In 2021 I read Bloodlands by Snyder and found it to be an informative read that was well researched and looked forward to reading this book. I knew this book would not have the same level of information based on the difference in length. However I started it with an eager anticipation. I probably rated this book lower than I would have had I not read Bloodlands first.

Snyder begins by reminding us that “History does not repeat, but it does instruct.” He then provides a definition of tyranny as follows “the usurpation of power by a single individual or group, or the circumvention of law by rulers for their own benefit.”

Synder warns us of the fragility of democracy and then begins to outline his 20 lessons. The lessons he would have us learn seemed like a good list but explanations were lacking. He compares Hitler to Trump but he never mentions Trump by name preferring to refer to him as the American President.

His examples for lesson 14 seemed to be in conflict with lesson 10. Believe in Truth is lesson 10. Lesson 14 is Establish a Private Life. The two lessons sound like they would go hand in hand but he could have picked more illustrative examples for lesson 14. He uses the Hillary Clinton (who he also fails to mention by name)email scandal as an example and states “Words written in one situation make sense only in that context. The very act of removing them from their historical moment and dropping them in another is an act of falsification.“ It appears he is making an argument against truth here.

Finally in his epilogue he states the case against populism and how the populist goal is to return to the 1930s. Using Brexit as his case in point he notes “ Those who advocated Brexit, the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, imagined a British nation-state, though such a thing never existed. There was a British Empire, and then there was Britain as a member of the European Union.” I was struck by this passage. How was there never a British nation-state? Surely something had to precede the empire. Then he doubled down and noted “France, like Britain, has never existed without either an empire or a European project.”

I think there are valuable lessons to learn about tyranny from the 20th century and I think there is an application to modern times, however I was not swayed by the arguments made in this book.

Overall it is a valuable exercise to learn from the past especially in matters of liberty and tyranny but Snyder did not convince me that populism must inherently lead to tyranny and that Donald Trump is the Hitler of our day. I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars.