the rise: Hang Pence, get a firing squad set up for Liz Cheney, kiss Putin’s… ring, and so on. Is this what we have become?

A fast and troubling read. Maddow's book title reminds us that we have faced this kind of thing before and can as we did then face down this kind of affront to democracy. Recommended!

On the grounds that the review of a book should reflect how it landed on you, I'm going to start this one with an observation that rattled around in my head pretty much every minute I was reading this: I just don't get antisemitism. Yeah, I understand the concept that groups need someone to focus their hate on in order to feel better about themselves and explain away their failures, and that Christians nominated Jews to fill this role millennia ago. And that Christian leaders, from Jesuits to Nazis to today's right wing extremists, have honed this idea to promote their own causes.

But as for me, personally, I've never been able to understand it. I'm not trying to paint myself as a paragon of open-mindedness when it comes to matters of bias; after all, I harbor my own resentments against certain groups. That, however, has typically has taken the form of muttering "white male supremacy" while arguing that I am entitled to an equal wage. I've never actually been tempted to organize a group to eradicate men from the planet. (Not even the Jewish guy I dated throughout college who tried to "rekindle our romance" on social media decades later, despite my explanations that I was happily married to a wonderful woman.)

Why am I going on about this? Because antisemitism is the toxin that drove so many Americans to espouse the Nazi cause in the years leading up to, and including, World War II. Except for the FBI and certain members of Congress, the fear of communism ran a distant second. And during the 1930's the anti-black racism that runs so deeply across American culture was dampened by the Depression. Blacks weren't stealing jobs that didn't exist, and they certainly weren't a threat to those high up on the food chain.

In Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, Rachel Maddow distills and presents the results of the academic explorations of other 21st century researchers into these individuals and groups. The anti-Semitic, pro-German views of some of these people are well known: businessman Henry Ford, aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne, radio priest Father Coughlin. But Philip Johnson was a surprise. My only association with him was the famous glass house he designed. I was unaware of his pro-fascist endeavors, including an attempt to sign up Louisiana autocrat Huey Long (halted, thankfully, by Long's 1935 assassination - he was frighteningly powerful already and could have been a viable presidential candidate against Roosevelt).

But it wasn't just celebrities who wanted to set up a Hitler-style government in the US. Plenty of everyday Americans liked the idea as well. They had meetings and planned violent attacks on Jews in hopes of inciting a coup in the US. They purchased some of their weapons legally, but stole others from the US military.

And how were their noxious messages (generally written by German-paid propagandists) distributed? By using the "franking" system that allows members of Congress to send mail to their constituents (or anyone else) at no cost. Many Congressmen were more than willing to cooperate in this way, and Hitler was happy to provide whatever other financing was needed, in hopes of keeping the American public in a state of dissension and out of the war in Europe that he was planning.

So that's one big takeaway from this book: the way that US tax dollars were used to undermine the US government.

Another of Maddow's key messages is the heroism of a few private citizens who pursued their own investigations, went undercover to discover the details of plans and players, reported on activities they knew to be wrong. Many of these people labored fruitlessly for years to gain the attention of government agencies in hopes of stopping these fascist groups.

But the most unnerving element for me is how a powerful Congressman, Burton Wheeler, was able to derail not one, but TWO, trials brought against these groups in the 1940's by the US Attorney's office. He, along with dozens of other Congressmen, had plenty to lose if their pro-German activities were exposed. Two Attorneys General caved to his influence. Harry Truman did as well, succumbing to the rationale that the war was over and we should let bygones be bygones.

I was hoping this book would leave me with a positive feeling. Something along the lines of "We've fought fascism before, we are sure to do it again!" Sadly, that last element - the part about the power of individual Congressmen to obstruct justice - sounded way too similar to the influence of today's radical right wing of the Republican party in Congress.

I am also troubled when I think about the differences in scale when it comes to ways to be disruptive now versus back in the 1930's. Weapons that are far more destructive than those eagerly and secretly acquired by the "Silver Shirts" and "America First" groups can be purchased easily and legally today. And social media and the dark web make the need to use the franking system obsolete. We are seemingly just as unable to stop far worse messaging, complete with photos and instructions, from proliferating on the internet as we are to limit the purchase and use of automatic weapons.

So, this book made me sad - but it's a great read. It's not an especially short book, but it goes quickly. Maddow communicates a powerful message using the vernacular and irony. We can never let our guard down if we want to preserve democracy.

I recommend the audio version, since the voice that has allowed her to be so effective on TV, radio and podcasts is a great medium to deliver this message.

4.5 Stars!

Back when I watched mainstream news Rachel Maddow was one of my favorite people to watch. I loved Chris Hayes, Keith Olbermann, Joy Ann Reid and Lawrence O'Donnell. While I no longer watch cable news I do still enjoy those people in other forms. A couple months ago I came across Rachel Maddow's podcast Ultra. It was an exploration of how close America came to falling into Nazi Fascism in the lead up to and during WW2. It was fascinating and scary with how prescient it was to our current political climate.

Prequel is fast read. Once I picked this book up I didn't want to put it down. Just how close the Nazi's plan to add stress to our already shaky foundation came to being successful was wild. While it was mostly Republicans, the Nazi's plan was rather bipartisan and extremely well funded. The German government under the control of the Nazi's spent roughly $100 to $150 million in today's money trying to defeat President Franklin D Roosevelt in his reelection bidding in 1936, 1940, 1944( Roosevelt was President was a very long time). The Nazi's actively wanted to defeat Roosevelt because they didn't want the U.S. entering the war and the felt that Roosevelt was too powerful a leader. The Nazi's even wrote the official party platform for the 1940 Republican National Convention. The largest radio show in the country was a pro Nazi Catholic priest who helped radicalize countless citizens.

Prequel is a terrifying look at how fragile our democracy was/is. Ultimately it was the American voters and not the government or any politicians who stopped the rise of far right authoritarianism. Politicians have never saved us and will never save us. Prequel is overall a hopeful book. We stopped it once and Rachel Maddow believes we can do it again.

A must read!

I think I'm going to take a break from my Racism/ Antisemitism reads.....I do still need to finish the Elon Musk biography but after that I should be reading some good old fashioned Hollywood gossip and Tell Alls.....Jada & Britney are on the way.

Excellent information presented about the Nazi and pro-fascist movements within America before and during World War II.

I was aware of the activity in California and the brave souls that worked to infiltrate the Bund there; however, I had no idea the depth and breadth of this poisonous cancer in our country and the AMERICAN congressmen that furthered the movements’ ideals to undercut the American government. Absolutely shameful.

This book presents a plethora of research and background information; but, I think a bit more editing might have enhanced the story that the author wanted to share. Thus a 4 versus a 5 star rating.

A definite recommendation.

“Nazi lawyers regarded America, not without reason, as the innovative world leader in the creation of racist law.”

Excellent interview of Rachel Maddow on C-Span about her new book....

https://www.c-span.org/video/?531194-...

=======

As a kid, I recall my father's obsession with Communism, but not a peep about Nazi infiltrators in the U.S. in the 30's & 40's. Winston Churchill's spies were tracking the arms build up in Germany but those who saw similar behavior by Germans in the U.S. were ignored.

============

Stephen Colbert and Rachel Maddow get to the heart of the matter of Trump's dark heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz0eB...

===========

More on fascism in America by an expert....

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

===========

Excellent summary of Maddow's book

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ever heard of Sinclair Lewis' classic novel It Can't Happen Here from 1935? Protagonist Buzz Windrip rises to become the first American dictator, and the character was inspired by real-life Louisiana politician Huey Long, a man who features prominently in Maddow's historical account of US fascism. Maddow's meticulously researched book offers a whole array of personnel, all public figures trying to promote a fascist political route for the United States which, as the author astutely remarks, also means the legitimization of cruelty (and isn't that what Ayn Rand does, a woman who is only considered a philosopher in the US? and prosperity religions, also invented in the US?). I particularly liked how the author shows how American fascists got involved with the German Nazis who strategically interfered with American politics and how the Americans tried to emulate their ideas and strategies - the Nazis, in turn, were inspired by South African Apartheid and policies around US slavery. The basic fascist ideas are always the same: Dehumanize the scapegoat for all problems, control the media, abolish free speech, glorify a strongman, spin victim narratives to push a racist and/or nationalist agenda (with the ruling regime deciding who counts as white, or is worth living in general), establish a dictatorship without any checks and balances - voilà, a regime can torture and kill millions of innocent people while fucking up the country they claimed to protect.

As a German (who also saw the Berlin wall fall as a young kid), I've always been flabbergasted how quite a number of Americans throw around terms like communism and fascism without being well-informed about their meaning, while we in Europe, who lived through both, talk about these things A LOT at school. This lack of knowledge is dangerous, because not only do Trump-style Republicans claim that all societal solidarity is communism (a laughable stance), they also increasingly rub it into the nation's face that they have inhaled the rules of the fascist playbook, and Maddow shows how these rules have been rooted in American politics before - but many voters seemingly do not recognize the patterns, which is why Maddow's book matters even more. Unfortunately though, due to the polarization of the electorate and Trump's way too successful attempts to delegitimize the free press, the people who need to know the most will not pick up a text by this journalist, because, you know, "fake news".

Sure, this is a journalistically enhanced text aimed at readability and paced to keep laymen engaged, so no scientific study, but I feel like that's exactly what's needed now. Maddow convincingly shows that it can indeed happen here, and while this is no book about Trump, everyone reading it and considering the recent MSG rally (in which Trump directly quoted Hitler's "the enemy from within") should know what's up. It's not like Trump didn't tell his electorate who and what he is.

Last night at dinner we had CNN on & once more I was ranting about how cowardly the Republicans are for not kicking Trump to the curb. They’re in on the plans Trump has publicly boasted about, how he intends to “change things on day one”. Presumably by setting up an authoritarian government… like his hero Vlad Putin the Shirtless Maniac.

I was drawing comparisons between the American Nazi collaborators in the pre-WWII House & Senate and in Big Bidness and the MAGA sympathizers that currently hold offices in the House & the Senate.

My wife stopped me mid-rant saying, “Why’d you only give Rachel Maddow’s book 3 stars when you haven’t stopped talking about it since you read it?”
And it hit me just how correct she was. This book has scorched my brain pan. I see parallels between 1937-39 and our current (2024) political & cultural situations.

My wife has always been smarter than me.

So I kicked this up 2 stars. The hair raising facts behind pro-Nazi American sentiment that Maddow recites have continued to haunt me. It’s a 5 star rating I’m giving it.
Please borrow this from a library or get the audiobook. As they used to tell us back in the 1960s Boy Scouts: BE PREPARED!

*************

Compelling narrative flawed by the author’s innumerable & insufferable insertions of irrelevant snark. Apologies for unseemly use of alliteration.

It’s a frightening… hell, prequel to what this country will soon (next 25 years or so- maybe even sooner) have to contend with if our politics remain so incendiary.
You know who to blame and which political party enables them.
Fascism never died out. Healthier right now than a four year old billionaire.

Warning: I read the book, didn’t listen to the podcast this book was based on nor the audiobook. Might be more enjoyable (but no less disturbing & depressing) if you go with the audiobook.
This was one verbose monster of an account of the shameful acts by a group of mostly American traitors to the ideals of democracy in America.

……..

Update 6 November 2024 6:38 AM:
Heard the news?
D. J. Trump - elected. Again.
Let’s all get glassy eyed, hold each other’s hands and repeat, “It Can’t Happen Here”.
Are we winning yet?

Wake me when it’s over.

If we’re willing to take the harder look at our American history with fascism, the truth is that our own story in the wild, uncertain twenty-first century has not an echo in the past but a prequel. For our turn in history—and for the next time this comes around, too—we have the advantages of knowing that which preceded us. —— RACHEL MADDOW

And with those chilling and prescient words, Rachel Maddow is telling us that the United States is at a crossroads and how we move forward through this time will determine if our democracy, and in what form, our democracy survives. Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism is a stunning history of the rise of fascism in pre-World War II America. This book is heavily researched and well-sourced as the author sifted through a lot of material including books, magazines, papers, congressional hearings, government investigations, FBI files and transcripts as well as personal correspondence. This book explores the rise of American authoritarianism alive on the edge of far right politics that has been flourishing for some time. Before our troops had committed to fighting alongside England and our European allies in World War II, there was the increasing voice of dissension and isolationism. There was a small and clandestine movement determined to interfere with the strength of the war effort and persuade Americans that our place was with the Axis powers and not against it. But as related in this book, there was a handful of activists and journalists who were tracking the scheme to intervene even though there was a large faction of the country’s most influential political leaders involved in the plot. This is their story as they attempt to expose the insurrectionists, a valuable lesson for our own unsettled times. Again, we must heed the words of Rachel Maddow, “. . . realizing that this is the prequel and not an echo in the past.”

This turned out to be a much better--and more terrifying--book than I'd expected.

I confess that I'd assumed it would just be a polemic with more opinions than facts--albeit a polemic whose basic theses I'd probably agree with. (After all, though author Rachel Maddow has impressive academic credentials, including a doctorate in political science from Oxford, she's made her name as a TV commentator, not as a historian.) I read the book only because it was the choice of one of my book clubs.

In fact, "Prequel" is richly researched, with colorful details as well as a sturdy context and overview. And while the writing is sometimes too breezy and cute, the book focuses steadfastly on the facts of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Thankfully, it avoids easy comparisons with today. (The word "Trump" does not appear in the index.)

Year by year, name by name, "Prequel" lays out the metastasizing spread of antisemitism, selfish isolationism, and outright fascism in the U.S. in the years leading up to and even during World War II. Before reading this book, of course I'd heard of Father Coughlin and Huey Long, and I knew that Charles Lindbergh was an apologist for Hitler. But I had no idea just how deeply their kind of poison had seeped into US life and politics, nor how directly Nazi Germany was financing many of these henchmen. These American Hitler-lovers had tens of thousands of followers; they sent millions of pamphlets and reprints throughout the country -- for free, using the mail-franking privileges of fascist-friendly members of Congress. With help from police and National Guard officers, they trained eager cadres with actual military weapons.

And somehow, even when a few of them were finally brought to trial, these hatemongers usually got off.

Sure, we can sit back now, from the comfort of 2024, knowing that the bad guys lost in the end. The Allies defeated Nazi Germany, and no mainstream politician today would praise a European dictator like Vladimir Putin or defend antiSemites who shout that "Jews will not replace us" .... um.....

This book is a must-read. Maybe, seeing how democracy nearly failed 80 years ago, and how democracy's defenders took too long to fight back, we can learn some lessons. Quickly.

Rachel Maddow is perhaps the only cable news talking head who steeps her commentary in history and academia. She understands the significance of context and often spends considerable time unfurling background information before diving into the latest story of the day. Sometimes this can lead to disappointment, where the build-up is by far more dramatic than the outcome. Often, however, context effectively reveals the high stakes of whatever horror is happening in politics at the time. Lately this has included Trump-Republicans operating in willful misinformation, suppressing the vote, stripping away freedoms, and systematically plotting to manipulate the electoral system—when not outright trying to overthrow the government.

We live in unprecedented times—or so it seems. The premise behind Prequel is that our inconceivable current affairs are actually more of a sequel to a bad movie we've seen before. Turning primarily to WWII-era America, Maddow points to a large number of forgotten political operatives who will remind readers of present-day villains.

It's a great premise for a book, and I was thrilled to learn what Maddow's research would unearth. I was even more excited when the first pages were devoted to George Sylvester Viereck, who I have written about myself at some length. Viereck is a unfortunate example of an American sympathetic to the Nazi cause, who also happened to be a writer with significant contributions to vampire fiction and gay erotica.

Soon after Viereck is introduced, however, the book takes on a more dizzying view of American history. The central thread is lost among a sea of names and situations which do not always feel significant on their own. I understand that fascism is the linking connection between each situation, but the plots are disconnected enough that I struggled to formulate a bigger picture in my mind.

Maddow is a scholar, and scholarly writing should be the reader's expectation. This book is different from her show, which makes history easy to digest. There is no guiding hand here, and the reader is largely responsible for making connections on their own. I personally appreciate this approach, but I also realize it makes for a more challenging read. I consider myself historically-savvy and a lover of research, and I still found myself exhausted by the complexity of it all.

Also, there are no attempts to help the reader compare and contrast the events of the past with the present day. Some are pretty self-evident, but most of the time I didn't understand how the prequel related to the sequel (today's seemingly never-ending bad movie). Of course page count is something to consider—I don't think anyone would want this to be 1,000 pages. Still, she could've cut some of the less intriguing examples from the past in favor of connecting the most-relevant past to the present.

There is a clear lesson to take from this history, however, and that's American democracy is more fragile than many of us ever thought. We saw it on January 6th, where a madman president gleefully watched television while his supporters stormed the capital and sought to hang the sitting vice president, among others, who would certify the will of the people. If they had succeeded, there is no doubt he would have emerged with an emphatic "Welp, I guess I'm still president!" And the Supreme Court, terrifyingly, probably would have agreed.

Maddow found horrific moments like this in America's no-so-distant past. While these earlier examples didn't come across quite as dramatic, they do illustrate how fragile democracy can be and how close America has come to losing it. This subtext is where the book really shines, even as I would have preferred for more overtness in the delivery. History repeats itself, but without the aid of gifted historians who can articulate exactly how the events of the past relate to the events of the present, it's easy to miss the connections. On that front, I wish the book articulated that more clearly.

Still, great information that historically-minded readers will find both fascinating and terrifying.

Ah, where do I start!

This is the first of Maddow’s books I’ve read. And even knowing and loving her style on TV, her writing is a whole new tier. I’m only mad that I didn’t dive in sooner.

If you like Eric Larsen, Maddow will take everything you like—the engaging, novel-like pace of actual events and dimensional figures—and then one up him by not being afraid of humor and tongue in cheek jokes. It’s fabulous.

Though she couldn’t have known it when writing this, this specific book and story hit exceptionally on point right now. I cannot think of a better read for this time (which I mean in a good way for her authorial timing, bad for the state of the world.)

There are points at which I felt physically chilled to the bone seeing such incredibly direct situational parallels.

Then many other times where I was howling laughing.

And others where I felt deeply hopeless at how history, inevitably, repeats itself like a relentlessly annoying radio ear worm, completely devoid of self awareness.

Everyone should read this book.
Especially now.

I don't think any book Maddow writes will be as impactful on me as Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power was, or even Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth. I do think that this is slightly undermined by the fact I spent weeks listening to the podcast this feel like a companion piece to, and so some of the information felt more repetitive because I'd already had the part where the information could land like a shock. I do think that the book does a good job of expanding on the information first presented in the podcast and even allowing some of the other tendrils that were part of the zeitgeist that allowed for other events to happen. I definitely don't regret pre-ordering and I do think that it does a valuable service of shining a light on a period of history that while so often discussed might also be leaving out other aspects of the conversation.

I think you sort of know if you're the kind of reader that wants to read about a 20th century fascist effort in America in the run up to WWII or not, but even if you're just a little curious I think that you'll find the book is engaging and easy to follow.

This is an interesting book and it tells a fascinating story. But Maddow inflates the importance of this discrete historical scenario. And her suggestion that this story is a “prequel” to something happening now—that fascism is a true threat in America today—is fundamentally confused.

Indeed, one of the biggest debates in American politics today is whether a Trump victory in November—increasingly likely after Joe Biden’s debate performance—would plunge America into fascism. The New Republic just devoted a whole issue to the subject.

The answer is a resounding no. Fascism is not coming to America.

That's not to say, however, that we wouldn't have huge challenges if Trump wins. We would, including intense international discord and severe domestic dysfunction. It wouldn't be pretty. But fascism wouldn't be a part of the equation.

Here’s why.

— Trump wouldn't control the entire government. He'd want to; but federal, state, and local officials throughout the country—legislative, judicial, and executive alike—would fight back hard, like they did his first term.

— Ironically, many of those, like Maddow, warning about fascism are the very critics who prosper in our free and open (non-fascist) press, and who would help make sure their own predictions never came true.

— Having some of the necessary elements of fascism and not others is, well, decidedly not fascism. Trump will never be a murderous dictator, which requires the military to be fully on board. And that is, above all, the central ingredient in true fascism.

It's good to be worried about a whole variety of threats to our country. And sometimes the bad things do happen. But Maddow and others warning that we're heading toward fascism are taking it too far. It's not gonna happen.

I respect and appreciate those who disagree with me on this and welcome your thoughts.

Rachel Maddow compiles & frames an almost overwhelming amount of relevant-to-today details that feel so vital and prescient to Trump's vendetta (too strong to call it a jihad?) against democracy, decency, and multiculturalism.

I am amazed that even into the 1940s so many right-wing intellectuals and politicians unabashedly supported the cause, the megaphone, the anti-semitism, and the marketing of Adolf Hitler's already-sophisticated propaganda, media, and marketing machine. Trump has learned and coopted many of these tactics media and marketing tactics.

Consider this a 4.5 rounded up to 5 because the stories intermingle and bring to mind stories ripped from the headlines of 2015-2023 WITHOUT pounding us over the head with the resonance and the synchronicity.

This book explores our prior dalliances with fascism during the 1930s and 1940s, and the people who fought to expose its evil and prevent the United States from sinking into authoritarian rule. It just shows that we have to remain vigilant, because this idiocy never completely dies and has obviously resurfaced in a big way.

I had read about some of this before, including the Nazi propaganda program that infiltrated Congress. I was unaware of the aggressive fascist and antisemitic campaign by PhilipJohnson. I don’t understand how he got to almost completely wipe that from his resume and become a lauded architect. I have a similar reaction to Charles Lindbergh. The interesting epilogue told what happened to some of the people featured in the book.

The book is informative, but not really a comprehensive account of the period. It is more of an overview. The author did an excellent job narrating the audiobook. 4.5 stars

Rachel Maddow's new book Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism reminds us of the struggles waged against American far right groups in the '30s and '40s. Long neglected by historians, this topic has received significant attention in recent years due to its obvious timeliness, with books like Charles Gallagher's Nazis of Copley Square and Steven J. Ross's Hitler in Los Angeles exploring specific groups and movements of Nazi sympathizers and their disturbing parallels to the alt-right. Maddow (building on her podcast) ties these stories together into an engaging narrative, introducing (or reintroducing) readers to the creeps, crooks and would-be dictators who sought to emulate Hitler. Some of these movements are relatively well-known, like the Nazi-backed German-American Bund, racist "Radio Priest" Father Charles Coughlin, and Charles Lindbergh's America First movement. Others, however, are so bizarre: William Dudley Pelley's wacko Silver Shirts, a combination political movement-religious cult that preached spiritual enlightenment through extermination of Jews; George Deatheridge, a professional Southern bigot who orchestrated an elaborate plot to overthrow the American government in the late '30s; George Van Horn Moseley, a high-ranking Army General who ranted about Jewish conspiracies and toyed with becoming America's Fuhrer; Lawrence James, the Nazi intellectual who proved to be a Black man "passing" as a white fascist . Where historians often tend to dismiss or downplay these groups, Maddow makes clear that, if often ineffectual in practice, their ideology and intentions were extremely serious, plotting massacres of Jews, mass poisoning of celebrities and plotting against the government. She also demonstrates that a shocking number of isolationist congressmen, including well-known figures Burton K. Wheeler and Hamilton Fish, were actively fed Nazi propaganda by German agent George Sylvester Viereck (who besides his fascist activities, Maddow tells us, authored "the first gay vampire novel in history"). Maddow demonstrates how a team of unlikely heroes, from journalists Eric Sevareid and Arthur Derounian to Los Angeles businessman Leon Lewis and prosecutor O. John Rogge, worked to expose and foil their efforts, to general ridicule and indifference. A circuslike Sedition Trial of key fascist leaders in 1944 fizzled out when the Judge died during the trial; afterwards, the Justice Department buried Rogge's report, allowing the indicted to escape justice. Maddow's book is well-researched and fluently written, though her snarky, conversational style (referring to one pro-Nazi businessman as a "gazillionaire" or wondering if James would make a killing on Substack today) might grate on some readers. Still, Maddow's to be commended for re-introducing this subject to a wider audience; hopefully, readers will take the appropriate lessons from her work.

4.5 stars. Interesting and scary how history is repeating itself in many ways - fascism, racism, anti-semitism - and people agreeing or going along with things. It’s a warning for us to take action and make our voices heard. It would be unbelievable if it wasn’t part of the history of our country.

In Prequel, Rachel Maddow highlights specific Americans (and in one instance a Canadian-American) who were holding and acting upon antisemitic beliefs, fears of communism, and pro-Nazi alliances. In opposition she introduces the reader to Americans who saw these fascistic behaviors and who worked to counteract them.

A good part of the book details the Great Sedition Trial of 1944, wherein 30 defendants were accused of violations of the Smith Act.

I especially liked reading about Mr. Henry Hoke, the direct mail advertising man who uncovered the workings of the Nazi propaganda machine in the United States (I just read online today that he's a Chambersburg, PA native!). His Black Mail: The Inside Story of the Campaign to Disrupt America--How It Was Planned--How It Operates--What It Is Doing is available to view as a PDF via Florida Virtual Campus:

https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandor...

The franking system was all new to me and I appreciated that Maddow covered that in extensive detail.

The only detraction's from my reading were Ms. Maddow's inserting of her own commentary or voice after laying out some pieces of historical information. On page 241 after reading about Senator Lundeen's misuse of his frank, Maddow says, "Your tax dollars at work, busy eroding American strength and resolve." Who, me? Vanessa, the reader? I was not alive when that happened--my tax dollars were not a contributing factor but that would have affected American tax payers at that time.

This book is a result of Ms. Maddow's Ultra podcasts, and she credits the historians' works that helped her with the her research for the podcast.

I think Ms. Maddow's book is a good contribution to the subject area of North American fascism in the interwar years and WWII era.

prequel….you should read this

This book will keep you awake late into the night. The crazies are not a new phenomenon, they have always been around. Haters gotta hate

In Light of our Fractured and Divided Political Climate currently playing out within USA and beyond- Maddow has expertly crafted an absolute Must Read! Meticulously researched, Maddow takes the listener on a Sombre yet Beautifully Melancholic Journey into American History, Tracing with Vivid Imagery Our Past- the Forgotten Sufferings and Remembered Triumphs.

Identifying that Humanity finds itself once more at the precipice of collapse, Maddow outlines two possible Trajectories- one of our Impending Doom which will follow failures’ to act or the exact opposite: A Future Destiny Shaped through Hope and Love, provided we choose correctly from here on. With emotive yet sound language, Prequel sets out the stakes clearly- Her audience leaves with a sound understanding that through Unity and Compromise, we will be able to mould a Future of Increased Peace, Prosperity and Success, and most importantly, these fruits are shared equitably amongst the many Magnificent Peoples who Proudly call themselves American.

Employing Reasoned Grace, Rachel implores Unity, and choosing a path which Honours our Founding Ideals: Liberty Equality and Fraternity. Remembering the pain of Yesterday, Rachel advocates that we. Choose a Today that Unequivocally rejects the Old Ideologies of those seeking to Inject within our National Conscience the Failed and Destructive Malignancies of Bigotry, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Religious Intolerance and Isolationism. Drawing on the Record of Past and Present Stalwarts who willing Risked their Lives, their Security and their Individual Happiness for the Greater Ideals of bringing about a Better Tomorrow. A Tomorrow- Fashioned by a National Character imbued with Moral Courage, Inclusivity, Respect, Reason, Diversity, Equity, Empathy, Mercy, Intelligence and Integrity.

Prequel, urges the reader/listener to confront an Ominous Truth-The Enemies of Progress have never been entirely Vanquished, and are likely to never completely fade into Oblivion. These Insidious Forces, can however, be Kept entirely at Bay, never being allowed to garner traction and Poison the Collective Discourse with their False Promises of Increased Wealth and Power through Scapegoating those deemed lesser than by the Status Quo. These undercurrents of Hate, Serpentine in their behaviour; patiently wait for Opportune Moments-Moments of Terror, of Uncertainty, of Distrust and of Division. These Mind Controlling Parasites lie in Ambush, until the People are at their most Vulnerable, then Strike with Painful Precision, and Envenomate a Nation's Soul with a Toxic Blend of Hate and Enmity. A Murderous Impulse, born from Baseness, Perceived Victimhood and the Old Lie: "Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori." Only through Solidarity, Compassion and Vigilance are we able to expose the Empty Rhetoric for it is- a Vacuous and Sinister attempt to Reclaim Power through the Manipulation of those most Fragile within Societies. Convincing them on Mass that their Day-to-Day Difficulties are a result of Theft by Hidden Bad Faith Actors living amongst them. Pernicious Forces; who, from Underneath the Black of Night, Usurped all Control of their Institutions, Culture, Economy and Paragons of Intellectual Discourse.

Though Painful, it is imperative that We look inside Ourselves and Confront the Difficult Truths of who we have allowed to Define us, through Apathy or Worse- Deliberate Action.

At an Indefinable Point, We Lost Ourselves, somewhere out there between the Intersection of Fear and Hate, A Common Crossroad, but one arising from Divergent Journeys. The Fork in the Road, some arriving on a Path of Obscene Decadence, where others arrive Hungry, Weary and Dejected. It is at this Dangerous Meeting of Storms that Man can easily become again that which his Forefathers has always Despised, that which His Ancestors has Fought so Valiantly Against, that which His Previous Generations have Suffered such Enormous Losses for choosing Incorrectly and which History has shown is both the Antithesis and Core Essence of who and What Humanity Truly Is.

Today, it is an Irrefutable Fact that the Ascension of Donald Trump, a man without Principle, Integrity, Honour, Empathy, Decency and Humanity, is without Equal in Exploiting the Grievances and Paranoia’s of those who feel Ignored and Scorned. Trump has without pause, used their Pain only for the Betterment of Himself. He possesses a Remarkable Understanding of Envy, Anger, and Vanity, seeing it clearly in others as it Mirrors his own Cretinous Reflection. This Gift enables him to accurately appeal to almost every Negative Character Trait present in Humankind, thus moulding himself into the Far Right's Divinely Inspired Messiah. They see in Trump their Deliverance, a Vessel which can be used to Legitimise their Darkest Nature, and Permission to crawl out from the Dark Undergrowth and Walk Proudly in the Light, without Fear of Reprisal, More Menacing and More Determined than ever before.

Finally, though the premise and subject matter of Prequel is Bleak- There is Always Hope. History is littered with Anecdotes which bear Testament to the Power and Goodness of the Human Spirit and its ability to Triumph, even when faced with Grave Evil. This Powerful Phenomenon should never be underestimated and those who are Fearful can find Solace in its Promise.

We are Not Defined by these last years, nor are We Eternally bonded to Trumpism.
Yes, We are Flawed. We are, afterall, only Human which is both Beautiful and Terrifying.
Paradoxically, it is our Flawed and Fragile humanity that will also prove our Salvation and Redemption. Man's true Beauty lies entirely in Culmination of his Follies, Dancing exquisitely with His Binaries, Ringed with Flame and Pulsing like that of a Sensual Salsa Routine.

My Prayer: Like the Phoenix, that Immortal Bird of Fire, which Rises from its Bed of Ashes, so to will We Rise from the Charred Debris that Fell upon Us through the Mistaken Fealty to Trump. Trump, though Justly Despised, should also Evoke within Us a sense of Pity.

Trump's Legacy will remain a Testament to Selfishness.
A Lifetime of Lies and Cruelty that has left Him in a World without Wonder, A World of Thirsts that can Never be Quenched. He has Never nor will He Ever Know Genuine Love and Friendship.
His Narcissism is so Innate, His Soul so Rancid; that were he capable of Remorse, The ensuing Reality of His Broken Existence would lead Him into an Abyss of Insanity.

Of the Phoenix, Trump will Never Understand that the True Beauty of the Creature lies not in its Majestic Extravagance, but in the Ashes that Framed and Defined all it Lived to Be.

XOXO
Shaz

Fascist sympathizers in representative government? Insurrection and underground plots, misinformation campaigns, scapegoating, rampant sensational media... 2020s (yes), and in PREQUEL, Maddow demonstrates that the 1930s were the very same way.

Prequel focuses on a number of Nazi sympathizers in the US and their plots and schemes to sway and disrupt democracy, often clinging to isolationism and "America first" ideologies, extreme antisemitism and racism, and the use of mass media (radio, mail newsletters) to propagandize. This fascist flow went both ways - Americans going to Germany to attend Hitler rallies and bring the ideas back, but also Nazis coming to the US to study the oppressive systematic details of Jim Crow and the like.

There were plenty of the "villains" mentioned here, but I particularly enjoyed the latter chapters of the book and the opportunity to learn more about the "hero" O. John Rogge and his tireless / thankless work to prosecute so many of these Nazi sympathizers, essentially the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of the 1930/40s.

Democracy is so very fragile.
Its tensile strength has been tested before, just as it is being tested now.

The book focuses on the history, but the parallels to our present moment are stark. Maddow weaves the story to highlight these similarities, but leaves it to the reader to complete the loop.

4.5*

As much as I was truly enjoying this book, I was equally disappointed in it. I liked reading the history of the fascism movement that crossed the pond from Germany and infiltrated the United States in the early to late 1930’s, but I found that the book did not progress as it should have.

The more I read of this, the more I wanted her to get to the point. I wanted her to bridge then and now together and pull the parallels together, which never came. It was very interesting, and there were things in the text that I truly did not know, so it is an educational book in that sense, but I would have liked to have today’s political faction added to this book to bring it all together.

This is a great achievement, I did not hate this in the least, but I just felt unfulfilled in the end. I think this was a bit of a missed opportunity for Rachel to hit this out of the park, she only got a fly ball that ended up getting caught and stopped in it’s tracks.

I thought this would be a five star but it became hard for me to maintain focus after the 40% point and I just had to power through.

Overall, very interesting and I knew next to nothing about the Sedition Trials of 1944, by which I mean I knew Johnson built the Glass House and that's it.

The amount of men of color and gay men who willingly supported Hitler and fascism was alarming. Some things don't change, some gay and BIPOC men support Trump. There's a lot of modern day parallels, even down to some of the shock and awe tactics to get into the news.

I read a few formal reviews of this book and (1) NYT made a comment on Rachel Maddow's tone in the book but this comes from a podcast and I listened to the audiobook, so I thought it was narrated perfectly. Maybe it's better listened to. (2) Reason Magazine review missed the point that these men were isolationist because they were fascist. This isn't a book about a bunch of pacifist Quakers.

Aspects of fascism have always existed in the United States 🇺🇸, plain and simple. However, I am afraid that with today’s immunity ruling by SCOTUS regarding Trump we are marching one step closer to this taking hold in America 🇺🇸. Trump has too many supporters, and these fascist ideas no longer exist on the fringe of society. They have overtaken an entire political party, which, at least half of the country supports. Be scared folks, be very scared.

Maddow is a brilliant story teller. The history of America's earlier flirtation with fascism should be a wake up call, but alas it seems not to be. Maddow has blown the dust off a shelf of names that many of us have never heard of or do not know much about. If you have time to listen to the podcast that birthed this book you will not regret it. Learn from history. The adage of history not repeating but certainly rhyming is totally appropriate to what the world and, most importantly, the US is facing in 2023.

Rachel is a fantastic writer. No matter what your political persuasion, this book is a MUST READ. She presents a historical story of the people and politicians who took the side of Nazi Germany before and during WWII. The story has many parallels in modern day America - the stark divide between the Republicans and Democrats, the Christian Right and everyone else, blacks and whites, etc. I highly recommend - I couldn’t put it down (except to take care of my grandson).

One of the best books I've read this year with deep and well researched history of a part of US history that is not commonly looked at - the impact of Nazi direct propaganda to keep the US out of World War II, and the broad number of influential and famous people in the US who were either actively on the payroll of the Nazi government or being used as useful idiots to actively weaken US resolve and unity. Maddow demonstrates expertise and depth of investigation that tied with her ability as a storyteller makes this a riveting account!

Summary points (with help from Open AI):

Prequel is a stark reminder that the fight against authoritarianism is ongoing and multifaceted. The book is not just a historical account but a cautionary tale, urging contemporary readers to recognize the signs of creeping authoritarianism and the importance of defending democratic principles at all costs. Understanding the nuances and details of this period, as Maddow presents them, is crucial for drawing lessons applicable to today’s political landscape.

1. Corporate Complicity: Maddow discusses how some American corporations and business leaders were not just sympathetic to, but actively supportive of, Nazi Germany. Companies like Ford and IBM had significant dealings with the Nazis, and some industrialists admired Hitler’s economic policies. This complicity illustrates the dangers of placing profit over democratic principles and is a critical aspect of the narrative that underscores the pervasiveness of fascist sympathies in the U.S.

2. The Dies Committee: The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), initially called the Dies Committee, played a controversial role during this period. While it was ostensibly set up to investigate subversive activities, including fascism, its efforts were often politicized and misdirected. Maddow’s discussion of the Dies Committee highlights how anti-communist sentiments sometimes overshadowed the threat of fascism, leading to a skewed focus that allowed some fascist activities to go unchecked.

3. Legal and Constitutional Challenges: The book goes into detail about the legal challenges faced by the government in prosecuting fascist sympathizers. For example, the Smith Act of 1940, which made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the government, was one tool used against American fascists. However, the enforcement of such laws often ran up against First Amendment protections, creating significant legal and constitutional debates. This aspect of the book underscores the complexities involved in balancing civil liberties with national security.

4. The Influence of Isolationism: Isolationism in the U.S. during the 1930s wasn’t just about staying out of European conflicts; it was also about rejecting internationalism in all its forms, including opposition to international Jewish organizations. Isolationism provided fertile ground for fascist ideas to take hold, as it dovetailed with anti-Semitic and nationalist rhetoric. Understanding this connection is crucial to grasping why fascist sympathies were able to gain a foothold in the U.S.

5. Hollywood’s Role: Maddow discusses the broader cultural battle that took place in the 1930s and 1940s. Films like The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin were instrumental in shaping public opinion against fascism, but these efforts were not without significant opposition. Maddow details how Nazi sympathizers in the U.S. and abroad attempted to censor or undermine these cultural efforts, reflecting the broader struggle for the hearts and minds of the American public.

Key Messages:

1. The Persistent Threat of Authoritarianism: Maddow argues that the threat of authoritarianism is not confined to any one era. The book highlights how fascist ideologies found fertile ground in the U.S. in the 1930s and 1940s, driven by a combination of economic instability, racial and ethnic prejudices, and sophisticated propaganda. She implies that similar conditions can lead to the resurgence of authoritarianism in modern times.

2. The Role of Foreign Influence: One of the most striking themes is the role of foreign powers, particularly Nazi Germany, in attempting to sway American public opinion and policy. Maddow details how the Nazis sought to export their ideology to the U.S., using American sympathizers and organizations to undermine democracy from within. The parallels she draws to contemporary concerns about foreign interference in U.S. politics, particularly by Russia, highlight the ongoing relevance of this threat.

3. The Importance of a Free Press and Legal Integrity: Maddow underscores the essential role that the press and a functioning legal system play in protecting democracy. The book details how journalists and some government officials worked tirelessly to expose fascist sympathizers and their activities, even in the face of significant opposition. However, it also highlights the limitations of these institutions when they are under attack or co-opted by those in power.

4. Vigilance and Action: Perhaps the most important takeaway is the need for constant vigilance and proactive measures to protect democratic institutions. Maddow emphasizes that the battles fought in the 1930s and 1940s against fascist sympathizers were often reactive, and she suggests that modern society must learn from these lessons and act proactively to counter similar threats today.

I am unsettled AND reassured by Rachel Maddow's latest. How close our democracy came to being overtaken by fascists and unhinged Americans who bought into the philosophy of Nazism. I read Prequel one slow chapter at a time, because it is so full of information about the main players of the dangerous period leading up to WWII. I was fascinated to learn about Father Coughlin, the radio priest of the National Shrine of the Little Flower. Millions of Americans listened to his weekly spew of anti-Semitic hatred. The racist worldviews of American hero Charles Lindbergh and industrialist Henry Ford are stunning in black and white. Maddow referred to an essay Lindbergh contributed to Readers' Digest in 1939. The article is easy to find and spells out Lindbergh's racist and isolationist worldview. The details are meticulously researched and Prequel holds together as solid narrative non-fiction. I am reassured because we find ourselves in a world that eerily mirrors the fascist lead-up to WWII, and yet, American democracy survived.

Shocking Gripping Tale of Craven Crime

I read the recently released “Fall of Fox News” and found it kind of a dry slog, except in its revelation of the depth of Roger Ailes’ sins. I was braced for a possible slog when I pre-ordered this book and opened it on Day One.

I’m thrilled to report Rachel Maddow’s “PREQUEL” reaches deep into the time of the World Wars and vibrantly unearths the plot by Nazi Germany to cultivate and exploit people and resources in the US in the 1930s - to stop the US from entering the war against Germany, and even split the country for eventual conquest and subjugation.

Maddow is at the top of her game as a journalist assembling the facts, and as a commentator inserting wry subtle comparisons to you-know-who-and-what from 2021. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

You gotta read this.