Strongmen, Part 2

This session will focus Part 2 of Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, which examines the tools authoritarian leaders use to consolidate power. Covering the chapters A Greater Nation, Propaganda, Virility, Corruption, and Violence, this discussion will explore how strongmen shape national identity, control information, and use repression to maintain their rule.

Objectives of This Meeting

• Analyze the mechanisms strongmen use to entrench their authority.
• Examine the role of propaganda, nationalism, and corruption in sustaining authoritarian regimes.
• Discuss historical examples in relation to contemporary authoritarian tactics.
• Reflect on how these patterns manifest today and what resistance efforts look like.