I. Fest's book reaches the Russian reader very late; it had to sit on the shelves of special storage facilities for a long time, like most Western works on fascism. Then the recognition effect was dangerous. With all the originality of brown and red totalitarianism, the similarity of structures and leaders was all too obvious. Nowadays, the attention of readers is more likely to be attracted by the striking analogies and parallels between Weimar Germany and modern Russia. The socio-economic crisis, power vacuum, corruption, collective anger, politicization, loss of a sense of security - this is fertile ground for fascism. We must not forget that fascism itself was a rebellion for the sake of order.” Our own brutal experience prompts us to take a fresh look at many of the books and concepts that we previously subjected to arrogant criticism. And the book of Joachim Fest, without a doubt, belongs to the category of those works, familiarity with which is necessary for the formation of our historical self-awareness, political and spiritual culture, and, consequently, for the development of immunity in relation to fascist and any totalitarian infection.