Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

authoritarianism, defined as a political system in which executive power is asserted at the expense of the legislative and judicial branches of government.

While populism is not inherently authoritarian, many strongmen past and present have used populist rhetoric that defines their nations as bound by faith, race, and ethnicity rather than legal rights.

Authoritarians hold appeal when society is polarized, or divided into two opposing ideological camps, which is why they do all they can to exacerbate strife.

From the start, authoritarians stand out from other kinds of politicians by appealing to negative experiences and emotions. They don the cloak of national victimhood, reliving the humiliations of their people by foreign powers as they proclaim themselves their nation’s saviors. Picking up on powerful resentments, hopes, and fears, they present themselves as the vehicle for obtaining what is most wanted, whether it is territory, safety from racial others, securing male authority, or payback for exploitation by internal or external enemies.

The decay of truth and democratic dissolution proceed hand in hand, starting with the insurgent’s assertion that the establishment media delivers false or biased information while he speaks the truth and risks everything to get the “real facts” out. Once his supporters bond to his person, they stop caring about his falsehoods. They believe him because they believe in him.

knowing how to capitalize on calamity, whether you had something to do with it or not, has been an essential strongman skill.22

On one issue, the strongman has been consistent: his drive to control and exploit everyone and everything for personal gain.

Elites are the authoritarian’s most important promoters and collaborators. Afraid of losing their class, gender, or race privileges, influential individuals bring the insurgent into the political system, thinking that he can be controlled as he solves their problems (which often involves persecuting the left).

Once the ruler is in power, elites strike an “authoritarian bargain” that promises them power and security in return for loyalty to the ruler and toleration of his suspension of rights.

The idea of the strongman who brings his nation to greatness is a foundation of authoritarian history.

Strongman national projects generally leverage three time frames and states of mind: utopia, nostalgia, and crisis.

Nostalgia for better times is also part of the equation, since the ruler’s vow is to make the country great again.

Crisis time justifies states of emergency and the scapegoating of enemies who endanger the country from inside the nation or across the border. It may be invoked by democracies at urgent moments, as in America after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but is ongoing within authoritarian states as a response to political, demographic, or international threats.

Muslims, Latinos, African Americans, and other people of color have been the targets of the Trump administration’s plan to remake American society in the image of White nationalism.