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Conclusion
In the Conclusion, Ben-Ghiat emphasizes that even after authoritarian regimes are ended, their ghosts still haunt the nation. There is the physical evidence of their public works, their art, and other achievements, but there are also the remnants of the losses they caused, including deaths, stolen children, and destroyed communities. Even as their political institutions disintegrate after they’re gone, with much evidence and history of their atrocities destroyed, their touch is still felt.
Strongmen do not enter office out of the blue, Ben-Ghiat explains, but are a reflection of their country and the people they control. There is something relatable about them that reflects the everyman and makes people feel better about their own transgressions, whether those are prejudices, fear, or violent behavior. Knowing this, learning how to counter authoritarianism becomes a matter of recognizing the flaws and history of a nation. The best way to counter authoritarianism is to prevent it, according to Ben-Ghiat, lest the prosecution accidentally feed into the strongman’s victimhood complex. This requires advocacy for transparency and accountability in the government.
Ben-Ghiat acknowledges that the United States has supported many authoritarian regimes in the past, and that it seems almost karmic that the United States is now facing the threat of authoritarianism in Trump. She points out that, when democratic nations fall to authoritarianism, it is because of the key weakness of taking freedom for granted. Without a proper frame of reference to understand what authoritarian power looks like, the United States is ill-equipped to combat this attack on freedom, and this naïveté can lead to unfathomable costs in times of crisis. Despite all of this, Ben-Ghiat cautions the reader not to fall victim to despair, for that is the surest key to a strongman’s success. History has shown that authoritarian regimes do fall, regularly.
Epilogue to the Paperback Edition
The Epilogue to the Paperback Edition, written a year after the original book, examines how the world has changed since the initial publication. According to Ben-Ghiat, unrest and authoritarianism has increased in the world, especially as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Authoritarians have used the public health crisis as an excuse to cement their power even further, such as Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, who declared a state of emergency in March 2020 and began to rule by decree. Ben-Ghiat also notes that the United States Republican Party has swung even further to the right after the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, riots in Washington, D.C. Instead of condemning the riots as an act of domestic terrorism and attack on the Capitol, right-wing news outlets and politicians have rewritten the story to place responsibility on left-wing protestors. Ben-Ghiat ends by urging the reader to protect democracy and their freedoms, or pay the price.
