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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
by
A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America’s turn towards authoritarianism.
On November 9th, millions of Americans woke up to the impossible: the election of Donald Trump as president. Against all predictions, one of the most-disliked presidential candidates in history had swept the electoral college, elevating a man with open contempt for dem ...more
On November 9th, millions of Americans woke up to the impossible: the election of Donald Trump as president. Against all predictions, one of the most-disliked presidential candidates in history had swept the electoral college, elevating a man with open contempt for dem ...more
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Jun 29, 2018
Sarah Jessica Parker
added it
Some people say this book should be on your person at all times. It's so worth reading and provokes great conversation.
“If young people do not begin to make history, politicians of eternity and inevitability will destroy it. And to make history, they need to know some. This is not the end, but a beginning.”
The closing lines of this extended essay, divided into twenty lessons on history in its relation to current happenings, speak to me on a personal level. That is what I have been thinking about, and working for, as long as I can remember. Learning from the past is not only a widely neglected subject in school, ...more
The closing lines of this extended essay, divided into twenty lessons on history in its relation to current happenings, speak to me on a personal level. That is what I have been thinking about, and working for, as long as I can remember. Learning from the past is not only a widely neglected subject in school, ...more
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a 2017 Tim Duggan Books publication.
As a Professor of History at Yale University, Professor Snyder uses his expertise to lay out the importance of learning from the mistakes made throughout history, and to warn against a cavalier attitude towards the strength of our own democracy.
The author lists habits we need to develop, and continually practice, in order to protect ourselves and our country, from falling prey to tyra ...more
As a Professor of History at Yale University, Professor Snyder uses his expertise to lay out the importance of learning from the mistakes made throughout history, and to warn against a cavalier attitude towards the strength of our own democracy.
The author lists habits we need to develop, and continually practice, in order to protect ourselves and our country, from falling prey to tyra ...more
As Duncan Black ("Atrios" at Eschaton) phrased it a few days ago, “I veer from ‘haha Trump's a big dumdum’ to ‘oh shit we're all going to die.’” Is Trump a clown or an autocrat? A buffoon, or a despot-in-training?
I can’t give you a definitive answer, but I am sure of one thing: for those worried about totalitarianism in the good ole USA, historian Timothy Snyder’s little book On Tyrrany is an excellent guide to what to do and what to watch out for.
Snyder is an excellent source for such advice, f ...more
History teaches us the tricks of authoritarians. We can’t allow ourselves to fall for them.
(from a recent interview with the author; worth reading!)
Reading this book is imperative. You may not get another chance.
In twenty small lessons Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale university and specialized in East European history and the holocaust, illustrates how oppressive regimes and authoritarian governments worked in the past and what might be done to avoid and crush them in the present. The ...more
(from a recent interview with the author; worth reading!)
Reading this book is imperative. You may not get another chance.
In twenty small lessons Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale university and specialized in East European history and the holocaust, illustrates how oppressive regimes and authoritarian governments worked in the past and what might be done to avoid and crush them in the present. The ...more
Probably the most important book you could read this year. Please read it, then give your copy to someone else to read.
I had read Timothy Snyder before. I still remember that even though much of it was challenging to read - much of it gave me chills to. The book I'm speaking about is
"Black Earth":The Holocaust as History and a Warning...published in 2015.
And..... here again, Snyder is giving us a warning...and what's even more scary is some of the things he said in "Black Earth" give me more concern for those chills -- because I never thought those warnings would manifest in our country just two years later.
T ...more
"Black Earth":The Holocaust as History and a Warning...published in 2015.
And..... here again, Snyder is giving us a warning...and what's even more scary is some of the things he said in "Black Earth" give me more concern for those chills -- because I never thought those warnings would manifest in our country just two years later.
T ...more
Mar 14, 2017
Peter Bradley
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
philosophy
Please give my review a helpful vote on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/review/R3PWF91...
A sad example of how ideology distorts scholarship.
I purchased this expecting a thoughtful discussion about the lessons that an academic can draw from 20th century totalitarianism. I was hopeful about something insight and depth from the author of Bloodlands, which did a really good job of bracketing Nazism and Communism into a coherent narrative.
This is not that book. To save those who might not know, auth ...more
A sad example of how ideology distorts scholarship.
I purchased this expecting a thoughtful discussion about the lessons that an academic can draw from 20th century totalitarianism. I was hopeful about something insight and depth from the author of Bloodlands, which did a really good job of bracketing Nazism and Communism into a coherent narrative.
This is not that book. To save those who might not know, auth ...more
If this is the response to creeping fascism in America, we are in trouble.
(Note: for suggested alternatives see comment stream below.)
Obviously, Hitler is bad. And some of the advice is unassailable (Contribute to good causes, etc.) But beyond that, the little essays that make up this book seem pretty messy.
-Before Hitler comes to power, it makes sense to stand up, speak out, etc. But after, it's more about getting out or going underground. If the author really believes that Trump is Hitler and ...more
(Note: for suggested alternatives see comment stream below.)
Obviously, Hitler is bad. And some of the advice is unassailable (Contribute to good causes, etc.) But beyond that, the little essays that make up this book seem pretty messy.
-Before Hitler comes to power, it makes sense to stand up, speak out, etc. But after, it's more about getting out or going underground. If the author really believes that Trump is Hitler and ...more
Snyder, a professor of history at Yale University, has written a pamphlet reminiscent of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense which was written in 1776, at America’s beginning. Snyder’s pamphlet contains twenty admonitions for us to consider as we pay attention to the political environment we see right now in the United States. The first sentence of Snyder’s Prologue brings us right back to our founding fathers, the Constitution, and the democratic republic they envisioned.
It’s a small book, the quarter- ...more
It’s a small book, the quarter- ...more
“History does not repeat, but it does instruct.”--Snyder
“I love the poorly educated”--Trump
I carried this little book in my back pocket at the recent Chicago march against the incarceration of children and separation of families policy of the current U. S. administration. It’s a pamphlet written by a Holocaust historian to help us look for and mobilize against fascist tendencies. It contains twenty lessons he has gleaned from his historical study about how a well-educated and highly “developed” ...more
Nov 17, 2017
Ted
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Ted by:
David Rubenstein
If young people do not begin to make history, politicians of eternity and inevitability will destroy it. And to make history, young Americans will have to know some.
"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right."
Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes,"Nay, come, let's go together."
conclusion of Snyder's Epilogue, "History and Liberty"
NOTE: This is the review which drew me to the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For a real time source for the previously unthi ...more
"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right."
Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes,"Nay, come, let's go together."
conclusion of Snyder's Epilogue, "History and Liberty"
NOTE: This is the review which drew me to the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For a real time source for the previously unthi ...more
Rating: 5* of five
Not for its perfection of style but for its perfection of wisdom and its amazing timeliness. As I write this today, 24 March 2018, I saw the face of our future president in Emma Gonzalez as she stood silent, focused, determined, at a march made by young people to demand their lives be protected from ammosexual assholes. She spoke for six minutes and twenty seconds in total, the same amount of time that it took one piece of shit human being to slaughter seventeen of her classmat ...more
Not for its perfection of style but for its perfection of wisdom and its amazing timeliness. As I write this today, 24 March 2018, I saw the face of our future president in Emma Gonzalez as she stood silent, focused, determined, at a march made by young people to demand their lives be protected from ammosexual assholes. She spoke for six minutes and twenty seconds in total, the same amount of time that it took one piece of shit human being to slaughter seventeen of her classmat ...more
This is a marvelous little book about how to avoid allowing one's homeland to sink into tyranny. The book really does contain twenty short lessons, practical ways to recognize tyranny and ways to fight it. This book was written after Donald Trump was elected president. Timothy Snyder, a celebrated historian, shows how Trump's ascendancy is on a slippery slope toward fascism. Snyder is an expert on the Holocaust, and he shows how the administration's policies are increasingly on a parallel course
...more
This book at bottom is a version of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,
But the times are out of joint, so I forgot--
It didn't all happen at once. The soil was prepared:
In my time and place--maybe every time and place--confusion was sown,
The way to clear thinking not made straight.
Once we knew, though, that everyone in the class should get a valentine card (if anyone did)
And everyone should be invited to the birthday party--
Black, Muslim, the religious in all their denominations ...more
But the times are out of joint, so I forgot--
It didn't all happen at once. The soil was prepared:
In my time and place--maybe every time and place--confusion was sown,
The way to clear thinking not made straight.
Once we knew, though, that everyone in the class should get a valentine card (if anyone did)
And everyone should be invited to the birthday party--
Black, Muslim, the religious in all their denominations ...more
It's sad how timely and necessary this book is, but that's modern America. We live in a broken country gone hog wild on greed. A book like this can help change that. No matter your politics, fascism and authoritarianism arise when we're looking another way, distracted, numb to history. The only way to get out in front of and stop a tyrant is to know what we're looking for. A book like this can save our country and unite us toward a common goal of change, of striving for democracy, and protect us
...more
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a masterpiece of what is happening now and this was written before the orange tornado. This book was based on past history and what to expect from tyranny...and boy does it match today perfect. This is one book each and every American needs to read. It is a short but power in its message. Wonderful!
Once an avid user of GR, it’s now been a while – something creeping up on a year. I’ve been reading some, and recently the pace has increased to pre-The-Traumatic-Event levels; in the weeks to come I’ll be hoping to catch up on both writing my own reviews and catching up with what my dear friends here have been up to and reading.
Of all I’ve read recently, I decided to make this one my first review, so as to explain my prolonged absence to those who care to read about it (which I can’t do in the ...more
Of all I’ve read recently, I decided to make this one my first review, so as to explain my prolonged absence to those who care to read about it (which I can’t do in the ...more
I put a hold on this new book from our library system when it first came out in March and just finally got my hands on it. Either it is that popular or there are very few copies in the system. I was getting desperate and on the verge of buying it for myself. Now that I've read it, I definitely will buy it and stick copies in family Christmas stockings--I believe it is THAT important for everyone to read.
Timothy Snyder is a history teacher at Yale, who has written books on the Nazis and the Holo ...more
Timothy Snyder is a history teacher at Yale, who has written books on the Nazis and the Holo ...more
Timely read for what is facing the free world in 2017. A Book to show how to be different, read books, find out the truth and don't be a blind follower, because between democracy and tyranny a thin blue line and many are tempted to cross it.
Be smart
Be a rebel
Be smart
Be a rebel
Mar 15, 2018
Lilo
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
every reader on our globe and especially every American
With hundreds of reviews* of this little book on Goodreads and 1,800 on Amazon, what can I say that has not already been said before?
Well, first of all, I would like to say: “Thank you, Timothy Snyder, for writing these so very necessary twenty lessons and writing them in an easy-comprehensible way, in a small booklet that can be read in a few hours.”
If I were as filthy rich as You Know Who, I’d buy 100 mio copies of this gem and have them delivered for free to every American household, as these ...more
Well, first of all, I would like to say: “Thank you, Timothy Snyder, for writing these so very necessary twenty lessons and writing them in an easy-comprehensible way, in a small booklet that can be read in a few hours.”
If I were as filthy rich as You Know Who, I’d buy 100 mio copies of this gem and have them delivered for free to every American household, as these ...more
I'm going to go a bit against the grain on this one. This book is like the Tuesdays with Morrie version of political activism. Its message boils down to this: Americans are not special; if we don't actively defend our democracy, we can fall into the same trap of authoritarianism that ensnared 20th century Europe (because apparently the lessons we can learn from the 20th century don't include the likes of Pinochet, Castro or the Khmer Rouge). Author Timothy Snyder lists 20 plans of action to "fig
...more
Something short (but not sweet).
Something easy to read (but difficult to stomach).
Something worth reading (but not because you'll enjoy reading it).
Something scary - in that it could keep you up all night (except that, if you've already decided to read it, you're already up most nights after these long days).
Something important, arguably written for a target audience (most of whom will not read it).
Something that only a serious intellectual could distill - so eloquently - into bite-sized form fo ...more
Something easy to read (but difficult to stomach).
Something worth reading (but not because you'll enjoy reading it).
Something scary - in that it could keep you up all night (except that, if you've already decided to read it, you're already up most nights after these long days).
Something important, arguably written for a target audience (most of whom will not read it).
Something that only a serious intellectual could distill - so eloquently - into bite-sized form fo ...more
روزهاچشم به اسمارتفونهایمان دوخته بودیم که تصاویر تظاهرات سراسری مردم ایران را نشان میداد؛ تصاویر شعارها، حمله به فرمانداری و بانک و درگیری خیابانی و نیز تصاویر رعب و وحشت مردم از گارد ویژه، کتک خوردن دانشجوها، تیراندازیها و کشتهشدنها: خیزشی که همه را غافلگیر کرد. هیچکس تصور نمیکرد در بین اقشار عمدتاً فقیر جامعه، چنین پتانسیلی از خشم فروخورده و چنین احساسی از نادیده گرفتهشدن توسط حکومت، وجود داشته باشد و اینطور فوران کند. و همه دیدیم و شنیدیم که سردمداران حکومت چگونه پاسخ کسانی را که چیزی برای ا
...more
چقدر به نظرم لازمه هممون این کتاب رو نه یک بار که هر از گاهی دوباره بخونیم.
«شهامت به معنای فقدان ترس،یا اندوه،نیست.بلکه به معنای شناخت سریع مدیریت وحشت و مقاومت در برابر آن است،از همان لحظه ی وقوع حمله،که این کار سخت تر از هر زمان دیگری به نظر میرسد.«
«شهامت به معنای فقدان ترس،یا اندوه،نیست.بلکه به معنای شناخت سریع مدیریت وحشت و مقاومت در برابر آن است،از همان لحظه ی وقوع حمله،که این کار سخت تر از هر زمان دیگری به نظر میرسد.«
On Tyranny shook me. It’s supposed to do that. Timothy Snyder offers 20 concrete actions to take that can resist tyrannical behavior. Some of the actions he recommends are internal – such as believe in truth. However, he also takes that thought process and suggests external changes or stands you can take. For example, subscribe and support investigative print journalism.
Snyder compares today to a variety of twentieth-century regimes, and the historical parallels are chilling. As you can imagine, ...more
Snyder compares today to a variety of twentieth-century regimes, and the historical parallels are chilling. As you can imagine, ...more
What is patriotism? From historical examples and the current presidency, Timothy Snyder tells readers what it is not. It is not patriotic to dodge the draft and to mock war heroes and their families. It is not patriotic to avoid paying taxes when American working families do pay.
It is not patriotic to admire foreign dictators. It is not patriotic to cultivate a relationship with Gaddafi, or to say that Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are superior leaders. It is not patriotic to call upon Russ ...more
It is not patriotic to admire foreign dictators. It is not patriotic to cultivate a relationship with Gaddafi, or to say that Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are superior leaders. It is not patriotic to call upon Russ ...more
Though this wasn't exactly groundbreaking, the author succinctly and thoughtfully outlines what it takes not to succumb to tyranny of any kind, how to foster behaviors and values within ourselves and in our environment to protect and educate ourselves. Snyder is a scholar of fascism, and that comes across clearly in his confidence and ability to illustrate a point with poignant examples. This is a very short book, and I would recommend it as a quick read for just about anyone!
Find more reviews a ...more
Find more reviews a ...more
در حقیقت چهار و نیم ستاره. اون هم برای اینکه بعضی از فصول مختصر بودند. اما کتاب به حق ارزش خوندن رو داشت. و ترجمه هم خوب بود. فقط بعضی جاها به ساختار کتاب که برای عامّه نوشته شده نمی آمد. ولی از واژه سازی های مترجم خوشم آمد.
حتا اگر فکر می کنید به سیاست علاقه مند نیستید هم پیشنهاد می کنم این کتاب رو بخونید. در حین خوندن این کتاب، موقع یادداشت بردای، یادداشتی نوشتم با این مضمون که: آنهایی که باید این مطالب را بدانند و به آن عمل کنند اگر صدها قسم از این نوع کُتُب را هم بخوانند وقتی پای عمل برسد جا ...more
حتا اگر فکر می کنید به سیاست علاقه مند نیستید هم پیشنهاد می کنم این کتاب رو بخونید. در حین خوندن این کتاب، موقع یادداشت بردای، یادداشتی نوشتم با این مضمون که: آنهایی که باید این مطالب را بدانند و به آن عمل کنند اگر صدها قسم از این نوع کُتُب را هم بخوانند وقتی پای عمل برسد جا ...more
برای مخاطبی دور از فضای انتخابات امریکا، چنین کتابی شاید همچو مانیفستی سیاسی خود را نشان دهد که راهبردهایی کلی اما مفید با خود دارد. نهایت انتظار اما، باید همان پروراندن پستهای وبلاگی باشد و نه اثری تحلیلی و یا حتی با عمق تاریخی. در فضای ملتهبی همچو جو پس از انتخابات هم البته چنین کتبی مخاطب بیشتری دارند تا مثلا کتاب انسانیت از جاناتان گلاوور. گرچه تصویری که از پوتین و روسیه معاصر ترسیم میکند، به مراتب مخوف تر از ترامپ است.
ترجمه بابک واحدی خوب نبود، و برای اثری که متن چندان پیچیده ای ندارد، ضعفه ...more
ترجمه بابک واحدی خوب نبود، و برای اثری که متن چندان پیچیده ای ندارد، ضعفه ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 7 Signs of a Tyrant | 1 | 35 | Dec 16, 2017 12:05PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Tim Snyder, author discussion at my house | 16 | 34 | May 24, 2017 09:09AM | |
| Play Book Tag: Tim Snyder is coming to my house!! | 20 | 47 | Apr 13, 2017 07:48AM |
Timothy Snyder is Housum Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences. He received his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1997, where he was a British Marshall Scholar. He has held fellowships in Paris, Vienna, and Warsaw, and an Academy Scholarship at Harvard.
His most recent book is Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, p ...more
His most recent book is Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, p ...more
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“The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A nationalist, “although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,” wrote Orwell, tends to be “uninterested in what happens in the real world.” Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others. As the novelist Danilo Kiš put it, nationalism “has no universal values, aesthetic or ethical.” A patriot, by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained. A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better. Democracy”
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79 likes
“Post-truth is pre-fascism.”
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