From the followers of Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, the Arab leader who met with Adolf Hitler in November 1942 to the murderous death squads of the Croatian Ustasha to certain members of the British Establishment, fascism's heady brew of extreme nationalism and revolutionary violence has attracted followers from across all religions, races, and classes. Now widely reviled, fascism became an immensely powerful political force in Western Europe throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. How did civilized nations like Italy, Germany, Austria, and others succumb to an ideology now regarded by the political mainstream as barbarous and beyond the pale? World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia covers all the key personalities and movements throughout the history of fascism and brings to light some of the ideology's lesser-known aspects, from Hindu extremists in India to the influential role of certain women in fascist movements. How did an ideology which was openly boastful of its belief in violence come to seduce the elites of some of the most civilized nations on earth? What can explain fascism's enduring appeal? Here is a major contribution to the scholarship of Fascism. The more than 500 separately authored entries are written by 125 experts in Fascism studies. Like the authors, the entries represent the multidisciplinary nature of Fascism studies, covering history, political science, philosophy, and religion in entries on people, political parties and movements, and key geographical areas. Entries average 1 to 2 pages, but there are some longer articles, such as the 6-page article on France. Although the majority of entries deal with the twentieth century, meaning there should be no shortage of available images, there are only a few black-and-white illustrations, mostly attached to biographical entries. See also references appear at the end of each article, but sometimes the list of related entries is so long it can be overwhelming, and the fact that the references are all listed in capital letters makes them difficult to read. Each entry concludes with a list of references to outside sources, which will be useful for students pursuing research projects. Other content includes a list of entries at the beginning of each volume, a bibliography arranged by broad subject areas that will be especially useful to those working on research projects, and a chronology that runs from 1861 to 2004. There is one major drawback to this encyclopedia. Students without prior knowledge will not find it to be a useful source for background information, a key role of a subject encyclopedia. Some advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students studying political science or modern history may find it useful if they are inclined to use a subject encyclopedia. The most valuable entry for undergraduates is the one they are least likely to read, the 26-page introduction, which provides background information and an overview of Fascist studies. But because it is in the front matter and never referenced elsewhere, students are unlikely to find it. Recommended with reservations for universities with faculty and graduate students working in the area of Fascist studies. Jessica Moyer Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved " World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia is a unique addition that fills a glaring void in the reference literature for serious students of the postwar period. ... unrivaled in its depth and scope, World Fascism is highly recommended for all academic and public library collections serving political science and history students and researchers." -- " Reference & User Services Quarterly " "Here is a major contribution to the scholarship of Fascism." -- " Booklist " "One review cannot do justice to the scope of this outstanding work, which will be a crucial purchase for all academic libraries and a very important one for larger public libraries." -- " Choice " "This work makes an important and valuable contribution to the literature of history and political science. No similar English-language work is currently available. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries." -- " Library Journal " Cyprian P. Blamires , Ph.D., is a freelance scholar, editor, writer, and translator based in the United Kingdom. Used Book in Good Condition