Overview
Timothy Snyder, Yale historian of Eastern and Central Europe, wrote On Tyranny to teach Americans how to resist slides toward illiberal democracy and authoritarianism based on Europe’s experience in the 20th Century.
He wrote it because of the election of Donald Trump, whose candidacy was marred by his authoritarian tendencies.
As president, he has attacked the free press, undermined his own intelligence agencies, encouraged violence from police officers, disregarded the rule of law, enriched his family using the government, jettisoned the truth in favor of lies, and treated institutional checks and balances with contempt.
I will now demonstrate some of his authoritarian behavior using official statements – tweets – from the president himself while outlining my favorite points from On Tyranny.
Resisting Tyranny
Rule 2: Defend Institutions.
So they caught Fake News CNN cold, but what about NBC, CBS & ABC? What about the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost? They are all Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017
In this tweet, Donald Trump is engaging in one of his favorite activities: attacking our free press. An authoritarian’s goal is to attack and weaken institutions so that you rely exclusively on them and approved media outlets (e.g. Fox News) for information.
Wow, the Failing @nytimes said about @foxandfriends "….the most powerful T.V. show in America."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2017
“It is institutions that help us to preserve decency… Institutions do not protect themselves… So choose an institution you care about – a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union – and take its side.” – On Tyranny
I diligently follow this advice. I subscribe to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Economist. I also read The Atlantic and support the American Civil Liberties Union. Find an institution you care about and defend it.
Rule 10: Believe in truth.
“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom… Post-truth is pre-fascism.” – On Tyrany
Donald Trump lies a lot. In fact, he told a lie every single day of his first forty days in office. Most recently, he lied 29 times in 26 hours.
Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
In the first tweet, he’s attacking the FBI Director and undermining the rule of law by spreading a false claim. In the second, he’s telling a blatant lie. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by almost three million votes, and there is zero evidence to support there were “millions of people who voted illegally.” He also didn’t win the Electoral College “in a landslide.” He won by a relatively small margin.
All of this lying has a substantial effect. Indeed, a recent Politico poll found that almost half of Trump supporters believe he won the popular vote. He didn’t.
To guard our liberty, we must fight for the truth and facts. Investigate the truth yourself with research from credible organizations and individuals, read books, and subscribe to quality journalism.
Concerning op-eds, an opinion is fine to consume, but it must be fact-based, so be wary of those who masquerade their beliefs and opinions as the truth.
Rule 13: Practice corporeal politics.
“Put your body in unfamilair places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.” – On Tyranny
A labor movement opposed to communism in Poland sprang about in 1980, and ten million people protested over the course of sixteen months. “These were people from both the Right and the Left, believers and atheists, who created trust among workers – people whom they otherwise would not have met.”
The movement was put down with martial law in 1981, but by 1989, the communist regime needed negotiating partners. The government turned to the labor union, which insisted on free elections. This marked the beginning of the end of communism.
Exercise your First Amendment rights by protesting and speaking up. Team up with others who are different than you, and make your voices heard.
Recommendation
I strongly recommend On Tyranny. It was brief, informative, and enjoyable. I’m always pleased to see people engaging in politics. We have to take it upon ourselves to demand the truth, hold power to account, inform ourselves, and vote.
Read this book, learn some fascinating history, and use Snyder’s recommendations to protect American democracy.
Get your copy of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
