Ruth Ben-Ghiat looks at how strongmen leaders rise and fall and the lessons for democracy.

Ours is the age of the strongman. Russia, India, Turkey and America are – or have recently – been ruled by men who, as they have risen to the top, have reshaped their countries around them, creating cults of personality which earn the loyalty of millions. And as they do so, they draw on a playbook of behaviour established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler.

Ben-Ghiat draws on analysis of everything from gender and sexuality to diplomatic strategy to explain who these political figures are – and how they manipulate our own history, fears and desires in search of power at any cost. She also provides ideas about how they can be resisted, and democracy protected and extended.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Strongmen: How They Rise, Why They Succeed, How They Fall is published by Profile Books. Buy a copy from Waterstones, our bookselling partners.

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Festival of Ideas: Ruth Ben-Ghiat, How Do We Deal with Strongmen Leaders?