I read Friendly Fascism back in the early eighties, at the very start of the Reagan era. I decided to pick it up again recently to see how far we’ve come since then, and it’s amazing just how spot on author Bertram Gross was in his cogent analysis of elite power structures in America.

Reading a book like this could get you branded a ‘conspiracy theorist,’ but as Gross points out he is not referring to “conspiracies” – he is talking about cold hard facts: the Big Government/Big Business columbine fuels the engines of fascism.

Fascist ideology is alive and well in this country. Indeed, it is stronger than ever. Since 1963 we’ve been on a slow decline toward fascism. The most common definition of fascism is – to paraphrase – a merging of government, church, and mega-corporations.

Friendly fascism means exactly that: fascism with a big smiley face crudely painted across it. Not so much jackboots and mass rallies – not yet anyway, unless one considers the pageantry and patriotic fervor on display at your average NFL football game – but rather a more insidious, public-relations savvy manipulation of power for the profit of a tiny minority.

Even though it was published over three decades ago, anyone who is still capable of critical thinking will see that Gross’ hypothesis is more relevant today than it was thirty-odd years ago.

Friendly Fascism is a frightening depiction of the true power structure in America.