Timothy Snyder

American historian Timothy Snyder is an expert in twentieth-century Europe and the author of On Tyranny. Snyder’s areas of interest are the fascist and extremist communist movements of mid-twentieth-century Europe. He often draws connections between the growth of such movements and the rise of right-wing governments in contemporary societies. In On Tyranny, Snyder uses a prophetic and often pithy writing style which often addresses readers as “you” and exhorts them to take action against the growth of tyranny in today’s world.

Adolf Hitler

The dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, Adolf Hitler is known as one of history’s worst tyrants. Not only did Hitler initiate World War II by attacking Poland in 1939, he also planned and executed the Holocaust, the massacre of six million European Jews, along with millions of communists, political dissidents, and minorities, such as the Roma people. Hitler and his politics are often referenced in Snyder’s text in order to point out chilling similarities with contemporary right-wing movements and to illustrate how tyrants consolidate power. Just as many Americans believe in their exceptionalism and the infallibility of their democratic institutions, some Germans initially believed that Hitler would never actually enact his propaganda against Jews. However, Hitler’s atrocities highlight how a popularly elected leader can destroy democracy to horrifying ends.

Donald Trump

Snyder refers to Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, as simply “the president” and perceives him as a grave threat to American democracy. Using strategies borrowed from fascist and communist oligarchs, the president tries to damage institutions such as courts, the free press, and the Constitution. Snyder notes that one of the defining political stratagems of the president is his deliberate use of falsehoods to blur the line between lies and truth and discredit his critics. Another disturbing characteristic is the president’s propensity to incite his followers to violence. The president also promises to “make America great again,” evoking a return to a mythical past that never existed in the first place. He also frequently makes misogynistic and racist remarks that are divisive in nature. According to Snyder, Americans must not underestimate the danger the president poses to American democracy and must act urgently to resist his authoritarian tendencies.

Vladimir Putin

Russia’s president from 1999 to 2008 and again from 2012 onwards, Vladimir Putin is described by Snyder as having an authoritarian style. Snyder criticizes Putin’s tyrannical tendencies and his use of violence to secure power. According to Snyder, Putin, a former member of the Russian secret service, possibly carried out a series of bombings to create a moment of crisis in Russia and blamed the bombings on the minority Muslims of Russia’s Chechnya region. Not only has Putin used such violent tactics to strengthen his own position, he has also attempted to topple governments in France and Ukraine. Snyder also states that Putin may have tilted the 2016 election in the United States in Trump’s favour by leaking information to denigrate Trump’s main opponent, Hilary Clinton. According to Snyder, Trump admires Putin’s tactics, which confirms Trump’s tyrannical tendencies.

Teresa Prekerowa

A Polish historian who was a teenager in the polish Capital of Warsaw during the Holocaust, Teresa Prekerowa is cited by Snyder as an example of the rare, brave individual who stands up to tyranny. After Warsaw’s Jewish population was forced into a cramped ghetto, most non-Jewish people chose to look the other way. However, young Prekerowa would secretly bring in food and medicines into the ghetto and eventually helped a Jewish family escape. Though an adult Prekerowa thought her actions were “normal,” Snyder notes...