Beast Reawakens by Martin A. Lee

From the Publisher

From Nazi spymasters in the postwar German intelligence services to the militant forces behind the Oklahoma City bombing, fascism has not only survived World War II but is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in international politics. The Beast Reawakens is the first history to examine the various strands of right-wing extremism worldwide and put the current fascist resurgence in perspective.

Publishers Weekly

After the Berlin Wall came down, images of emancipated Germans were soon replaced by footage of neo-Nazi skinheads torching immigrant hostels while raising their arms in Hitlerian salute. It appeared that the beast of fascism, thought to have been dead for almost half a century, had come back to life. Through meticulous research and more than 100 interviews, Lee (Acid Dreams) reveals that the beast only catnapped after WWII. Starting with the failed assassination attempt on the Fhrer in July 1944, Lee traces the splinter groups, fascist leaders and political movements that formed a complex network of ratlines and spy webs enabling expatriate Nazis to build fortunes and mold fledgling extremists. Lee skillfully forms his material into a coherent, often chilling account that opens with the tale of Otto Skorzeny, the ex-Nazi who became a major figure in Cold War espionage. The closing exploration of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and America's militia movement casts new light on seemingly overexposed topics and helps to illuminate the fascist agendas of shadowy organizations in the U.S. such as the Holocaust-denying Liberty Lobby. This compelling, intelligent investigation, which reads more like a thriller than a history lesson, contributes much toward understanding the politics of hatred. Photos not seen by PW. (July)

Library Journal

Lee (Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD, and the Sixties, Grove Atlantic, 1987) traces neo-Nazism from the fall of the Third Reich to Oklahoma City. In this journalistic account, he uses certain personalities to trace a continuous thread of fascism over the 50 years. One of his main characters is Otto Skorzeny, the daring SS officer who became a favorite of Adolf Hitler. Skorzeny helped many Nazis escape from Germany and others gain positions in the intelligence agencies of the superpowers at the beginning of the Cold War. Lee has written a compelling work that should find an audience in public libraries, especially in light of recent interest in militia groups.Dennis L. Noble, North Olympic Lib. System, Port Angeles, Wash.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents