The Beast Reawakens : Fascism's Resurgence From Hitler's Spymasters to Today's Neo-Nazi Groups and Right-Wing Extremists

The Beast Reawakens is a book by investigative journalist Martin A. Lee. It tells the story of old-guard fascists' strategy for survival and the revival of fascism. Special attention is given to ODESSA actions during the Cold War, international fascist networks, and political inroads to the right-wing mainstream. If you thought Nazism died with Hitler, think again. In The Beast Reawakens , journalist Martin A. Lee traces the resurgence of fascist ideals from the prominent Nazis who escaped prosecution following World War II to the present-day incidents of right-wing violence in Europe and America. One only has to look at the current situation in the Balkans to see that fascism is alive and well. Lee begins his troubling account by reminding us of the many prominent Nazis who, after the war, built new and profitable lives for themselves fomenting political intrigue, while providing role models to a new generation of neo-Nazis all around the world. This underground Nazi culture might have remained out of sight had it not been for the fall of Communism. In the confusion following the end of the Cold War, right-wing nationalist movements sprang up all over Europe, taking root especially deep in formerly communist areas such as Croatia, Bosnia, and Romania. According to Lee, "the Beast" doesn't restrict itself to Eastern Europe by any means; skinhead violence against immigrants is on the rise in Germany, while right-wing politicians in France, Italy, and other western European countries are increasingly finding a willing audience for their national and racial polemics. And lest American readers be lulled into a false sense of security, Lee warns that the United States is hardly immune to this kind of hateful rhetoric. He warns that many of the militia groups currently operating today share the same glorified attitude toward violence, the same irrational hatred of foreigners and ethnic minorities that mark the worst excesses of fascism in Europe. 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. Based on more than a hundred interviews and thousands of pages of once classified U.S. government documents, The Beast Reawakens exposes the hidden machinations of the infamous postwar ODESSA network and, perhaps most surprising, the key role played by U.S. neo-Nazis in this shadowy political netherworld. A rogues' gallery of characters stride through the pages of this compelling chronicle, including an American fascist who moonlighted as a Communist spy and later emerged as the patron saint of Holocaust-deniers in the United States and abroad. Instead of invoking the rhetoric of racial supremacy, the more astute strategists emphasize preserving national identity and cultural uniqueness. Targeting immigrants and ethnic minorities, their scapegoating message has touched a raw nerve in a post-Cold War world still reeling from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, and major changes in the global economy. Catalyzed by these far-reaching developments, fascism is on the march again.

If you thought Nazism died with Hitler, think again. In The Beast Reawakens, journalist Martin A. Lee documents the revival of fascist ideals from the wake of the Second World War to recent violent incidents in Europe and America. Defeated in war, many Nazis built new and profitable lives for themselves, stirring political intrigue and serving as role models to a new generation of white supremacists like Americans Francis Parker Yockey, whose book Imperium became the bible of anti-Semitism, and Willis Carto, who continues to run several ostensibly mainstream policy groups that deny the Holocaust ever took place. Often forced underground yet certain of their cause, this second generation of extremists can be linked to such recent violence as the Oklahoma City bombings, the shocking lynching of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas, and the abortion clinic bombings by Eric Rudolf, who remains a fugitive. With extraordinary detail and insight, The Beast Reawakens examines the many strands of rightwing extremism worldwide to put the current fascist resurgence in contemporary perspective.

New York Times Book Review

A vivid survey of fascist resurgence.

In The Beast Reawakens, journalist Martin A. Lee documents the genealogy of neo-fascism from the prominent Nazis who escaped prosecution following World War II to the extreme right-wing violence currently transpiring worldwide. Lee's disturbing narrative begins with the many prominent Nazis who, after the World War II, were recruited by the American government to serve as spies on the front lines of the Cold War, but ended up providing literature, training, and resources to, and standing as popular role models for, the next generation of neo-Nazis around the world. Racist hatred has also given birth to extreme right-wing politicians in France, Italy, and other Western countries who are increasingly finding a willing audience for their national and racial polemics. The Beast Reawakens is the first history to connect these various strands of current right-wing extremism with their Nazi mentors and the governments who supported them. Otto Skorzeny was a towering, 220-pound hulk with broad shoulder, slate gray eyes, and dark, springy hair atop a six-foot-five-inch frame. This reprint edition features a new preface to address events that have occurred since the first edition was released First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.