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History As It Happens


Feb 23, 2021

What is fascism? The word brings to mind Mussolini, Hitler, and the catastrophes of the twentieth century. Nowadays, fascism -- like socialism -- is often hurled as an insult in American politics. NYU historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, explains fascism's roots and why the term retains so much potency in contemporary politics.