Resolute Square

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

American historian and cultural critic, an expert on fascism and authoritarianism.
Credit: Ruth Ben-Ghiat

About Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She is an MSNBC Opinion Columnist and commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and other media outlets about authoritarianism, Fascism, and threats to democracy around the world.
Her latest book, Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present (W.W. Norton & Company) examines how illiberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in power and how resistance to them has unfolded over a century.
 
Subscribe to Lucid, her Substack newsletter about democracy and autocracy.

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Latest
Trump ugly
Victim And Avenger: The Fascist Roots of Trump's CPAC Speech
Trump recognizes the need to be the "Strongman" voice for his base and used his CPAC speech to echo Fascist leaders like Mussolini and Hitler.
March 7, 2023
Putin
Every Day The War Goes On Is A Victory For Putin
For Vladamir Putin, the deaths of thousands of countrymen, significant losses of financial power, and universal condemnation mean little as long as buildings and lives continue to be destroyed in Ukraine. Ruth Ben-Ghiat provides us a glimpse of how autocrats think and why Putin will not stop until he has no other options.
February 21, 2023
Erdogan's Autocratic Response To Tragedy In Turkey Proves Deadly
Strongmen like Erdogan are at their worst when their people need them most.
February 14, 2023
Desantis Signs Don't Say Gay Bill
Ron DeSantis's Dystopian Vision For America's Youth
DeSantis seeks to prevent kids from developing the empathy that would lead them down the path of civil rights activists in the US and anti-authoritarian resisters everywhere.
February 8, 2023
Rick Wilson's Enemies List
A Victory For Reality
Rick Wilson's Enemies List

Rick Wilson's The Enemies List

Rick is joined by scholar and cultural historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat. An expert on authoritarianism. They dissect what happened in the midterms and how and why Americans chose democracy. Plus, who makes the list this episode.
November 16, 2022