"On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic 's David Frum opens with reflections on the misuse of history in today's politics. He argues that fascism, once thought to have been buried by the Second World War, has reemerged in modern forms, thriving on the endless hunt for enemies, stoking culture wars, and exploiting new technologies. And he explains why the best antidotes remain liberty, equality, and sometimes humor."
"Then David is joined by Mary Beard, one of the world's foremost scholars of Rome and the author of the New York Times best seller Emperor of Rome, for a conversation about what the ancient world can teach us about current politics. They discuss how Roman emperors wielded power, why excess and corruption were baked into the system, and how fragile even the strongest-seeming regimes can be. Beard explains why myths about Roman grandeur persist, what daily life actually looked like under the empire."
Fascism, once thought buried by the Second World War, has reemerged in modern guises that thrive on perpetual enemy-hunting, culture wars, and novel technologies. Effective antidotes include liberty, equality, and sometimes humor. The Roman imperial system concentrated power in emperors, embedding excess, corruption, and patronage into governance. Apparent strength concealed institutional fragility and social inequality. Persistent myths of Roman grandeur obscure everyday realities under the empire. Modern democracies can draw cautionary lessons from Rome's rise and fall while avoiding simplistic or direct historical analogies.
Read at The Atlantic
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