STRONGMEN: Mussolini to the Present- The Rising Tide of Online Authoritarian Influence with Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan

Dr. Steven Hassan

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education

4.7 • 843 Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As we near the end of 2025, Trump has implemented Opus Dei’s Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 to fundamentally gut America’s core values and checks and balances. The depth of harm is incalculable and Americans are 70% against Trump’s handling of the economy. Threats to free speech, ignoring Constitutional guarantees, unprecedented corruption and violence undermine people’s feelings of safety and security. So we are resharing this vital interview in the hopes of educating and motivating millions of Americans and people worldwide to stand up for democracy and rule of law. In this discussion with historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, we discuss the subtle and often sinister ways authoritarianism intertwines with the psychological mechanisms of control. We connect the dots from my experiences with cults and coercive persuasion. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian, as an NYU professor and expert on fascism and authoritarianism. She is also a celebrated author, Her book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present explores the tactics of illiberal rulers and the history of resistance against them. With a focus on unraveling the complex tapestry of undue influence in modern politics, my discussion with historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat sheds light on the intricate relationship between authoritarianism and its psychological underpinnings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Dr. Steve Hassan with another episode of cults, culture, and coercion.
0:09.8	And I'm very excited to be with Ruth Ben-Giatt.
0:14.7	Ruth and I met initially years ago for the dangerous case of Donald Trump, I believe,
0:20.6	in D.C.
0:21.6	At least that's my memory, Ruth.
0:24.6	Ruth has written a very important book for our times called Strongman, Mussolini to the
0:32.6	present, which examines how liberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in power,
0:41.5	and how resistance to them has unfolded over a century.
0:46.3	Ruth is a scholar, she's a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University,
0:53.0	and she's all about explaining to the public about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda,
1:00.5	democracy, protection.
1:02.3	She's on TV, all kinds of network.
1:05.5	She does consulting for films.
1:08.4	And recently, Ruth invited me to her substack called Lucid. So we got to talk with
1:17.5	300-odd folks who are following her, an important work. And I said, Ruth, you've got to come on
1:25.9	my podcast so we can share your expertise with my folks.
1:32.7	So welcome to the influence continuum, Ruth.
1:36.0	Thank you. I'm really happy to be here.
1:40.3	So my goodness, it just feels so heavy around the world with so many crises and wars and violence
1:53.2	and threats and strong men emerging in different countries.
1:58.3	Just recently, Argentina elected a right-wing libertarian who wants
2:05.0	to tear down government and is espousing all kinds of very dangerous rhetoric. And the media
	...

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