▁meaning ▁and ▁has ▁desc ended ▁to ▁the ▁level ▁of ▁being ▁" a ▁modern ▁word ▁for ▁' her etic ', ▁brand ing ▁an ▁individual ▁worthy ▁of ▁ex communic ation ▁from ▁the ▁body ▁polit ic ", ▁not ing ▁that ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 6 , ▁the ▁social ist ▁anti - f asc ist ▁writer ▁George ▁Or well ▁ ▁described ▁the ▁word ▁as ▁no ▁longer ▁having ▁any ▁meaning ▁except ▁to ▁sign ify ▁" something ▁not ▁des irable ". ▁ ▁Origin ▁of ▁title ▁and ▁cover ▁Gold berg ▁has ▁said ▁in ▁inter views ▁that ▁the ▁title ▁Liberal ▁F asc ism ▁was ▁taken ▁from ▁a ▁ 1 9 3 2 ▁speech ▁by ▁science ▁fiction ▁pione er ▁and ▁social ist ▁H . ▁G . ▁Well s ▁at ▁Oxford . ▁Gold berg ▁quotes ▁Well s ▁as ▁stating ▁that ▁he ▁wanted ▁to ▁" ass ist ▁in ▁a ▁kind ▁of ▁p ho enix ▁reb irth " ▁of ▁liberal ism ▁as ▁an ▁" en light ened ▁Naz ism ." ▁In ▁the ▁book , ▁however , ▁Gold berg ▁writes ▁that ▁he ▁" did ▁not ▁get ▁the ▁title ▁of ▁this ▁book ▁from ▁Well s ' s ▁speech , ▁but ▁... ▁was ▁delight ed ▁to ▁discover ▁the ▁phrase ▁has ▁such ▁a ▁rich ▁intellectual ▁history ". ▁This ▁apparent ▁contradiction ▁was ▁clar ified ▁in ▁a ▁subsequent ▁interview ▁where ▁Gol berg ▁states ▁" The ▁truth ▁is ▁that ▁Liberal ▁F asc ism ▁was ▁originally ▁a ▁working ▁title ▁I ▁came ▁up ▁with ▁independently ▁for ▁the ▁proposal . ▁But ▁the ▁idea ▁was ▁always ▁that ▁we ▁might ▁change ▁it ▁for ▁the ▁actual ▁book