On Tyranny; Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

by: Timothy Snyder
The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitariansim of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. {cover copy}
There were too many passages I marked to type them all here or the whole book would be in this review. I picked this up because I was trying to figure out the motives and practices of my villain in my series that I am writing, so a lot of this was research, but it was a really interesting take on what is going on in the world today and things to be mindful of. I have my political opinions, but I usually keep them close to the vest, as I really dislike arguing politics {because it seems no one can debate politics without it devolving into anger and stubborn close-mindedness and I just don't feel like willingly allowing that kind of interaction into my life} so I'm not going to get into the political lean of this book. If you are writing a tyrant, it's a really interesting and useful little read.

History does not repeat, but it does instruct. {first line}
• together • {last word}