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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century

by Timothy Snyder
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century

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  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9780804190114
ISBN10: 0804190119
Condition: Standard


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Staff Pick

This short book can be read in an hour, but it provides a great deal of historical insight and advice for how to engage in a post-truth (or as Snyder calls it, "pre-fascist") society. Snyder is a celebrated historian of the mid-20th century, and he uses his encyclopedic knowledge of European fascist and communist regimes to reveal their 21st-century American echoes, and to arm the reader with directives like "do not obey in advance" and "make eye contact" that sound simple but can be remarkably courageous. On Tyranny is both a comforting and a terrifying book: its comfort lies in knowing that resisting tyranny is possible, and its terror lies in knowing that such resistance is now necessary. Recommended By Rhianna W., Powells.com

America in 2017 is a traffic accident I can’t tear my eyes from. Timothy Snyder offers short history lessons on how Americans have survived difficult times before, and suggests that with thoughtfulness and a moral compass we can survive them again. These examples give me a certain amount of hope that we can get through the current sundering of our democracy and social fabric, and that we can arrest the destruction of America’s fundamental freedoms. On Tyranny is a small book that inspires big thoughts. Read it alone, read it at school, but above all: read it with your kids. Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

#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 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.

Review

"Snyder knows this subject cold. . . . It is impossible to read aphorisms like 'post-truth is pre-fascism' and not feel a small chill about the current state of the Republic. . . . Approach this short book the same you would a medical pamphlet warning about an infectious disease. Read it carefully and be on the lookout for symptoms." The New York Times Book Review

Review

"The perfect clear-eyed antidote to Trump's deliberate philistinism. . . . 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." The Guardian

Review

"Timothy Snyder reasons with unparalleled clarity, throwing the past and future into sharp relief. He has written the rare kind of book that can be read in one sitting but will keep you coming back to help regain your bearings." Masha Gessen

Review

"Easily the most compelling volume among the early resistance literature. . . . A slim book that fits alongside your pocket Constitution and feels only slightly less vital. . . . Clarifying and unnerving. . . . A memorable work that is grounded in history yet imbued with the fierce urgency of what now." Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post 

About the Author

Timothy Snyder is the Housum Professor of History at Yale University. He is the author of Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin and Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning. Snyder is a member of the Committee on Conscience of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and a permanent fellow of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.

4.4 10

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Average customer rating 4.4 (10 comments)

`
Book Fan , August 25, 2020
I've bought this book for gifts. Keeping democracy is hard work, as we've seen for generations. Snyder is a gifted historian and writer - and his lessons are valuable for everyone, no matter their political party. Lesson #2: "Defend institutions."

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Publius , August 04, 2020
This little treatise has become even more relevant in the summer of 2020. I plan to keep it next to my bed on my nightstand just as Trump kept "Mein Kamph" next to his.

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John A. , September 26, 2018
Excellent, easy to read, clear, concise primer to the slide into tyranny. Had this book been written prior to this regime it would very likely have been overlooked as being hyperbolic or hysterical, but since the 2016 election debacle, it is extremely and a must read.

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Bonnie Dooley , January 01, 2018 (view all comments by Bonnie Dooley)
This book would be relevant if it had been written after Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012, but it reeks of a sore loser attitude held among many progressives in 2017. America is finally becoming the country of the silent majority rather than a government run travesty....where it had been headed. It is a false narrative at best.

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Gma mas , December 19, 2017
As I approached the first few chapters in "On Tyranny", I would immediately think things like "Well yes, but this couldn't happen here!", and by the end of that chapter, I was shocked to realize that it could certainly happen here. By even Chapter 3, I realized that some inroads are already in progress. While I obviously hope our freedoms and democracy will be protected, I am no longer able to blindly trust in that. Very timely, compelling book. Should be read by everyone who cares about this country.

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Emerson , December 18, 2017
This is one of the most important books of our time. It reads quickly and the most critical take-aways are in the beginning, so even the causal reader will gain some insight and context regarding the uncertain times we're living through. I bought 20 copies to give to everyone I know.

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Booknerd , October 01, 2017
Essential reading for 2017 and beyond.

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Lindystoast , June 21, 2017
Now, as our democratic and humanistic values and protections are threatened, this short book is simultaneously frightening and heartening. This clear-eyed look at the historical precedents and pitfalls facing societies in danger of falling victim to the oppression of tyrants is a bracing wake-up call. It would make an excellent gift for your smart friends who choose not to see our national situation as critical, as well for those who do see the disaster unfolding, and feel helpless. We are not yet helpless, and there are specific important things we can do. We must not anticipate the victory of the tyrants and adjust our behavior accordingly.. The situation they are creating is not normal, but it has happened before, and we can learn from what has happened in the past, and do better. Plus, Snyder is such a good, clear and unpretentious writer, I'm going to look for everything else he has written right away. Read books!

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Andrew , April 04, 2017
While perhaps more popularly accessible and a pithy echo of the early Revolutionary pamphleteers' medium, I think one would be better served in the present political climate by Snyder's more historical work. Bloodlands is an excellent historical work which resonates and better informs the geopolitical struggles of today.

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MarciRobin , March 22, 2017
This book is a MUST READ. I just heard Tom Snyder, the author speak last night. In 126 pages this Yale professor has brought together the history of the challenges to democracy -- AND ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS OF HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. He has provided 20 essential "LESSONS ON TYRANNY." It is $7.99. It is life affirming and life changing.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780804190114
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
02/28/2017
Publisher:
Tim Duggan Books
Pages:
128
Height:
.40IN
Width:
4.50IN
Author:
Timothy Snyder
Media Run Time:
B

Ships free on qualified orders.
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List Price:$9.99
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