On Tyranny

by Timothy Snyder

Review by Dan Shatzer 2021

Intro by Matt McGuire

11/19/24

I’d like to consider the context in which both Snyder’s book and Dan’s paper were written. “On Tyranny” was first published in 2017, at the high tide mark of Trump’s first administration. He had yet to face the Blue Wave election of 2018, or to fail the test of leadership brought on by Covid 19. We can look back at this time and take stock…it seemed as if the guardrails held, if only barely. The institutions of our nation held Trump in check to a certain extent. Snyder’s book looked like a worst case scenario that we had a chance of dodging.

Dan’s paper was published in March 2021. Joe Biden was President, and was getting down to the hard work of legislating and leading the recovery from the pandemic; and the recovery, we hoped, from trumpism. Although Dan seems pessimistic about the future of the nation for much of his paper, he ends on a hopeful note.

We all know what happened next…

What was abstract in 2017 or 2021 sure looks awfully concrete now…

Guidebooks for how to deal with worst case scenarios are just abstractions, until they aren’t. If we are to recover from this oncoming period of fascism we must become the guardrails. The ones we thought we had have failed, and there is nothing in the constitution or the courts that has the power to stop what Trump and his henchmen will try to do.

Snyder’s book, derived from years of study of the bloody 20th century, provides us with a course of action. What we must do now will require from all of us more than we may believe we are capable of. It will require actions we may not believe we can take, and courage we may not believe we possess. “On Tyranny” shows us how to do the things we do not believe we can.

We all never believed we would be where we are today, and yet here we are. We must all do what we can, so we can collectively do what we must. It’s now or never, but we have the examples of those who came before, many of whom are mentioned in “On Tyranny”…

Let us honor their examples…

Dan’s original review includes Snyder’s 20 lessons for resisting Tyranny.

It is your ability to discern facts that makes you an individual, and our collective trust in common knowledge that makes us a society. The individual who investigates is also the citizen who builds. The leader who dislikes the investigators is a potential tyrant. – Timothy Snyder -- …

Timothy Snyder gave us twenty lessons about tyranny in his latest book, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Snyder is a History Professor at Yale, and his principal areas of study are Central and Eastern Europe plus the Holocaust. The events he describes in his book were various attempts, most successful but others not, to overthrow democratically elected governments. The insights he had while investigating those events became the basis for his lessons. I’m going to briefly describe his lessons without placing them in the context of the actual events from which they were derived. His book is rather short, and readers who wish to investigate those events should read that source.

Retelling the evidence for his lessons would certainly have a useful purpose. But I have a different purpose. I will use his lessons as what I call a tyranny gauge. As you read the lessons, think for yourselves about recent events in the United States. How close were we recently to losing our democracy? But remember this, his lessons also suggest how we can save our democracy. If we can recognize the signs that foretell the loss of our democracy, perhaps we are in a better place to protect it.

I like Professor Snyder’s description of a patriot which I will address more later:

A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better.

As citizens we have our democratic principles, our Constitution. As members of Bold New Democracy we have our progressive principles, our Social Contract. Combined, those are the universal values we must protect. As you read these lessons consider what values you would fight for. Where would you draw the line if our democracy were about to slip away? Think of what principles you would be willing to fight for. Are you willing to stay vigilant? What amount of courage can you muster, if necessary, to keep our democracy? We may have escaped disaster this time. But what will the next wannabe tyrant take from recent events?

Snyder’s Twenty Lessons

Do not obey in advance. A favorite act of a tyrant is to take advantage of a manufactured event—or even an event that occurred by happenstance—to take advantage of the fears of people. Fearful people may then act as if new rules or values are in place before they are official. Watch out for people who do this. They are more than likely subverting democratic values. This does not mean that demonstrating against what you believe to be an unjust law or policy is terrorism. Terrorism actually means attempting to take away something from others in order to benefit yourself or a new order. A demonstration is designed to sway public opinion prior to an upcoming election or before a governing body reaches a final decision.
Defend institutions. This would seem obvious if a branch of government were attacked. I hope. But it also means institutions which promote democratic principles through actions or investigations. What if the free press was eliminated? All or certain religions? Public radio? Public schools? Labor unions? If they, terrorists, have the power to take away our institutions, they are well on their way to eliminating democracy.
Beware of the one-party state. A not so obvious occurrence of this is a party in power effectively eliminating the ability of another party to have influence. It can be very subtle. Are decisions like Citizens United, basically that corporations are people as far as political contributions, designed to curtail democracy? Did it favor one-party rule? How about gerrymandering?
Take responsibility for the face of the world. Symbols matter. Symbols supporting terrorist groups signal to people that “others”—the people being denigrated—do not matter. The more such symbols are accepted, the more discrimination. This is especially troublesome when such symbols are displayed by public servants.
Remember professional ethics. Those who seek to remove our rights may slowly infiltrate the ranks of our public servants to spread their propaganda and cause them to betray their oaths or at least weaken their commitment to their oaths of office. Professional ethics are there to guide us in carrying out our responsibilities in a democratic fashion.
Be aware of paramilitaries. Paramilitaries can be used to secure power. For an excellent review of paramilitary organization in the U.S., read the following:

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Are we better off with privately run prisons? Third-party professionals running military-like organizations? Where is their loyalty? What are their oaths?

Be reflective if you carry an arm. Snyder is speaking mainly of our police, military, etc. But it can apply to anyone. Remember that we are a country of values. Are you being asked or tempted to violate them? The mandate, with or without arms, is to uphold our values. Not to gain power.
Stand out. Our country needs people willing to stand up and defend our values. We are not all like Rosa Parks. Who among us is willing to stand up for what is right when our freedoms are being attacked?
Be kind to our language. When they have us chanting their messages, the game is half over. Use your own words. There are sources of information from places other than the internet or tv. Read books, newspapers, etc. Also, be clear in your meaning. Snyder suggests reading the essay Politics and the English Language by George Orwell for insights into this latter element.
Believe in Truth? We violate this lesson when we make truth personal. But facts are not personal. They are just facts. Snyder describes four degrees of thought manipulation individuals go through while progressively moving further and further from the truth:: discarding facts that don’t fit preconceived frames, engaging in shamanistic thinking (i.e., instill a belief mainly through repetition), accepting magical beliefs, and misplacing faith. Tyrants will count on some of us to fall victim to all four. They lie about most things, build up distrust in others through the constant demeaning of them regardless of proof, make us believe they had all the answers, and call upon us to put all of our faith in them. What happens to our principles?
Investigate. We need to find news sources that actually investigate and have a consistent reputation in doing that. Approach truth as factual, not personal. Evidence contrary to our preconceived notions must be investigated. Not discarded or misplaced. We must seek out investigators who provide verifiable evidence of facts. Reputable news sources do not lead you to conclusions. They lead you to facts. They present news followed by verifiable evidence for the same.
Make eye contact and small talk. Adults shouldn’t avoid groups because they are different. Avoidance spreads fear. Avoidance causes us to accept mistruths. Fear can lead to hatred.
Practice corporeal politics. Engage in public discussions about politics. If what is right is not publicly defended, it’s a sign that tyranny is winning. Our rights will be taken away if they are not defended in public. Purposely expose yourself to new, in person, opportunities to make friends with new people. A physical presence encourages the opportunity to form agreements.
Establish a private life. Understand that if you cannot, you do not have liberty. Be careful of technology. If you do not understand how to protect your privacy, or at least what you are giving away, talk to a professional in that field of technology. If necessary, it’s worth spending money on personal security like computer virus or malware programs. Also, older forms of communication, e.g., writing letters, can be effective.
Contribute to good causes. When institutions designed to promote public good cease to exist, it becomes easier for tyrants to win. Furthermore, not all such events have to be political. Participation in and helping to support institutions that provide fun or interesting activities helps us stay together as a society. They provide avenues for communicating with others who may have different political opinions. The sharing of activities can help develop trust and an open exchange of ideas.
Learn from peers in other countries. This allows us to learn a perspective from someone who sees our country from a different framework. Are we progressing? Are we living up to what we think about our country? What parts of their society seem better? What parts seem worse?
Listen for dangerous words. Words like exception, terrorism, and extremism can be used for the purpose of denying rights. They can generate sufficient fear that people can become less resistant to accepting the loss of liberty.
Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. When terrorism does arrive, watch out for the leader who wants to take advantage of it and consolidate power. It’s not a time to accept the suspension of freedoms. Acts of terror, acts purposely designed to deny valid rights, need to be investigated and the root causes eliminated or made less effective.
Be a patriot.

A nationalist, ‘although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,’ wrote Orwell, tends to be ‘uninterested in what happens in the real world’….

A patriot , by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves….

A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better….

A nationalist will say that it ‘it can’t happen here’…. A patriot says that it could happen here, but we will stop it. – Timothy Snyder --

Be as courageous as you can. Tyranny prevails when too few are willing to sacrifice everything for the good of all.

In closing, I want to share my experience after reading Snyder’s book. I became pessimistic. I saw so much that is wrong with our country after reading it. I shared this with a group of friends and asked for their help in bringing me back. A good friend suggested that I remember the quote below from Margaret Meade. I leave it as my final thought. I also recommend reaching out if you have a similar experience.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Meade --