How authoritarian leaders use propaganda

APR 25 2026

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who studies authoritarian rule, explains the recurring pattern by which such leaders hold power: a designated internal enemy, a claim to be the only remedy, and the steady discrediting of independent sources. The conversation applies the historical pattern to present-day figures, and the host's outlet has a declared political position. It is included for the historian's analysis rather than the commentary around it.