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Strongmen
Mussolini To The Present
Ours is the age of the strongman, of heads of state who damage or destroy democracy use masculinity as a tool of political legitimacy, and promise law and order rule – and then legitimize lawless behavior by financial, sexual, and other predators. Covering a century of tyranny, this book examines how authoritarians use propaganda, virility, corruption, and violence to stay in power, and how they can be opposed.Other Editions:
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Reviews:
The Guardian Book Review
November 26, 2020
“Ruth Ben-Ghiat delivers a superb examination of how close the US came to fascism – and how it has propped it up before…”
Read the full review in The Guardian.
Boston Globe Book Review
November 5, 2020
“Quite a cast of characters in Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s ‘Strongmen,’ a brutal tour of the tyrannies of the last hundred years…”
Read the full review in the Boston Globe.
Strongmen is “a gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption.”
Daniel Ziblatt
“Everyone who cares about American democracy should read this book.”
Sarah Kendzior
“With a steady gaze and an eye for the telling detail, Ruth Ben-Ghiat delivers a timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster.”
Timothy Snyder