In 'The Age of the Strongman', Gideon Rachman explores the global phenomenon of authoritarian leaders, examining how they have risen to power in diverse countries and the common tactics they use to maintain control. The book provides a comprehensive look at the challenges these leaders pose to liberal democracy and the implications for global stability.
This book meticulously reconstructs the life of Hu Yaobang, who was tapped by Mao Zedong as a capable party hand but faced significant challenges due to his principled ideas. After being purged and brutally treated during the Cultural Revolution, Hu rose again as an ally of Deng Xiaoping, pioneering economic and political reforms. His efforts included pushing for more freedom of expression, ending lifetime tenure for CCP leaders, and dismantling Mao’s personality cult. Despite his eventual purge in 1987, Hu’s legacy inspired millions and played a crucial role in China’s reforms. The book provides an eye-opening account that remains impossible in China under state censorship.
This event is part of our Age of the Strongman series. Click here to see the other events in the series.
President Xi Jinping has ruled China for more than a decade. He has overseen an era of unprecedented economic prosperity, cracked down on dissidents, reinvented national identity in his own image and adopted a confrontational ‘wolf warrior’ style of diplomacy on the world stage. Xi has also abolished term limits as President of the Communist Party and it’s possible that he will remain China’s all-powerful leader for the rest of his life. So what motivates the leader of the world’s most populous nation? What is his vision for China and the world? How much should the West push back and how much should it cooperate with Xi?
In May 2025, Rana Mitter, renowned historian at Harvard Kennedy School and previously the Director of The University of Oxford’s China Centre, came to Intelligence Squared for the next event in our new series, The Age of the Strongman. Drawing on his work and recent book China’s Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism, Mitter examined the key tenets of Xi’s political ideology, and how his cult of personality and military posturing in the Indo-Pacific will play out in 2025 and beyond.
The event was hosted by Gideon Rachman.
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