Strongmen

Mussolini to the Present

By: Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Narrated by: Chloe Cannon

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is the expert on the "strongman" playbook employed by authoritarian demagogues from Mussolini to Putin. In Strongmen, she lays bare the blueprint these leaders have followed over the past 100 years, and empowers us to recognize, resist, and prevent their disastrous rule in the future.

For ours is the age of authoritarian rulers: self-proclaimed saviors of the nation who evade accountability while robbing their people of truth, treasure, and the protections of democracy. They promise law and order, then legitimize lawbreaking by financial, sexual, and other predators. They use propaganda, corruption, and violence to stay in power.

Vladimir Putin and Mobutu Sese Seko's kleptocracies, Benito Mussolini and Muammar Gaddafi's systems of sexual exploitation, and Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Trump's relentless misinformation: all show how authoritarian rule, far from ensuring stability, is marked by destructive chaos.

Recounting the acts of solidarity and dignity that have undone strongmen over the past 100 years, Ben-Ghiat makes vividly clear that only by seeing the strongman for what he is - and by valuing one another as he is unable to do - can we stop him, now and in the future.

©2020 Ruth Ben-Ghiat (P)2020 Kalorama

Beyond Good, This Is Timely And Excellent Info

This book is a milestone for me, I quote it all the time. We have seen a succession of these Strongmen who have done much damage to our world. And we have several doing it now, and there are more in the wings who would like to be like the worst leaders in this book. The author shows us the pattern these rulers use to get power, and then keep it. And how they have evolved the standard system to meet new conditions like social media. They have also figured out how to suppress the media if they can not buy it and turn it into total propaganda for them. In spite of limitations they are trying, and this worries me greatly. Again, I think all elected officials should be required to read this book. Unfortunately the bad guys probably DO read it, and get coaching from it on how to get away with crimes against their citizens. A must read for anyone interested in understanding the worst of the world's autocrat5ic politicians, and out and out dictators. Strongmen. Or "want to be" Strongmen.

Good Historical Perspective

Great analysis with facts, quotes and anecdotes woven in. Historical perspective alongside current events. Well read.


Would highly recommend it for 1933, 2016 and today.

A detailed description of us now

This book is a must read. along with Timothy Snyder's book On Tyranny.
We should head history's lessons before going the direction these past years has lurched to.

Excellent insightful book

This book is a real eye-opener, and a brilliant and highly readable accounting of this phenomenon. It really puts Trump and his ilk in what seems like the most accurate historical perspective of any of many recent related books.

Timely, important, crucial information

I am so grateful to have authoritative, well-researched, accessible information from an academic about lessons we must learn from history to protect our future.

Great Book!

This book is excellent. I have heard Ruth Ben-Ghiat do political commentaries on news stories and really like her. For some reason I kept putting this book on hold. I have the print and the audiobook. I enjoy both. This book should be taught in any University Level Political Science about autocracies and how Fascist leaders come into power and how they lose the same. I think the narrator did a fantastic job. (Many people confuse Communism with Faschism which are two completly different ideologies). Once again this is a great interesting factual book.

An in depth report and history of strongman leaders

I didn't know how little I actually knew about the men written about or the many commonalities between them. It would have been interesting to measure them up against totalitarian regimes not mentioned like Castro's Cuba, Pol Pot's Cambodia, Kim's North Korea and the like. The history and the warning here are both very timely and important. Well written and well read.

Hard to hear

Comparisons between autocratic leaders such as Mussolini, Hitler, Putin and Trump are almost too scary to hear.

Listening to the narrator was difficult.

The information is compelling and important and terrifying. Unfortunately the narrative had pauses in odd places as well as a fairly monotone delivery. I needed to relisten to many parts for clarity.

Kevin

Excellent listen. Very scary to hear all the same traits of these horrible men, including the ones in present day!