Book SummaryStrongmen, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Strongmen

In Strongmen, Ruth Ben-Ghiat explores the rise and rule of authoritarian leaders throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. She argues that these leaders, whom she calls "strongmen," use a combination of violence, corruption, propaganda, and masculinity to seize and maintain power. Ben-Ghiat examines the lives and regimes of figures such as Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Augusto Pinochet, Silvio Berlusconi, and Donald Trump, drawing parallels between their methods and the political contexts that...

Strongmen Summary The Toolkit of Strongmen: Tactics for Seizing and Maintaining Power

In this section, we will explore the ways in which strongmen seize and maintain power. We will start with strategic approaches to power, then explore specific tools and techniques of control.

Strategic Approaches to Authority

Ben-Ghiat argues that strongmen often use armed takeovers to seize power. A coup is a surprise event in which the military overthrows the government, often violently. She explains that coups are the most frequent method by which strongmen have taken control, responsible for 75% of democratic breakdowns since World War II. They're often justified in order to stop financial collapse, avert a socialist cataclysm, or oust dishonest rulers.

(Shortform note: Ben-Ghiat’s analysis of coups as a method of seizing power is rooted in the field of comparative politics, which examines how different political systems function and change. Scholars in this field study the causes and consequences of regime change, including the breakdown of democracies. Bermeo’s article “On Democratic Backsliding” uses data from the Center for Systemic Peace, which tracks regime changes worldwide, to support the claim that...

Strongmen Summary The Architecture of Strongman Rule: Characteristics, Vulnerabilities, and Collapse

Ben-Ghiat argues that authoritarian rulers leave lasting damage on their societies even after they are gone. Their symbols and buildings remain, and the ingrained habit of their rituals is hard to let go of. The stadiums, highways, and airports of the strongman—praised by his followers as evidence of the country's ascent to greatness—fail to conceal the catastrophic damage his governance causes. Seized property, plundered corporations, disrupted education, vanished family members, abducted kids, and murdered groups leave unfillable gaps. The strongman's power structures frequently lose relevance or credibility once he departs from his position. Mussolini's Fascist Party, Hitler's NSDAP, and Mobutu's Popular Movement of the Revolution were all disbanded.

(Shortform note: The fact that the strongman’s symbols and buildings remain even after his party is gone is important because these remnants often become the battlegrounds for future struggles over truth, justice, and reparations. In Transitional Justice, Ruti G. Teitel argues that the physical and symbolic legacies of an abusive regime become central arenas where competing interpretations...

Shortform Exercise: The Dynamics of Coup-Driven Power Seizure

In "Strongmen," Ruth Ben-Ghiat discusses how military coups have been a common method for strongmen to seize power, resulting in the breakdown of democracies. Consider the implications and dynamics of a military coup as you respond to the questions below.

How might a military coup affect the public's perception of the military's role within a country?