Booksmith and UC Press present a 6-part series of virtual events focused on urgent societal issues, broadcasting every Monday at 11am PST. This second event in the series features Federico Finchelstein discussing his book A Brief History of Fascist Lies.

This is a free event, but RSVP is required.

"There is no better book on fascism's complex and vexed relationship with truth." – Jason Stanley, author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them

In this short companion to his book From Fascism to Populism in History, world-renowned historian Federico Finchelstein explains why fascists regarded simple and often hateful lies as truth, and why so many of their followers believed the falsehoods. Throughout the history of the twentieth century, many supporters of fascist ideologies regarded political lies as truth incarnated in their leader. From Hitler to Mussolini, fascist leaders capitalized on lies as the base of their power and popular sovereignty.

This history continues in the present, when lies again seem to increasingly replace empirical truth. Now that actual news is presented as “fake news” and false news becomes government policy, A Brief History of Fascist Lies urges us to remember that the current talk of “post-truth” has a long political and intellectual lineage that we cannot ignore.

Federico Finchelstein is Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College in New York City. He is the author of several books, including From Fascism to Populism in History, Transatlantic Fascism, and The Ideological Origins of the Dirty War. His books have been translated into many languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, and Italian. He contributes to major American, European, and Latin American media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, CNN, Foreign Policy, Clarín, Corriere della Sera, Nexos, and Folha de S.Paulo.

UC Press Now: Urgent Conversations hosted by Booksmith

• 8/3: A. Naomi Paik / Bans, Walls, Raids, Sanctuary: Understanding U.S. Immigration for the Twenty-First Century
• 8/10: Federico Finchelstein / A Brief History of Fascist Lies
• 8/17: Aya Gruber / The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in Mass Incarceration
• 8/24: Erin Hatton / Coerced: Work Under Threat of Punishment
• 8/31: Sarah Jaquette Ray / A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet
• 9/7: Joe Trotter / Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America

This event is free and all ages, but RSVP is required.

To have A Brief History of Fascist Lies sent to your door, order here or add it to your cart when you register.