Strongmen

'A gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption' Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die 'A timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster' Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny Ours is the age of the strongman. Trump. Putin. Modi: they are reshaping their countries around them. By drawing on a playbook established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler, today's strongmen have created cults of personality that have drawn the loyal support of millions. But why - despite the evidence of history - do they hold such appeal? Strongmen explains how these figures manipulate our fears and desires in pursuit of power at any cost. A fierce and perceptive history, it provides a vital understanding of the forces that seek to derail democracy and seize our rights - an dhow to combat them.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University and a political commentator and cultural critic who has received Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other fellowships. An expert on fascism and its memory, authoritarian rulers, Donald Trump, and propaganda, she's written for or appeared on BBC World News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Sky News, New Yorker and other media outlets.