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Know Your Enemy

Why the Right Loves Foreign Dictators (w/ Jacob Heilbrunn)

Mar 11, 2024
Explore the right's century-long romance with foreign dictators from Kaiser Wilhelm to Mussolini. Discover the link between race science and fear of democracy, the pivot from Nazi revisionism to Cold War, and the consequences of neoconservatism. Unravel the distinction between authoritarianism and totalitarianism, and the potential disaster of a second Trump term.
01:26:21

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Right-wing historical fascination with foreign dictators dates back to early 20th century, not just modern times.
  • The transition of the right from pre- to post-World War II ideologies led to staunch anti-communist sentiments.

Deep dives

The Right's Historical Affinity with Foreign Dictators

The right has a long-standing historical fascination with foreign dictators dating back to figures like Franco, Mussolini, and Hitler, extending up to modern times with Putin and Orban. This fascination has been explored in various intellectual and political circles, highlighting how the right has embraced dictators as part of their foreign policy narrative.

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