Events

Historian and cultural critic Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a renowned scholar of Italian Fascism who has turned her attention to modern strongmen. In this conversation with Institute Director Mark Mazower, Ben-Ghiat will talk about fascism, the coup d'État and the toolkit of propaganda, corruption, violence and machismo deployed by dictators past and present.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian, educator, and commentator on fascism, authoritarian leaders, and propaganda — and the threats these present to democracies around the world. Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, she is author or editor of seven books and many essays and op-eds in media outlets including CNN, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post. Her newest book is Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present (Norton, November 10th, 2020), which places Trump in context of a century of illiberal history.

Organized by the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.