Roland Huntford

The New Totalitarians (1979)

This book is a warning. It is a terrifying portrait of an "ideal" society that has destroyed democracy in the name of "progress." Roland Huntford demonstrates by fact after shocking fact how an apparently democratic, prosperous, peaceful Utopia is totally controlled by a bureaucracy which actively discourages all signs of individuality.

Roland Huntford has been Scandinavian correspondent for one of the world's great newspapers, The Observer. His other books include The Sea of Darkness and Scott & Amundsen.

From The Introduction:

When this book was first published, in 1972, the Social Democrats had ruled Sweden for almost forty years. They seemed destined to continue doing so for forty years more. Since then, however, they have lost two elections in a row, and the country has been governed by the non-socialist parties instead. Remark- ably little has changed, however. The corporatism which lies at the heart of the Swedish system, and which was my central theme, continues on its way. Sweden is run in much the same way as before. The main difference is that the corporatism of the left has been replaced by one of the center.

Reviews

"Much more than a 'horror file.' It is a study of the 'whys' of this unopposed bureaucracy. ... Full of valuable insights, it is an illuminating account of the ideas in whose service the Swedes have become so compliant!' --- Book News

"A landmark work!" --- San Francisco Chronicle

"The first detailed critique of the Social Democratic regime." --- The New York Times Book Review

"Buy it, borrow it, or rent it --- but find time and money to give this book a thoughtful reading." --- Bookmailer News

"It will take more than a single volume to disillusion Americans about 'democratic socialism' and the 'free' welfare state, but if any book can do it, this is it!' --- Human Events

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