
RUTH BEN-GHIAT: How do we create a values-led politic from this mess?
From Wild with Sarah Wilson by Sarah Wilson
May 26, 2026 · 59 min · Episode 208
About this episode
Ruth Ben-Ghiat discusses how societies can create a values-led politic in the face of tyranny.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat (historian of fascism +NYT bestselling author of Strongmen) is an internationally recognised expert in how psychologically unstable men come to power and use corruption, sexual predation, staged victimhood and violence to rule. She’s recently, however, turned her focus to how societies subjected to such tyranny have survived and fought back…using moral authority. Ruth is an American history professor at New York University and a political commentator with an expertise in fascism and authoritarian leaders. Her 2020 book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present was a global bestseller. She publishes the hugely popular Substack Lucid , a newsletter on threats to democracy and will publish her next book, Resisting Autocracy: What History Teaches About Fighting Back, next year. SHOW NOTES Be sure to check out her Substack Lucid Purchase Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present here You can catch up on the Ece Temelkuran episode here This episode with Lindsey Stonebridge on Hannah Arendt’s ideas on resistance might also interest you ----- Watch on YouTube or Substack If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my " about " page For more such conversations…
People in this episode
Host: Sarah Wilson
Guest: Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Topics covered
- fascism
- authoritarianism
- political commentary
- moral authority
- resistance
- democracy
Keywords
- fascism
- tyranny
- political authority
- democracy
- resistance
- Strongmen
- Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New York University, Substack, Acast
Books & works: Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, Resisting Autocracy: What History Teaches About Fighting Back
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- ECE TEMELKURAN: How to save ourselves from fascism · May 5, 2026 · 56 min
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