Today's ISMS

The major conflict of our age is the struggle between aggressive totali-
tarianism and the free way of life. Not long ago the chief threat to
liberty was fascism; today it is communism. The violence and terror
of totalitarian communism and fascism, ranging from slave labor
camps to genocide, reflect a fanatical ideology that brooks no com-
promise.
This book is a discussion of the main representatives of each side
-communism and fascism on the totalitarian side, capitalism and so-
cialism on the democratic. In a short book, it has seemed advisable to
concentrate on the isms that shape the fate of the world rather than
to discuss in detail the numerous other isms that are important, but
that have not been decisive, in the struggle for men's minds. These
lesser isms, whether philosophical, political, social, or economic, are
therefore dealt with in this book only to the extent that they are re-
lated to the four major isms. The psychological roots of totalitarianism
and democracy are given particularly close attention, since it is diffi-
cult to understand either system without understanding both the per-
sonality traits and psychological motivations to which each system
appeals.
The key approach in this book is through the way of life concept
rather than through one particular aspect, such as government or eco-
nomics. Totalitarianism and democracy are more than specific social,
political, or economic systems: they are two diametrically opposed
ways of life, with contradicting beliefs and values, based on distinct
and opposite conceptions of the nature of man. The scope and gravity
of the present world crisis can therefore be fully grasped only by per-
ceiving it, not as the mere result of conflicting political or economic
ideas and practices, but as a conflict between two ways of thought and
action encompassing the totality of social life.