'A gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption' Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die

'A timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster' Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

Ours is the age of the strongman. Trump. Putin. Modi: they are reshaping their countries around them.

By drawing on a playbook established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler, today's strongmen have created cults of personality that have drawn the loyal support of millions. But why - despite the evidence of history - do they hold such appeal?

Strongmen explains how these figures manipulate our fears and desires in pursuit of power at any cost. A fierce and perceptive history, it provides a vital understanding of the forces that seek to derail democracy and seize our rights - an dhow to combat them.

Ours is the age of the strongman. Russia, India, Turkey and America are ruled by men who, as they have risen to the top, have reshaped their countries around them, creating cults of personality which earn the loyalty of millions. And as they do so, they draw on a playbook of behaviour established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler.

Here, political historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat draws on analysis of everything from gender and sexuality to diplomatic strategy to explain who these political figures are – and how they manipulate our own history, fears and desires in search of power at any cost.

Ours is the age of the strongman. Russia, India, Turkey and America are ruled by men who, as they have risen to the top, have reshaped their countries around them, creating cults of personality which earn the loyalty of millions. And as they do so, they draw on a playbook of behaviour established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler.

Here, political historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat draws on analysis of everything from gender and sexuality to diplomatic strategy to explain who these political figures are - and how they manipulate our own history, fears and desires in search of power at any cost.

'A gripping and illuminating picture of how strongmen have deployed violence, seduction, and corruption' Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die

'A timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster' Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

Ours is the age of the strongman. Trump. Putin. Modi: they are reshaping their countries around them.

By drawing on a playbook established by figures such as Benito Mussolini, Muammar Gaddafi and Adolf Hitler, today's strongmen have created cults of personality that have drawn the loyal support of millions. But why - despite the evidence of history - do they hold such appeal?

Strongmen explains how these figures manipulate our fears and desires in pursuit of power at any cost. A fierce and perceptive history, it provides a vital understanding of the forces that seek to derail democracy and seize our rights - an dhow to combat them.