'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.