▁from ▁M uss ol ini ▁to ▁the ▁Polit ics ▁of ▁Mean ing ▁is ▁a ▁book ▁by ▁Jon ah ▁Gold berg , ▁in ▁which ▁Gold berg ▁arg ues ▁that ▁fasc ist ▁movements ▁were ▁and ▁are ▁left - wing . ▁Pub lished ▁in ▁January ▁ 2 0 0 8 , ▁it ▁reached ▁# 1 ▁on ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁Best ▁S eller ▁list ▁of ▁hard cover ▁non - f iction ▁in ▁its ▁sevent h ▁week ▁on ▁the ▁list . ▁Gold berg ▁is ▁a ▁synd ic ated ▁column ist ▁and ▁the ▁editor - at - large ▁of ▁National ▁Review ▁Online . ▁ ▁Sum mary ▁of ▁contents ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁book , ▁Gold berg ▁arg ues ▁that ▁both ▁modern ▁liberal ism ▁and ▁fasc ism ▁desc ended ▁from ▁progress iv ism , ▁and ▁that ▁before ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁" f asc ism ▁was ▁widely ▁viewed ▁as ▁a ▁progress ive ▁social ▁movement ▁with ▁many ▁liberal ▁and ▁left - wing ▁ad her ents ▁in ▁Europe ▁and ▁the ▁United ▁States ". ▁Gold berg ▁writes ▁that ▁there ▁was ▁more ▁to ▁fasc ism ▁than ▁big ot ry ▁and ▁gen o cide , ▁and ▁arg ues ▁that ▁those ▁characteristics ▁were ▁not ▁so ▁much ▁a ▁feature ▁of ▁Italian ▁fasc ism , ▁but ▁rather ▁of ▁German ▁Naz ism , ▁which ▁was ▁alleg edly ▁forced ▁upon ▁the ▁Italian ▁fasc ists ▁" after ▁the ▁Naz is ▁had ▁inv aded ▁northern ▁Italy ▁and ▁created ▁a ▁pu ppet ▁government ▁in ▁Sal ò ." ▁ ▁He ▁arg ues ▁that ▁over ▁time , ▁the ▁term ▁fasc ism ▁has ▁lost ▁its ▁original