8 /10 1 Votes
Language English Media type Print ISBN 978-1-933392-79-0 | 4/5 Goodreads Publication date September 2007 Pages pp. 192 Originally published September 2007 Genre Non-fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar Naomi Wolf books, Non-fiction books, Political Science books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot is a 2007 non-fiction book by author Naomi Wolf, published by Chelsea Green Publishing of White River Junction, Vermont. Wolf argues that events of the early 2000s paralleled steps taken in the early years of the twentieth century's worst dictatorships and called Americans to take action to restore their constitutional values before they suffer the same fate. The book illustrates what Wolf depicts as ten steps in the transition of open societies into closed regimes.
Contents
The ten steps
Wolf outlines ten steps that "closing societies" — such as Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy, and Stalin's Russia — have historically followed. These steps, Wolf claims, are being observed in America now.
The steps are:
- Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
- Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
- Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
- Set up an internal surveillance system.
- Harass citizens' groups.
- Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
- Target key individuals.
- Control the press.
- Cast criticism as espionage and dissent as treason.
- Subvert the rule of law.
Documentary
IndiePix Films produced a documentary of the same name based on the book. The film was released on DVD and online in October 2008.