Name: Justin's review of On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Item: On Tyranny
Rating: 5
Author: Justin

Timothy Snyder

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** ‘A sort of survival book, a sort of symptom-diagnosis manual in terms of losing your democracy and what tyranny and authoritarianism look like up close’ Rachel Maddow 'These 128 pages are a brief primer in every important thing we might have learned from the history of the last century, and all that we appear to have forgotten' Observer History does not repeat, but it does instruct. In the twentieth century, European democracies collapsed into fascism, Nazism and communism. These were movements in which a leader or a party claimed to give voice to the people, promised to protect them from global existential threats, and rejected reason in favour of myth. European history shows us that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse, and ordinary people can find themselves in unimaginable circumstances. History can familiarise, and it can warn. Today, we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to totalitarianism in the twentieth century. But when the political order seems imperilled, our advantage is that we can learn from their experience to resist the advance of tyranny. Now is a good time to do so.

Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

On Tyranny

In previous books, Holocaust historian Timothy Snyder dissected the events and values that enabled the rise of Hitler and Stalin and the execution of their catastrophic policies. With Twenty Lessons, Snyder draws from the darkest hours of the twentieth century to provide hope for the twenty-first. As he writes, "Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism and communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience."

Rebecca Harwood

Lesson 18: be calm when the unthinkable arrives

THE NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER'These 128 pages are a brief primer in every important thing we might have learned from the history of the last century, and all that we appear to have forgotten' ObserverHistory does not repeat, but it does instruct.In the twentieth century, European democracies collapsed into fascism, Nazism and communism. These were movements in which a leader or a party claimed to give voice to the people, promised to protect them from global existential threats, and rejected reason in favour of myth. European history shows us that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse, and ordinary people can find themselves in unimaginable circumstances.History can familiarise, and it can warn. Today, we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to totalitarianism in the twentieth century. But when the political order seems imperilled, our advantage is that we can learn from their experience to resist the advance of tyranny.Now is a good time to do so.

Edward Steel

Justin

Gigi V

Fantastic book. A must-read, not only for Americans, but for citizens of a country who no longer know their history, therefore, can no longer recognize tyranny seemingly in their midst.

maryam

the book is incredible reductive and simplistic, makes maybe 2 good vague points. it felt gimmicky and unnecessary overall. very disappointed at the lack of nuance

Maja Cieslik

One of concise, brief books that anyone should read, preferably while still at school. Would love to come back to this book after few years, to revise the advice that we're given there. Well thought through, made me think and also reflect on present reality. 

"Sposobem zniszczenia wszystkich zasad jest skupienie się na idei wyjątku. Nazistowski przywódca wyprowadza przeciwników w pole, przekonując społeczeństwo, że chwila, w jakiej się znajduje, jest wyjątkowa, a następnie przekształcając wprowadzone w związku z tym środki w permanentny stan wyjątkowy. Obywatele oddają wtedy prawdziwą wolność za fałszywe bezpieczeństwo."

Beau

This is one of those special books I come across so very rarely; the type of book that's deceiving short but incredibly rich, succinct, and asks for a second reading in the not too distant future. Snyder fuses history (mostly 19th and 20th century), and current world/cultural affairs into an insightful 128 pages, and presents the reader with 20 'lessons' that history can teach us about tyranny; everything from not blindly obeying powers at will in advanced, to 'being kind to our language' (avoid shallow reading, educate yourself, read books), to listening out for dangerous words, and being on guard for one-party states.

I especially loved his thoughts and critique on common sensationalist media (none of which can be claimed as 'new' arguments - but I like hearing different thoughts on such matters) and his call to go deeper by making up your own mind, putting the internet off to the side, picking up books and long form, well trusted editorials and journalism pieces, and contributing to the discussion in your own language:

“Politicians in our times feed their clichés to television, where even those who wish to disagree repeat them. Television purports to challenge political language by conveying images, but the succession from one frame to another can hinder a sense of resolution. Everything happens fast, but nothing actually happens. Each story on televised news is ”breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean."

I'd recommend this book to anyone out there who wants to understand the political landscape not only of the modern world, but also that of history - and how we're, once again, not too far from repeating it. This book is beyond timely, and will serve as a breath of fresh air in our days of post-truth and biased news feeds. The last few lines are apt!

"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."

olivia musick

an honest look at parallels between the US now and eastern Europe (1920s-1990s) with respect to tyranny and fascism. highly recommend !!

alina s

the writing style is unbearably boring. the history is purely focused on Europe (Soviet Union and Germany) and the politics are just nonsense lib shit without any actionable insight

Ethan Hill

Interesting to see how this has aged since the age of Tr*mp (the answer is not super well) but the lessons are good and it's well written and researched.

Audrey Kalman

a good balance of cautionary and grave without being frantic

Bergen Anders Nelson Eickhoff

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

This little book gave me a political existential crisis that I have yet to recover from.

Vivian

Concise and compelling. The message might be more relevant today than in Trump era. All the 20 points are good and valid, just come off a bit superficial and theoretical to me in a world with increasing complexity, where democracy is indeed a very important dimension, yet still just one of many dimensions of modern society.

Archita Birla

I really enjoyed this book. It is incredibly small, and easy to hold in the hand, but it is captivating in its information. I would REALLY recommend that everyone read this, and send it on to a friend or two. It's a very quick read, informative without being dense, and in some ways quite inspiring. 

While reading this book, it really struck me that doing ~activist things~ is not a one-time, occasional occurrence. Fighting tyranny, it feels to me, involves day-to-day activities. It means supporting local communities, being active in our courage, critiquing the institutions that we are part of, putting ourselves in situations that make us uneasy, and (perhaps most importantly) sharing with, caring for, and simply loving others.

Jane McCullough

This is not hyperbole: Anyone who cares about our democracy needs to read Snyder's cautionary words, lessons and constructive ways to engage with the current threats to our country. Our grand and so-far enduring democratic experiment deserves no less than the engagement of each of us.

Rob Erekson

A quick, easy read (only 126 pages in a small form factor; maybe 60 normal pages), but packed with useful information on recognizing, avoiding, confronting, and fighting tyranny. Although written in 2017, it’s quite shocking how much of what President has done (and attempted to do) in the 4 years since then is illustrated in this book. This book is an absolute must read for anybody concerned about the country being confronted by a smarter, more dangerous version of Trump in the future.

Kerry Gibbons

Excellent. Very quick read and perhaps the greatest takeaway I had was that post-truth is pre-fascism. 

Words to live by.

Dinda

This book includes some facts of event history that I never heard before, like fake terror in Paris and Jerman. Unfortunately, the author did not give any references or sources (I am sad), so I don’t know how to respond to it. Therefore I think I will study it first.

But I have some favorite lessons: 
Stand out, Be kind to our language, Investigate, Establish a private life, Distinguish certain words, and Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.

Luca Conti

Carolina Lopes

Hugo Ahlberg

Great little book that packs a punch! I can’t help feeling it’s a bit alarmist.. but that might also just be me being in denial of how bad Trump is and where USA are heading. I feel like he is less of a violent tyrant, and more of an agent of chaos and anti-elitist. (As of sept 2, 2020,. Will revisit this comment in the future🤞🏾 )

Justin &
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Justin &On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Justin &
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder