America’s Authoritarian Turn
In his recent—and timely—lecture, Gary Gerstle looks beyond the figure of Donald Trump to inquire into the roots of America’s authoritarian turn. In it, he dissects the events, policies, and resentments that have led to the breakdown of the neoliberal political order, under which the United States has functioned for the past 40 years, and energized the right. Released on March 20, 2025. Episode Transcript Guests Tomiko Brown-Nagin is the dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute, the Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, and a professor of history in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Beverly Gage is the John Gaddis Professor of History at Yale University and an expert in modern American political history. Gary Gerstle, a historian of modern America, is the 2024–2025 Joy Foundation Fellow at Radcliffe and the Paul Mellon Professor of American History Emeritus and Paul Mellon Director of Research in American History at the University of Cambridge. He has published eight books, most recently The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era (Oxford University Press, 2022). Related Content Fellowship Bio: Gary Gerstle Institutional Bio: Beverly Gage A Deep Look into Trump-Era America Event: America’s Authoritarian Turn Report of Harvard University’s Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue Working Group Credits Max Doyle is the A/V technician at Harvard Radcliffe Institute (HRI). Ivelisse Estrada is your cohost and the editorial manager at HRI, where she edits Radcliffe Magazine. Kevin Grady is the multimedia producer at HRI. Alan Catello Grazioso is the executive producer of BornCurious and the senior multimedia manager at HRI. Heather Min is your cohost and the senior manager of digital strategy at HRI. Emerson Prond is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student. Lily Roberts is a multimedia intern at HRI and a Harvard College student. Anna Soong is the production assistant at HRI. Special thanks to Cabin 3 Media for their invaluable contributions to the editing of this podcast episode.