isation , ▁its ▁basic ▁values ▁and ▁moral ▁found ations ". ▁ ▁Crit ique ▁ ▁The ▁Three ▁F aces ▁of ▁F asc ism ▁has ▁been ▁much ▁pra ised ▁as ▁a ▁sem inal ▁contribution ▁to ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁a ▁theory ▁of ▁generic ▁fasc ism ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁history ▁of ▁ideas , ▁as ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁previous ▁class - based ▁anal ys es ▁( es pecially ▁the ▁" R age ▁of ▁the ▁Lower ▁Middle ▁Class " ▁th esis ) ▁that ▁had ▁character ized ▁both ▁Marx ist ▁and ▁liberal ▁interpret ations ▁of ▁fasc ism . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁N ol te ' s ▁book ▁helped ▁to ▁facil itate ▁a ▁change ▁in ▁emphas is ▁from ▁total itar ian ism ▁theory , ▁in ▁which ▁Naz i ▁Germany ▁and ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁were ▁perce ived ▁as ▁the ▁reg imes ▁most ▁nearly ▁al ike , ▁to ▁fasc ism ▁theory , ▁in ▁which ▁F asc ist ▁Italy ▁and ▁the ▁Third ▁Reich ▁were ▁the ▁reg imes ▁held ▁to ▁be ▁most ▁nearly ▁al ike . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁The ▁Three ▁F aces ▁of ▁F asc ism ▁had ▁an ▁immense ▁impact ▁on ▁the ▁scholar ly ▁community ▁by ▁adv ancing ▁this ▁new ▁theory ▁of ▁generic ▁fasc ism , ▁and ▁was ▁described ▁by ▁the ▁British ▁historian ▁Sir ▁Ian ▁K ers h aw ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁influ ential ▁history ▁books ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁As ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁N ol te ' s ▁book ▁and ▁the ▁en su