On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

Book Review

Author: Timothy Snyder

“Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember, Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow. Without the conformists, the great atrocities of Nazi Germany would have been impossible (1).”

This concise, brilliant book offers a historical analysis of how tyranny develops, becomes entrenched, and even accepted. Author Timothy Snyder’s lessons are drawn from the rise of fascism, Nazi Germany, and communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Snyder is a historian who has specialized in the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust. He recently became the Chair of Modern European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto after serving as Professor of History at Yale University since 2001.

Although I had read essays and reviews of Snyder’s work, I was a bit reluctant to read On Tyranny because I dreaded a litany of all the horrors of the 20th Century and new regimes of authoritarianism. Snyder, however, offers solutions. Each historical account includes specific actions that individuals and communities can take to counteract and subvert tyranny. He truly empowers us not only to resist but to actively engage in solutions. This uplifting, intelligent book directly supports the vision of Engage Tuolumne to build and care for our community.

In connecting historical examples to recent events and politics, Snyder does not explicitly mention the current President. However, from the examples of inciting mob violence at rallies, to degrading minorities and anyone who disagrees with him, to undermining truth itself, Snyder clearly articulates his message and warns that authoritarianism and tyranny in the U. S. are nigh. For instance, in declaring “emergencies,” which then become permanent, tyranny takes hold (consider the deportation of immigrants and calling out the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.).

Each lesson from history is compelling. Snyder discusses the courage and insight of Vaclav Havel, the Czechoslovak dissident who wrote in The Power of the Powerless, “By accepting the rules of the game, even if they were illegitimate, the game goes on. What happens if no one plays the game?” He also references Hannah Arendt (Totalitarianism), Eugene Ionesco, George Orwell, and Victor Klemperer, all of whom give depth to this powerful book.

In the first lesson, Snyder writes that “most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given” and warns that “anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy.” He calls the “politics of inevitability a self-induced intellectual coma.” Another profound insight is his admonition to “be kind to our language,” and he calls us to challenge the constant barrage of lies. The undermining of truth and facts, and history has become a daily occurrence. At this moment, our government is literally rewriting historical monuments and censoring the Smithsonian Museums. The idea of truth itself has been questioned. Snyder writes that “post-truth is pre-fascism.”

In conclusion, this book inspires us to study history, to investigate, to read, and to build community. “History permits us to be responsible, not for everything, but for something. History gives us the company of those who have done and suffered more than we have.” We have the opportunity to learn from the experience of 20th-century democracies that succumbed to authoritarianism.

This empowering, well-written book is available at our local bookstore. From Snyder’s writings, I am greatly inspired to read his most recent book, On Freedom. (2024).

NOTES

1. Timothy Snyder. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. New York: Tim Duggan Books, 2017, pp. 47, 51.
2. Vaclav Havel et al, The Power of the Powerless: Citizens Against the State in Central-Eastern Europe (M.E. Sharpe, 1985).