Defensive Nationalism: Explaining the Rise of Populism and Fascism in the 21st Century

A stunningly novel account of why populism and fascism are on the rise in the early 21st century. Today we find in the most technologically advanced societies, wild conspiracy theories and a broad distrust of science and expertise have created deep political divisions that are splitting nations in two. Defensive Nationalism explains this paradox, using history as a guide. B. S. Rabinowitz finds that the turn-of-the 19th century was also a period of exceptional technological innovation that ended with toxic political upheavals. To investigate why, the author combines Karl Polanyi's concept of the "double movement" with Joseph Schumpeter's theory of innovation. Weaving together a fascinating narrative that spans two centuries, the book traces how the rapid transformation of transportation and communications during the Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution created economic interdependence and capital flows that induced radical economic, social, and political disruptions. In response, separate national-populist movements, stemming from particular national histories and struggles, arose concurrently to produce an era of "defensive nationalism." Distinguishing between creative, consolidating, and defensive nationalism, Rabinowitz offers a persuasively fresh way to study socio-political patterns across time and space.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Paradox of Modernity Part I: Theory Chapter One: The Concepts: Populism, Nationalism, Fascism and Nativism Chapter Two: The Synthesis: A New Typology of Nationalism Chapter Three: Karl Polanyi: Theory & Ambiguity Chapter Four: Joseph Schumpeter: Technology and the "Double Movement" Part II: The Rise of the Modern Liberal Order Chapter Five: The Belle Epoque: Railroads & Telegraphy Chapter Six: The Digital Age: Turbo jets & Computers Part III: The Dark Side of Globalization Chapter Seven: Economic Reorganization & Economic Crises Chapter Eight: Mass Media & Fake News Chapter Nine: Mass Immigration & Global Terrorism Part IV: Anti-Globalization Chapter Ten: From Globalization to the Nation Chapter Eleven: The Turn Inward: Nativism & Fascism Part V: Post-War Peace Chapter Twelve: The Concert of Europe Chapter Thirteen: The Bretton Woods Era Conclusion: Using History as a Guide Notes Index

About the Author :
B. S. Rabinowitz is Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at Rutgers University. Rabinowitz's research addresses large theoretical questions about politics and social organization, from the effects of nationalism and the causes of ethnic conflict to the conditions needed for post-colonial state development. The author's work uniquely synthesizes theory and comparative history to examine how institutions shape leadership decisions and political outcomes, as well as how large structural change explains global social upheavals. Rabinowitz received a Political Science doctorate from University of California, Berkeley, and a Social Science Master's from the University of Chicago.

Review :
In a surprising twist, Rabinowitz explains the rise of populism and fascism as paradoxically linked to the greatest scientific advances of our age. Using Karl Polanyi's concept of the 'double movement' and Joseph Schumpeter's theory of innovation, the book compares anti-globalization movements of today with those that arose in the late 19th century. The comparison reveals how economic, social and political precarities created by modern technological revolutions draw people to anti-liberal, 'defensive nationalist' movements on both the left and the right. At a time when democracy is endangered by such inward-looking nationalism, Rabinowitz' unique synthesis of theory and history offers a much-needed analysis of the nature of the threats facing us today. B. S. Rabinowitz tackles one of the most pressing questions of our time in a refreshingly audacious manner. What has brought such potent threats to democracy in some of the world's most technologically advanced nations? To unravel this puzzle, she goes back more than 150 years and extracts fresh insights from two very different theorists, Karl Polanyi and Joseph Schumpeter. She finds that in the late 20th Century, as in the late 19th Century, technological revolutions fueled globalization that ultimately produced a dangerous 'defensive' nationalism. This compelling and highly original book synthesizes the views of two of the twentieth century's leading economic sociologists, Karl Polanyi and Joseph Schumpeter, to explain the global resurgence of populism over the last decade. Understanding the historical shift towards economic liberalism as a function of technological progress, Rabinowitz highlights some of the central dynamics driving contemporary populist status anxiety, namely, the relative dislocation and disarticulation of established national, class, and ethnic hierarchies attendant to globalization. Defensive Nationalism is sure to be studied and to inspire fresh insights for years to come. This book is important for scholars of nationalism.