Ruth Ben Ghiat- Witte Lectures

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Friday, May 1, 7:00pm
Saturday, May 2, 2:00pm

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and the threats these present to democracies around the world.

Her most recent book, the New York Times bestseller Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (2021), looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo, and how they can be defeated. She is the recipient of Guggenheim, and Fulbright fellowships.

Ben-Ghiat’s insights into the authoritarian playbook and democracy protection, and her ability to explain complex issues clearly and succinctly, have made her an expert source around the globe. She writes for The New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and provides live commentary for CNN, France 24, MSNBC, and other networks. She has appeared in many documentaries about dictators and threats to democracy, such as Netflix’s How to Become a Tyrant and PBS’s The Dictators’ Playbook. Ben-Ghiat served as a historical consultant for Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning Pinocchio, which is set in Fascist Italy, and the Netflix docuseries Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.