A review on two monographs by Henri A. Giroux, a prominent American scientist, one of the most famous contemporary representatives of the western “critical theory”, reveals the main aspects of the criticism of authoritarian trends in US policy in the last decade of the 21st century. They very clearly outline the images of the approaching nightmare and the fascist threat. Being a profound specialist in the field of education, educational policy and technology, he pays the most attention to the threats that he believes can eventually destroy the traditions of liberal school and university education that were formed over several centuries and were represented in the 20th century by such brilliant theorists as John Dewey and Mortimer Adler. Describing the causes of the crisis of American society and state institutions, H. A. Giroux, like many radical representatives of the critical direction of socio-political analysis, constantly uses the concept of “neoliberal fascism”, which has many dimensions, including education and pedagogy. A. Giroud's reflections on the formation of “neoliberal fascism” in the United States can be fully regarded as a kind of author's comment on the analysis of the diverse terrorist threats the main source of which are not so much the attacks of Islamic extremists as the desire of the American ruling circles to perpetuate political institutions. It is emphasized that in Western political science from the second half of the twentieth century to the present day, the analysis of educational policy is marked by deep skepticism regarding the ability of political leaders and public institutions to implement educational reforms. The main hope rests on “resistance from below” and is linked to the belief that schools and universities will eventually be able to maintain their potential as the “last bastions of critical thought” in the United States.