On Tyranny was published in February 2017, just one month into the current administration. Reading it over a year later only confirms the warnings Snyder puts out there. A professor of history at Yale, Snyder specializes in the history of Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Holocaust. In other words, he knows his material. Using the historical realities of Nazi Germany, Soviet Communism, and Russian oligarchy, Snyder provides a concise history lesson as to the methods used by those in power to subdue and control the general population. And it is not difficult to see variations of these same methods being used in this country today. This reality is bone-chilling.
In the time it would take me to write about each of the twenty lessons put forth in the book, you could read it yourself. (And you should.) Instead, let me briefly react to a few of them.
#2: Defend institutions. You know what's happening. Scott Pruitt's EPA is rolling back environmental regulations and putting forth policies in denial of climate change. Ben Carson's HUD wants to raise rent for low-income Americans receiving federal housing subsidies. And Betsy DeVos sees education reform as a way to "advance God's Kingdom." It would appear that the current President purposely selected Cabinet appointees that would undermine everything those institutions are in place to uphold.
#3: Beware the one-party state. Look at any map designating the current blue and red states and you will see the imbalance. While Pew Research concludes that 48% of registered voters lean Democratic compared to 44% of voters who lean Republican, the map is overwhelmingly red. Gerrymandering has been going on for many years, leading us to this crazy imbalance. The Republican members of the House and Senate who remain silent in the face of this dangerous administration are complicit for one reason only: to maintain the majority and control all three branches of government.
#6: Be wary of paramilitaries. The NRA lobby. Armed white supremacists marching in Virginia. Mobs at political rallies removing protesters. Law enforcement using violence on those guilty of breathing while being black. Arming school teachers. Aggressive tactics by ICE. You get the picture.
#9: Be kind to our language. George Orwell warned us long ago. Aside from the name-calling by the Bully-in-Chief, other manipulative words and phrases are creeping into our lexicon. On a political level, we hear more and more about "the deep state" and "alternative facts." But even advertising has taken on the language of fear. Beware of "the dark web" and the trolls and bots. Even a phrase as innocuous as "the American people" is divisive. Whenever Mitch McConnell refers to "the American people," I know that he is not including me. Fake news!
#10: Believe in truth. As of two weeks ago, the Liar-in-Chief has told a whopping 3,001 lies during his time in office! And his pathological lying has become the new normal. We barely bat an eye at his latest fabrications. "Post-truth is pre-fascism," Snyder warns us.
#11: Investigate. Accordingly, the President mentions "that Rusher thing" at least twenty times a day. Robert Mueller is indeed getting under his skin. No matter how many times the man who is the focus of that investigation utters, "No collusion," the work goes on, despite rumors of his intention to fire Mueller. "The leader who dislikes the investigators is a potential tyrant," says Snyder. Indeed.
#16: Learn from peers in other countries. Xenophobia is nothing new. But those who proudly state that they see no reason to travel outside of this country have dug their heels in. "America first!" they cry. I suspect it is nationalism, not patriotism, that informs them. Or just plain fear of the other. But the truth is that citizens of other countries have much they can teach us. At the very least, they can provide us with perspective. The irony of Americans getting drunk on tequila to celebrate Cinco de Mayo while chanting, "Build the wall!" is breathtaking.
"We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism in the last century. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience . . . " Snyder warns us that history is what can save us. "History gives us the company of those who have done and suffered more than we have."
Listen up.
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