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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

Timothy Snyder (Goodreads Author)

4.21 · Rating details · 33,493 ratings · 4,647 reviews

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 ...more

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Paperback, 126 pages

Published March 28th 2017 by Tim Duggan Books (first published February 28th 2017)

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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.

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Mar 12, 2017 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

“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 “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, it is a necessity for democratic society to survive.

Step by step, Snyder approaches the various undermining factors of fascist propaganda that have proven successful over and over again in the world. He keeps it short, and simple, and refers to standard books by famous authors, both fiction writers and philosophers, for deeper understanding of the birth and maintenance of tyranny.

He also suggests different ways of resisting the political brainwashing tendencies, and of keeping an independent mind in the midst of mob behaviour. One root of fascist success is the general human need to belong, and to conform, and go with the crowd. In a chilling example, he describes the terror that Nazi functionaries were able to create with the help of countless regular people:

“Some killed of murderous conviction. But many others who killed were just afraid to stand out. Other forces were at work besides conformism. But without the conformists, the great atrocities would have been impossible.”

Hannah Arendt is cited, describing the moment after the Reichstagsbrand, when she realised that you could no longer be a bystander, watching terror and misinformation hypnotise a whole nation.

Another important topic, often raised with my students in class, is the dehumanising effect of internet traffic. Inhibitions are cast off, people forget that what they say is extreme, and extremely hurtful. They are feeling strong in a selected collective, and need “an opposition” to fuel their discussions. A simple suggestion is to get out in the real world, make eye contact with real people, and dare engaging in small talk with people outside your comfort zone. This is a vital point, especially in our Swedish environment, where people naturally shy away even from basic forms of polite greetings. The danger of disappearing in an unreal internet community feeding conspiracy fears and distorting reality is omnipresent. My parents, living on the continent for almost 30 years, are shocked whenever they visit their home country and realise the complete isolation from other human beings in Sweden.

The tyrannies of the 20th century used the mass media available to them at the time - radio, and later television - to transmit their messages, and now the internet fills that function. We have one enormous advantage (which of course has its negative aspects as well), and that is our active participation in it. Even though the flow of (mis)information is part of the root of the new fascist success in the world, it can also be used by people to gently bring more nuance and knowledge into the debate:

“Since in the age of the internet we are all publishers, each of us bears some private responsibility for the public’s sense of truth.”

I think that is of massive importance. Think before you write, reflect on consequences, for yourself and others, and be careful not to add to the populist agenda by using the reductionist vocabulary and simplified, nationalist fear tactics to convince people.

Snyder’s essay is short, and only scratches the surface of a huge topic, which deserves more reflection than the author can possibly deliver given the format. I nonetheless think it has a valuable place in the current debate for its clear introduction and reference to further literature, as well as for the remarkable historical parallels which make the fault lines of history visible. I can imagine reading it with teenage students as a point of departure for overarching discussions, but also to read it privately as a simple reminder of what a powerless individual can do to intellectually survive in an increasingly poisoned political atmosphere.

A good, solid recommendation! Thank you, Matt for encouraging me to read it - I am passing it on to my own teenage son! ...more

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Aug 27, 2017 Bill Kerwin rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, politics

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,
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, for his major works are Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin and Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning. Thus he spent a good portion of his academic career cataloging the increments that lead to tyranny and the harbingers that can alert us to its coming.

This pocket-sized 125 page book consists of twenty “lessons” Timothy Snyder believes are helpful both for observing and for preserving our republic, and also keeping democracy alive within it. Five I found most helpful were “1. Do not obey in advance” (Don’t be like Austria, anticipating Hitler’s wishes, just to get along), “2. Defend institutions” (Don’t just assume newspapers, courts, and NGO’s are strong enough to survive), “5.Remember professional ethics (if lawyers behave with honor, it will be harder for totalitarianism to take hold), “9. “Be kind to our language” (avoid cant, speak in your own voice, read books), and “14. Establish a private life” (keep off the internet, avoid “hooks” they may use to hang you.”

There are two others worth quoting at some length. First, “6. Be wary of paramilitaries”

When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. When the leader, the paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.

Second, “13. Practice corporeal politics”:

Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.

On Tyranny is a useful little book, both disturbing and strangely comforting. I’m laughing at Trump less since I read it, and I’m less scared of him too. ...more

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May 09, 2017 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, e-book, history, overdrive, politics, 2017

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 ...more

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Feb 14, 2017 Matt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: might-tell-you-the-truth, history-books-tell-it

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

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Dec 20, 2017 Kevin Kelsey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-it-again, _library, highly-recommended, read-2017

Probably the most important book you could read this year. Please read it, then give your copy to someone else to read.

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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, ...more

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Sep 20, 2017 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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.

...more

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May 15, 2017 Andy rated it did not like it

Shelves: on-deck

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 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 that Americans have had our last free election, then much of his advice is dangerously counterproductive.

-He says to read books, but Mein Kampf was a book, and Trump supporters love to read lots of books. So this is not a differentiating factor between Trump/Hitler and the alternatives.

-In the first chapter he talks about the Milgram experiments. The finding there was that about 65% of people will obey evil orders for no good reason. So using this as a rationale for the lesson "Do not obey" is confusing. A more logical lesson would be "Be careful about what you order people to do."

-There seems to be a general confusion about what applies to ordinary citizens vs. what is possible for a world leader like Churchill (Ch. 8).

-He recommends a bunch of books, but it is hard to see these becoming popular manuals for promoting democracy. The Rebel by Camus, for example, is a lengthy philosophical discussion of why it is so hard to get people to rebel against tyranny. This brings up a question that struck me many times while reading "On Tyranny": what is the audience for this pamphlet?

-Ch. 10/11 "Believe in truth, and Investigate" bugged me. You don't need to believe in truth. The truth is true whether you believe in it or not. Reality exists. You can know the truth. This is very difficult and nobody can do this for every issue, but you can do it for something. And if you're not willing or able to do it for anything then you can just shut up and admit ignorance and not be all fanatical about it. Because blindly trusting NPR or FOX or Clinton or Trump is still blindly trusting. ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 David Schaafsma rated it really liked it

Shelves: politics

“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

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Sep 03, 2017 Trish rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, reread, political-science, history, america, germany, government

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 ...more

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Nov 17, 2017 Ted rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Ted by: David Rubenstein

Shelves: society, politics-political-theory, current-affairs, history-20th-century, have, reviews-liked, americana

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 ...more

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Nov 17, 2017 David rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, psychology, politics, audiobook

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

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Mar 24, 2018 Richard Derus rated it it was amazing

Shelves: borrowed, returned

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 ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Steve rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

2019 (almost 2020) update: My sense is that most folks who (bothered to read ... or took seriously ... or, even more so,) appreciated this (to my mind, excellent little) book in 2017 should consider, in anticipation of the of the 2020 election, (pre-ordering or) buying (and sharing) Sarah Kendzior's Hiding in Plain Sight - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4.... It's not as succinct or dispassionate as Snyder's book, but ... if you wanted a concise, compelling (and, arguably, scary or ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Jan Rice rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bibliotherapeutic, history, politics, creativity

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 ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Michael Ferro rated it it was amazing

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

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Mar 15, 2018 Lilo rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: every reader on our globe and especially every American

Shelves: totalitarian-state, current-affairs, history-in-the-making, historical-non-fiction-20th-century, politics, fascism

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

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Jun 05, 2017 Montzalee Wittmann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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!

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Sep 10, 2017 Ioana rated it liked it

Shelves: political-theory, non-fiction, politics

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 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 few characters the updates are limited to)…

So, my world was shattered last November. I’d always been involved in politics – acting on a local level but also talking about it on the ‘forums’ (disqus/The Hill/Politico/WP/NYT and the like). But I’d managed, to that point, to keep my academic/reading worlds somewhat cloistered off from my activism and politics (which obviously seeped into my reviews and informed my worldview but weren’t always frothing on the surface). Well, then the Traumatic-Event of November happened, and I went into a coma of sorts – specifically, of a personal sort – I stopped being a person, more or less, with interests outside of the creeping fascism in the United States. My life became something like 40% survival – going in to work and tuning in enough not to lose my livelihood, with the rest of the time spent organizing marches, marching, attending meetings with every activist group I could find, organizing, and reading news while fighting in the dungeons of online political forums.

Sadly and predictably, I settled into a life post-January 2017, in which each new outrage seemed to make the ones that came before slightly less traumatic (and thusly, humans adjust to extremist regimes). Into a life in which it now doesn’t even seem terribly odd that the President of the United States of America is defending white supremacists (see: Charlottesville) and equating their tactics to some on the left who would fight fascism.

And that – the normalization of the previously abnormal in political life- was exactly the topic of Sam Harris’ interview with Timothy Snyder on his podcast when I came across it this past summer. (it may be found here: https://www.samharris.org/podcast/ite...). Touched, and trembling to my core, I picked up this book – without realizing at first it was a short, almost “pocket-size” summary of “twenty lessons” from 20th century dictators (ok ok I should have read the title and maybe the book specs before buying).

The book itself is not detailed or terribly profound, and does not do justice, imo, to Snyder’s intellectual depth, but it’s a useful primer for those interested in a series of very brief political ‘devotionals’ (or, pieces of ‘advice’). It’s a bit like those books, “21 days to a happier you” but more along the lines of “3 weeks to a more aware self in the age of rising tyranny.” The advice is sensical but not earth-shattering – “be weary of paramilitaries, defend institutions, do not obey in advance”. The podcast for me was much more enlightening, while the book was not worth the $7.99 cover price. I’d recommend it basically as a stocking stuffer or party favor for your favorite activist, or as a daily 20 day meditation perhaps.

Also – if you’d like to chat politics with me, I’ve been doing that mostly through Facebook (have moved off Disqus and the other forums that allow for anonymity since I found the commentary there to be much less civil and vicious). Please PM me on here with your facebook ID/link and I will send you a friend request :-) . I used to keep FB to real life friends only but recently have made hundreds of political friends and would love nothing more than making some political/book friends too! And if you feel you must delete me after reading this review, then so be it. As Timothy Snyder says, “Stand out. Someone has to.” I won’t be shutting up anymore about what’s been happening in my country – not on here or anywhere. ...more

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Apr 17, 2017 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-book, non-fiction, 2017-reads, politics

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 ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 abby rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

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 ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Ammar rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2017

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

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Dec 22, 2018 Malia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

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 ...more

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Jun 03, 2017 Barbara (The Bibliophage) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: politics-and-the-world, own-digital, 2017, resistlist, history, 2019

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

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Sep 28, 2017 Cheryl Kennedy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: politics-history-tyranny-patriot

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 ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Maximilian W. rated it did not like it

Allow me to preface this short review by explaining that I am not a fan of Donald Trump. In fact, quite the contrary: I believe him to be an idiotic buffoon with no idea of what he is doing or the responsibility he has somehow managed to undertake. That does not make me a supporter of Hillary Clinton or even, as America narrowly defines it, a 'liberal'. As such, I have tried to read this book with as much of a free and open mind as possible, untainted by support of Trump or his policies *or* the Allow me to preface this short review by explaining that I am not a fan of Donald Trump. In fact, quite the contrary: I believe him to be an idiotic buffoon with no idea of what he is doing or the responsibility he has somehow managed to undertake. That does not make me a supporter of Hillary Clinton or even, as America narrowly defines it, a 'liberal'. As such, I have tried to read this book with as much of a free and open mind as possible, untainted by support of Trump or his policies *or* the same for Mrs. Clinton in the recent election.

That being said: This book is one of the most unethical, diatribetic, and downright disingenuous works of propaganda possible. I have to compliment Snyder, however. He manages to obscure meaning and create dichotomy in the way that only a student of fascism would be able.

The entire book reads like a long, sprawling manifesto, devoid of any truth or justice in its shameless pursuit of political agenda. I knew I was reading a well-made work of propaganda by page four, whereupon Synder claims that "Both fascism and communism were responses to globalization; to the real and perceived inadequacies it created[...]." While this is true, although a simplification, in the case of fascism, it is an outright lie in the case of communism, and one that underlines Snyder's entire justification of the ideology - and, for that matter, 'tyranny' in general. Communism was not a rejection of globalization, nor has it ever been. It was the *embracement* of a globalized world, spawned from Marx and Engel's explicit attempt to create a unified human society under a singular, just government. In fact, the word 'internationalist', which characterized the USSR and would later come to be redefined as 'globalist', has its origins in the seeples of communism. But this matters nothing to Snyder. No, because it is convenient for the present moment, Communism becomes a reactionary movement, a perversion of the flawless style of liberal democracy. The idea that a progressive movement could become tyrannical and oppressive, or that authority may not be synonymous with oppression, counteracts Snyder's entire line that Trump represents an American trend towards tyranny, which is birthed from purely reactionary motions such as his. Out the window it goes.

The whole of this manifesto proceeds to be a mixture of propaganda piece and 'survival guide', with Snyder snipping and cutting away words and their meanings in classical fascist style, rewriting history and personality at a whim. I don't particularly care to go through and collect all the examples of the shameless altercations that would leave Huxley and Orwell turning in their graves; spend ten minutes reading this book without a mindless dedication to Trump or Clinton and you'll see it well enough for yourself. Don't believe me? Just look at what's been pinned as a quote from this book, right on this Goodreads page, whereupon Snyder defines Trump as a nationalist (which he is) - and proceeds to shamelessly redefine what nationalism and patriotism mean, interpreting them in a bizarre and illogical way that would only make sense were one attempting to redefine nationalism as 'Extreme, warmongering, and singleminded patriotism'. For the record, it is not. A nationalist, Mr. Snyder, is a patriot who believes that individual nations hold the right to their sovereignty, and - simultaneously - that the interests of each individual nation ought to be prioritized by said nation. It is not, as Snyder twists definitions around to mean, the idea that 'the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others'. The word you are looking for is Jingoism, which Mr. Trump is *not* a supporter of. But that, I'm sure, matters little to you, since nationalism sounds more effective when used as a propaganda piece. It is downright shameful that you would think to quote Orwell as a pawn in the game of obscuring and redefining language to suit political ends.

Mr. Synder, in short, is either a shortsighted idiot who cannot understand that he is using the game of oppression to combat it, or, far more likely, a malicious scholar of Fukuyama who believes that the only way to attack 'fascism' is to practice it.

Anyway, if you needed any hard evidence that the Ivy League has degenerated and is nothing more than a name for the same kinds of political machines present throughout all of America, here it is! ...more

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Jul 04, 2018 Esil rated it it was amazing

On Tyranny is one of those books everybody should read. It’s short and goes directly to the point, drawing strong parallels between fascist and totalitarian regimes of the 20th century and recent politics in the 21st century. The message is clear: remembering and understanding history matters.

This works excellently as an audio read by the author.

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Mar 24, 2017 Jeff Dawson rated it liked it

What a wonderful collection of absurd conclusions and utter hippocratic left wing garbage!
I’m not surprised so many liberals are clamoring, “You Must Read this Before it’s TOO Late!” Too late for what? The country being turned around and law and order restored on the streets? Or perhaps attempting to get the deficit under control and the economy back on track. No that’s not what they or the author are talking about.

It’s the dismantling of the Electoral College and the ousting of the current What a wonderful collection of absurd conclusions and utter hippocratic left wing garbage!
I’m not surprised so many liberals are clamoring, “You Must Read this Before it’s TOO Late!” Too late for what? The country being turned around and law and order restored on the streets? Or perhaps attempting to get the deficit under control and the economy back on track. No that’s not what they or the author are talking about.

It’s the dismantling of the Electoral College and the ousting of the current President. The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! And not an ounce of proof to substantiate it.
Mr. Snyder does his best to compare Trump’s rise to power as the Communists and National Socialists came to power. What he fails to point out is the economic and political unrest in these countries that allowed those groups to grab the reins of power. Russia was bankrupt and the majority of the population were starving. They suffered horrible losses to the Germans in WWI and because of poor leadership and a starving populace, change was inevitable. Germany was in the same position in the twenties. Riots and lawlessness were common place. The Weimar Republic was helpless. The mark was worthless and unemployment was off the charts. And, the Communists, along with other political parties were attempting to fill the vacuum caused by the Versailles Treaty. Now, how is that like the current political and economic mood in the United States? It’s not! Unless you want to take in consideration all the violence that has been perpetuated on law enforcement officials for the last four years. Hmm. Didn’t see the former President trying to call for law and order. He actually condoned these actions. Listen to his failed speech in Dallas, TX.

And, since he’s railing about how corrupt Trump and all those are voting for him are deplorable, why no mention of the 5th column of the Democratic Party that formed after the Civil War in the states. That’s right, the KKK. You want to talk about a militant, deplorable, lawless, corrupt organization that enforced the Jim Crow laws, you have no farther to look than at the DNC. Why no mention of the Wasserman fiasco and the sabotaging of Bernie’s run? Well, that would take away from the esteemed author’s ridiculous claims. Doesn’t that smell of tyranny?

Make sure you read this with an open mind. Why? Mr. Snyder isn’t going to be at the forefront leading the charge. He’s left more loopholes for himself to be distanced from the anarchy he’s proposing. If it doesn’t turn out his way, he’ll sit around the fireplace with his esteemed colleagues, sipping cognac and discussing how perhaps they need to perform more research while you’re on the street bleeding for a cause you don’t understand.

Three stars ...more

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May 14, 2017 Melora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history

Mercy. I don't know how to respond to this book without reference to the current U.S. political situation. Oh well. As Alexander Pope would say, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” so on we go!

No. Wait. On second thought, let's not be hasty! How 'bout I tell you right now that if you think Trump is doing a bang up job, that if those dingbats in the legislative and judicial branches would just toe the line, our fine leader would have America back on its feet and “Great Again” in no time Mercy. I don't know how to respond to this book without reference to the current U.S. political situation. Oh well. As Alexander Pope would say, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” so on we go!

No. Wait. On second thought, let's not be hasty! How 'bout I tell you right now that if you think Trump is doing a bang up job, that if those dingbats in the legislative and judicial branches would just toe the line, our fine leader would have America back on its feet and “Great Again” in no time flat, you are not going to like this book. You are going to find the author's suggestions over-dramatic, his parallels poorly drawn, and his analyses faulty. And you won't like my comments any better. And since it will be easier for you to post a note to me here telling me what an idiot I am than to hunt down Mr. Snyder's address and write to him, that's what you'll do. And I'll read your remarks and fall to worrying about whether I really Am what is standing between my country and the greatness she could reclaim if Only whiny liberals would shut up and mind their own business. That would be sad. If, however, you wake each morning wondering “What will he do today?” or pondering whether the youngster answering your congresswoman's phone really even makes a tick on his tally sheet to note your opinion/outrage when you call, this may be your cup of tea. Anyway, in the comments that follow, I carry on a bit about why the ideas Snyder expresses in his book seem to be relevant.(view spoiler)[

So...! With each day that passes and every crazy presidential “Tweet” posted, this little book seems more and more on target. Back in November I was alarmed and dismayed, but inclined to hope that my fears were overblown. Now, in May, with the president acknowledging that he fired the head of the FBI with the intention of ending the investigation into his ties with Russia, threatening to cancel press briefings, threatening the (ex) head of the FBI with secretly recorded “tapes,” referring to the press as the “enemy of the people,” pushing for changes in the way the Senate passes bills, suggesting that he'll “shut down the government” if he doesn't get the legislation he wants, etc, etc., those concerns all seem frighteningly legitimate. And Timothy Snyder's book, which outlines factors involved in the rise of authoritarian governments in the 20th century, does not allay any of those concerns.

Over the course of twenty (very) short chapters, Snyder describes actions which citizens can take or behaviors they should avoid in order to preserve our constitutional republic. He illustrates his points by identifying ways that authoritarian governments, both communist and fascist, have seized and held power in various countries over the past century. He points to certain tendencies our new president has shown, and suggests how, unchecked, these may cause serious damage to the liberties we foolishly take for granted. One of the few coherent philosophies of governing discernible in the Trump administration is a belief in the power of a strong executive branch, unchecked in any way by the other branches of government, by tradition, or any other institution or principle (this belief did not apply to previous administrations, which Trump vehemently criticized when he saw them overreaching, but now he seems outraged by any questioning of his authority.)

This is not a book that readers pleased with the behaviors of our current chief executive will enjoy, but for those who find cause for concern in his cavalier disregard for precedent, custom, and ethics, and his lack of interest in observing the traditional and Constitutional checks on his power, there is much in the parallels from history which Snyder draws that will justify concerns and, in a general sort of way, suggest constructive responses. Actually, while Snyder references the U.S. president, this might be of interest to the citizens of any modern representative democracy who suspect that their leaders are overfond of power, and who may be tempted to test their claims that “I alone can fix it!” (hide spoiler)] ...more

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About Timothy Snyder

Timothy Snyder

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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, 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, published in September 2015 by Crown Books. He is author also of Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin (2010), a history of Nazi and Soviet mass killing on the lands between Berlin and Moscow. A New York Times bestseller and a book of the year according to The Atlantic, The Independent, The Financial Times, the Telegraph, and the New Statesman, it has won twelve awards including the Emerson Prize in the Humanities, a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Leipzig Award for European Understanding, and the Hannah Arendt Prize in Political Thought.

His other award-winning publications include Nationalism, Marxism, and Modern Central Europe: A Biography of Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz (1998); The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999 (2003); Sketches from a Secret War: A Polish Artist's Mission to Liberate Soviet Ukraine (2005); The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of A Habsburg Archduke (2008), and Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin (2010).

Snyder helped Tony Judt to compose a thematic history of political ideas and intellectuals in politics, Thinking the Twentieth Century (2012). He is also the co-editor of Stalin and Europe: Terror, War, Domination and Wall Around the West: State Power and Immigration Controls in Europe and North America (2001).

Snyder was the recipient of an inaugural Andrew Carnegie Fellowship in 2015. He is a member of the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and sits on the advisory council of the Yivo Institute for Jewish Research Research.

He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in modern East European political history. ...more

Books by Timothy Snyder

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America

Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning

The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999

The Red Prince: The Fall of a Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Europe

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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” — 100 likes

“Post-truth is pre-fascism.” — 82 likes

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