On Tyranny - Timothy Snyder Illustrated by Nora Krug

On this, the weekend before an election that might send the first woman to the Whitehouse, I find myself returning to the wise and warning words of Timothy Snyder in his groundbreaking book,‘On Tyranny’.  Published in back in 2017, when politics in America and across Europe took a distinctly dark turn, Snyder sensed that the time was right for some big picture analysis on the rise of fascism and to explain how and why democracies were lost to totalitarianism in the past. 

Snyder presents the reader with twenty lessons from the 20th century, telling us that ‘History does not repeat, but it does instruct’. He begins with the first lesson: ‘Do Not Obey in Advance’. Anticipatory obedience, Snyder tells us, is when enough people offer their services to the new regime ahead of time, allowing autocracies to move more quickly than otherwise, and teaching them, at the same time, what is  possible. 

The second lesson is ‘Defend Institutions’. Institutions, such as courts, newspapers, laws or labour unions do not protect themselves, so he urges readers to choose an institution that they care about, and take its side. You cannot expect that institutions will automatically maintain themselves against attack, he warns.  ‘The mistake is to assume that the rulers who came to power through institutions cannot change or destroy those very institutions.’ 

The third lesson is ‘Beware the one-party state’. Snyder urges the reader to ‘support the multi-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections’. From local to state elections, he tells his readers to ‘vote’ and even consider running for office. He notes that in most situations, when democracy is lost, people do not fully realise that the last time they voted will be the last time that they get to vote. He supports this idea saying, ‘No doubt the Russians who voted in in 1990 did not think that this would be the last free and fair election in their country’s history, which (thus far) it has been.’

And so the book continues, to present all twenty lessons, all in some way or other feel very prescient and indeed pertinent to today’s politics. He supports his theses with examples from the last century up to the year of publication, looking at examples from WWII, Brexit, American elections, terrorist attacks in Russia and the war in Ukraine, all of which are compelling and to the point.  

In this graphic edition, illustrator Nora Krug uses her collage-style, scrapbook aesthetic to bring an additional layer of meaning to Snyder’s words, using photographs, decoupage and graphic design in a highly inventive, clever way.  When depicting how quickly citizens moved from fighting fascism to embracing it, she created a double headed figure, one head facing north, the other facing south, with the accompanying text partly upside down, forcing the reader, like the fickle figure, to change their point of view. 

The book is full of thought-provoking statements, that can keep you thinking for days.  I urge you to seek out a copy of this text, in a bookshop, online, or in your local library.  You can purchase it here from Snyder’s website. He has recently published a sister book, called ‘On Freedom’ which is available in all good bookshops. Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, here are just a few ideas that struck me as note-worthy, especially considering that the book was originally published in 2017. 

‘We certainly face, as the ancient Greeks, the problem of oligarchy - ever more threatening as globalisation increases differences in wealth…’ p 23.

‘It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without lawyers, or to hold show trials without judges.’  p31.

‘Professional ethics must guide us precisely when we are told that the situation is exceptional. Then there is no such thing as “just following orders.”’ P 33.

‘Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different… The moment you set an example the spell of the status quo is broken’. P43

‘By 1940 most Europeans had made their peace with … Nazi Germany.  Influential Americans such as Charles Lindbergh opposed war with the Nazis under the slogan “America First”.’

‘Make an effort to separate yourself from the Internet. Read books’. P51.

‘…Truth dies in four modes. The first mode is the open hostility to verifiable reality, which takes the form of presenting inventions and lies as if they were facts.’ P57

‘Generic cynicism makes us feel hip and alternative even as we slip along with our fellow citizens into a morass of indifference.’ P65

‘If tyrants feel no consequences for their actions in the three-dimensional world, nothing will change’. P76

‘When we take active interest in matters of doubtful relevance at moments that are chosen by tyrants, oligarchs, and spooks, we are participate in the demolition of our own political order.’ P83

‘Make sure you and your family have passports’. P87

‘Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.’ P94

‘And to make history, young Americans will have to know some’. P113