On Tyranny

Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, written and read by Timothy Snyder.History does not repeat, but it does instruct.In the twentieth century, European democracies collapsed into fascism, Nazism and communism. These were movements in which a leader or a party claimed to give voice to the people, promised to protect them from global existential threats, and rejected reason in favour of myth. European history shows us that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse, and ordinary people can find themselves in unimaginable circumstances.History can familiarise, and it can warn. Today, we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to totalitarianism in the twentieth century. But when the political order seems imperilled, our advantage is that we can learn from their experience to resist the advance of tyranny.Now is a good time to do so.

Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, written and read by Timothy Snyder.History does not repeat, but it does instruct.In the twentieth century, European democracies collapsed into fascism, Nazism and communism. These were movements in which a leader or a party claimed to give voice to the people, promised to protect them from global existential threats, and rejected reason in favour of myth. European history shows us that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse, and ordinary people can find themselves in unimaginable circumstances.History can familiarise, and it can warn. Today, we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to totalitarianism in the twentieth century. But when the political order seems imperilled, our advantage is that we can learn from their experience to resist the advance of tyranny.Now is a good time to do so.

"On Tyranny" er Timothy Snyders tankevækkende perspektiv på hvad vi lærte om demokratiets forgængelighed og fald i det 20. århundrede. Og som på faretruende vis kan gentage sig den dag i dag. I det 20. århundredets Europa kollapsede europæiske demokratier på stribe og heraf fremvoksede fascisme, nazisme og kommunisme. Det var bevægelser, hvor en leder eller et parti hævdede at give magten til folket, lovede at beskytte dem fra globale trusler, og fornægtede fornuften til fordel for myten. Europas historie viser, at samfund knække, demokratier kan falde, etik kan forsvinde og normale mennesker kan pludselig befinde sig i utænkelige situationer. I dag er vi ikke klogere end de europæere fra forrige århundrede, som så til mens demokratiet blev udbyttet med totalitarisme. Men vi kan lære af deres historie og erfaring og modstå tyranniets vækkelse. Det er det ildevarslende budskab i "On Tyranny" fra den amerikanske professor i historie, Timothy Snyder.

"On Tyranny" er Timothy Snyders tankevækkende perspektiv på hvad vi lærte om demokratiets forgængelighed og fald i det 20. århundrede. Og som på faretruende vis kan gentage sig den dag i dag. I det 20. århundredets Europa kollapsede europæiske demokratier på stribe og heraf fremvoksede fascisme, nazisme og kommunisme. Det var bevægelser, hvor en leder eller et parti hævdede at give magten til folket, lovede at beskytte dem fra globale trusler, og fornægtede fornuften til fordel for myten. Europas historie viser, at samfund knække, demokratier kan falde, etik kan forsvinde og normale mennesker kan pludselig befinde sig i utænkelige situationer. I dag er vi ikke klogere end de europæere fra forrige århundrede, som så til mens demokratiet blev udbyttet med totalitarisme. Men vi kan lære af deres historie og erfaring og modstå tyranniets vækkelse. Det er det ildevarslende budskab i "On Tyranny" fra den amerikanske professor i historie, Timothy Snyder.

Den anerkendte historiker Timothy Snyder, der har stor viden om fascismens historie, guider med bogen "On Tyranny" læseren til at overleve og modstå USAs bevægelse mod autoritarisme. Den 9. november 2016 vågnede millioner af amerikanere til en uventet nyhed: valget af Donald Trump som præsident. Trods alle forventninger blev en af de mindst afholdte præsidentkandidater nogensinde valgt af flertallet af valgmandskollegiet, hvilket placerede en mand med åben foragt for demokratiske normer i en af verdens største magtpositioner. I sin bog trækker Holocaust-specialisten Snyder på de mørkeste timer fra det 20. århundrede for at skabe håb for fremtiden. "On Tyranny" er et opråb til modstand, der indeholder uvurderlige forslag til, hvordan amerikanerne kan vedligeholde deres frihed i en fremtid, der lige nu synes usikker.

Den anerkendte historiker Timothy Snyder, der har stor viden om fascismens historie, guider med bogen "On Tyranny" læseren til at overleve og modstå USAs bevægelse mod autoritarisme. Den 9. november 2016 vågnede millioner af amerikanere til en uventet nyhed: valget af Donald Trump som præsident. Trods alle forventninger blev en af de mindst afholdte præsidentkandidater nogensinde valgt af flertallet af valgmandskollegiet, hvilket placerede en mand med åben foragt for demokratiske normer i en af verdens største magtpositioner. I sin bog trækker Holocaust-specialisten Snyder på de mørkeste timer fra det 20. århundrede for at skabe håb for fremtiden. "On Tyranny" er et opråb til modstand, der indeholder uvurderlige forslag til, hvordan amerikanerne kan vedligeholde deres frihed i en fremtid, der lige nu synes usikker.

2015 Reprint of 1948 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "On Tyranny" is Leo Strauss's classic reading of Xenophon's dialogue "Hiero," or "Tyrannicus," in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising tyranny. Strauss taught that liberalism in its modern form contained within it an intrinsic tendency towards extreme relativism, which in turn led to two types of nihilism. The first was a "brutal" nihilism, expressed in Nazi and Marxist regimes. In "On Tyranny," he wrote that these ideologies, both descendants of Enlightenment thought, tried to destroy all traditions, history, ethics, and moral standards and replace them by force under which nature and mankind are subjugated and conquered. The second type-the "gentle" nihilism expressed in Western liberal democracies-was a kind of value-free aimlessness and a hedonistic "permissive egalitarianism", which he saw as permeating the fabric of contemporary American society. In the belief that 20th century relativism, scientism, historicism, and nihilism were all implicated in the deterioration of modern society and philosophy, Strauss sought to uncover the philosophical pathways that had led to this situation. The resultant study led him to advocate a tentative return to classical political philosophy as a starting point for judging political action. "On Tyranny is a complex and stimulating book with its 'parallel dialogue' made all the more striking since both participants take such unusual, highly provocative positions and so force readers to face substantial problems in what are often wholly unfamiliar, even shocking ways." --Robert Pippin | History and Theory

2015 Reprint of 1948 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "On Tyranny" is Leo Strauss's classic reading of Xenophon's dialogue "Hiero," or "Tyrannicus," in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising tyranny. Strauss taught that liberalism in its modern form contained within it an intrinsic tendency towards extreme relativism, which in turn led to two types of nihilism. The first was a "brutal" nihilism, expressed in Nazi and Marxist regimes. In "On Tyranny," he wrote that these ideologies, both descendants of Enlightenment thought, tried to destroy all traditions, history, ethics, and moral standards and replace them by force under which nature and mankind are subjugated and conquered. The second type-the "gentle" nihilism expressed in Western liberal democracies-was a kind of value-free aimlessness and a hedonistic "permissive egalitarianism", which he saw as permeating the fabric of contemporary American society. In the belief that 20th century relativism, scientism, historicism, and nihilism were all implicated in the deterioration of modern society and philosophy, Strauss sought to uncover the philosophical pathways that had led to this situation. The resultant study led him to advocate a tentative return to classical political philosophy as a starting point for judging political action. "On Tyranny is a complex and stimulating book with its 'parallel dialogue' made all the more striking since both participants take such unusual, highly provocative positions and so force readers to face substantial problems in what are often wholly unfamiliar, even shocking ways." --Robert Pippin | History and Theory

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The "bracing" ( Vox ) guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism, from a "public intellectual unafraid to make bold connections between past and present" ( The New York Times )--now in hardcover for the first time "Timothy Snyder reasons with unparalleled clarity, throwing the past and future into sharp relief. He has written the rare kind of book that can be read in one sitting but will keep you coming back to help regain your bearings."--Masha Gessen The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Originally published in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the prescient ideas contained in On Tyranny prompted The Guardian to anoint Snyder "the leading interpreter of our dark times." Now those ideas resonate more than ever. On Tyranny is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The "bracing" ( Vox ) guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism, from a "public intellectual unafraid to make bold connections between past and present" ( The New York Times )--now in hardcover for the first time "Timothy Snyder reasons with unparalleled clarity, throwing the past and future into sharp relief. He has written the rare kind of book that can be read in one sitting but will keep you coming back to help regain your bearings."--Masha Gessen The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Originally published in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the prescient ideas contained in On Tyranny prompted The Guardian to anoint Snyder "the leading interpreter of our dark times." Now those ideas resonate more than ever. On Tyranny is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come.