#1 New York Times Bestseller • A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America’s turn towards authoritarianism.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 totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw … wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.
On Tyranny is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come.
“Mr. Snyder is a rising public intellectual unafraid to make bold connections between past and present.” —The New York Times
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First let me say two things about the author that makes this book so credible. First he is the Levin Professor of History at Yale University. Second he is a member of Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Museum in DC in which I spent an entire day in April 2016. I watched every news reel in that museum so I totally understand where Mr. Snyder is coming from and why it is critical at this juncture in time that EVERY Adult American read this book. We are headed down the highway of tyranny and unless enough people take time to understand that, America is doomed. Mr. Snyder points out the signs of the descent into tyranny in clear and concise language with relevant examples. He also gives advice on how to stop the descent, although the people who need to read this book probably won’t even if you drop it in their laps.
A well-written book which highlights the fact that we did not arrive in the current political situation (2018) overnight. We have lost track of the need to continue to work on our democracy, to protect us all. We have all been less than aware of what has been happening around us. We are all guilty but at the same time, we can all become the voices to put our own democracy back on track. Snyder gives us 10 points to help us. The most important to me were “be kind to our language” and “believe in truth.” This is not an indictment of the current administration alone, but an indictment of us all for taking our freedoms for granted.
Lots of right-wing critics shouting “Snyder says Trump is literally Hitler!!!” but that’s not the point of this book; the point is to draw attention to the fact that the transition to fascism isn’t something that happens overnight, but is a long, drawn-out process that happens in small, incremental steps, often so subtle we don’t notice it happening. And there are indeed parallels between our current government and fascist regimes of the past, especially in terms of divisive language and policies. Snyder isn’t saying Trump is Hitler, that he’s as bad as Hitler, etc. Rather, this entire book is based on the maxim “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” so regardless of your political bent, if you read this with an open mind, you will at the very least walk away from it with a bit better understanding of our current situation in a historical context.
One other thing to note: this book, being as short as it is, is hyper-focused on the history of the 20th century as it relates to the Trump administration. You will not find critiques of our government as a whole (ie, discussions of problems with the two-party system, neoliberalism, etc.), but that’s okay. There are many worthwhile discussions to be had, but On Tyranny is not the place to find them. While Snyder avoids criticisms of the left in modern America, he also avoids partisan cheerleading. I admire him for his focus.
This short book is timely and relevant and a quick, informative read. If you’re interested in the current political landscape, this book is for you.
If you have any doubts about the direction that this administration is taking our country, read this and find out that the Trump administration is a despotic regime.
Such a timely and accessible booklet, which lays out all the warning signs we have been facing in this former democratic republic over the last few years. Required reading.
Arguably, I probably should have read this back in 2017, when it was published, but in February 2017, I was still reeling from the 2916 presidential election results. There is an argument to be made that those who did read ON TYRANNY: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century right after it was published should read it again. It was relevant then, and, perhaps, even more relevant today as we face the 2020 election.
Overall, ON TYRANNY gives us history lessons about the tyrannical regimes in the 20th century. Unsurprising, many of the historic moments revolve around Hitler and the Nazi regime in Germany. Each chapter, or lesson, starts with a direct statement, a short paragraph of what it means, before going on to the actual history lesson. Each lesson is clear and concise with relevant examples to bring home the point. My favorite lesson is:
“9: Be kind to our language.
Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.”
Of course, it was “Read books” that caught my eye because I do read books. I am an eclectic reader. I read both fiction and non-fiction and found the statement: “What to read? Any good novel enlivens our ability to think about ambiguous situations and judge the intentions of others.” I include this quote because there seems to be any number of people who think reading fiction is a waste of time. It is not. There is mention of several novels along with a number of historical and political texts that are appropriate to the discussion of tyranny.
You should pay particular attention to Lesson 19: Be a patriot. One would think that this chapter was written last week… the week of “suckers and losers.”
“What is patriotism? Let us begin with what patriotism is not. It is not patriotic to dodge the draft and to mock war heroes and their families. It is not patriotic to discriminate against active-duty members of the armed forces in one’s companies, or to campaign to keep disabled veterans away from one’s property. It is not patriotic to compare one’s search for sexual partners in New York with the military service in Vietnam that one has dodged.”
I highly recommend this book to every citizen. It is a book that should be required reading for every high school student on the brink of voting.
From all the amazing historical books Mr. Snyder has written, On Tyranny is a brilliant chapbook — 20 lessons from the 20th Century when democracy failed. Snyder is counting on the hope that many people will read this easy-to-understand booklet so U.S citizens can guard against the forces currently crushing our democracy.
Snyder accomplishes here what Will and Ethel Durant did with the Lessons of History– make them readable and concise in one volume.
Please share this book to save our U.S. democracy.
I found this book while doing research for my next novel set in 2050. It’s a short, easy to read book published in 2017 that looks at how tyranny can take over a democracy, using examples from 20th century Europe and Russia, as well as current conditions in America. I highly, highly recommend this book, especially because we are in the process of losing our democracy and democratic processes and it’s an election year — this election could stop the loss’s progress.
A short book but important lessons
A leftest revision of history, don’t waste your time.
A must read for those who don’t take democracy for granred
should be required reading for all Americans.
Extremely important to read to fight tyranny
Book source ~ Library
I don’t normally read non-fiction, but I found this on someone else’s book list/post/blog (sorry I can’t remember which or who) and felt it extremely relevant in these dangerous times. Because they are dangerous. It’s unreal to me that Hitler isn’t that far back in our history, a mere blip in the entirety of Earth’s history, and yet it seems as if we are making the same exact mistakes that Germany and others did back in the 30s & 40s. Totally unreal. I’m not sure if having the internet and access to social media is good or bad, but I’m leaning towards good so that those fighting for democracy can reach more people. But the vast amount of disinformation out there being shared with and by people who don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about, not to mention those who do not have the best interests of the many in mind, is needless to say, alarming.
Our government is corrupt. It’s been corrupt for decades now and the only good thing to come out of Trump’s presidency is that more and more people have finally woken up to the fact we’re getting royally screwed by the people who are supposed to be working for us. US. The citizens of the United States of America. Because, I’m just going to say it, Americans have gotten lazy as fuck. Me included. Combined with loss of funding for essentials such as education we’re also raising Americans who are dumb as fuck. Yes, I said it. Lazy and dumb. Just what our government wants us to be so they can keep lining their and their buddies pockets with more money than they could ever spend in 3 lifetimes.
I’m going to put this out there, it may sound crazy, but I don’t care. I think Russia wants to be the new Roman Empire, taking over the majority of the world. They seem to be playing the long game and sustaining themselves by eating the elephant one bite at a time. And we’re stupid enough to let it happen. Shame on us. But it hasn’t happened yet and we really need to make sure the lessons from the past follow us into the future. Short memories will get us killed. I recommend this book to everyone.
This book is not to be described to others. It is to be experienced, and hopefully internalized. Just read it.
We stand on the edge of tyranny and fascism in this country and this book is a clear-eyed appraisal, warning and handbook for how to recognize what is happening and how to respond in a meaning and effective way. This is an essential read.
One of the most important books of the decade.
It’s an exceptionally fine read outlining important truths and tactics to employ in the face of rising fascism here and around the world. Every person concerned about the direction of the US and other nations should read this.
Astute historical analysis