Men on Horseback: The Power of Charisma in the Age of Revolution

Bell's book is elegantly and entertainingly written, and it is timely. He writes about those who fought monarchical absolutism, and how they grappled with tyranny and early forms of what we would call populism, or "The Strongman," with the quest to put republics with the rule of law in their place. To understand how we have arrived in the authoritarian mess of today, we need to see how deeply rooted it is in history. And that there are ways to fight it for democracy and constitutionalism. This is a book about yesterday for the here and now. Bell is a staggering scholar who also weaves a great yarn. This is a must read.