On Tyranny Prologue & Lessons 1-4 Summary & Analysis

Prologue

In the Prologue, Snyder discusses the concept of tyranny and the potential for the United States to devolve into a fascist state. To avoid this outcome, Americans must look to events from the 20th century. After reviewing the aftermaths of World War I, World War II, and the 1989 collapse of the Soviet Union, Snyder warns that these events demonstrate the fragility of democracy. With increased globalization, fascism and communism rose in the 20th century but ultimately failed. The goal of the book is to present 20 lessons from the 20th century for Americans to keep in mind going forward.

1: Do not obey in advance

Lesson 1 opens with a statement that authoritarian power is often granted by a population looking ahead at what a worse government would demand. Snyder calls such behavior anticipatory obedience. Mass conformity allowed Adolf Hitler to structure a new government after being elected. When Nazi Germany annexed Austria, the lack of resistance from Austrians allowed for widespread mistreatment of Austrian Jews. Such instant obedience told Nazi leadership what was possible. In an effort to explain anticipatory obedience and German conformity under Nazi rule, Stanley Milgram organized an experiment at Yale University in 1961. The first group of participants were instructed to question and then deliver electric shocks to a second group of participants, without knowing that the second group of participants were secretly involved in the experiment and that their screams of pain were a pretense. Most participants in the first group were willing to harm the second group. Milgram concluded that in a new, unfamiliar setting, people are very submissive to authority and easily manipulated.

2: Defend institutions

Lesson 2 opens with a statement that institutions are incapable of defending themselves but are key to preserving decency. This lesson includes an excerpt from a German newspaper editorial from February of 1933. The author, a German Jew, does not believe that Hitler will deprive German Jews of their rights, because the government is designed to keep powers in check. According to Snyder, it is a mistake to assume that a leader who has declared an intent to destabilize the system in which they were elected will not actually do so. Less than a year after the editorial was published, Germany was a one-party country with no opposition.

3: Beware the one-party state

Lesson 3 opens with a statement that single-party states exploited a moment in history to remove their opposition. This lesson argues that while Americans view the United States as a stronghold of democracy against the world, American democracy must be protected from Americans themselves. This requires that citizens who value democracy should defend democratic elections, vote, and run for office. The lesson lists several elections (Germany in 1932, Czechoslovakia in 1946, and Russia in 1990) that were each the last free election held in that country for a very long time. Most people do not realize when they are voting for the last time. Snyder argues that, to survive, America must eliminate gerrymandering, use paper ballots (to avoid hacking), remove private funding from campaigns, and forbid insurrectionists from running for office.

4: Take responsibility for the face of the world

Lesson 4 opens with a statement regarding the use of symbols. People should not get used to symbols of hate. The lesson discusses the use of labels and propaganda to influence opinions. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union portrayed successful farmers as pigs, encouraging their peers to attack them and steal from them. Eventually, the Soviet Union seized most of the farmland for collective farms and many people starved. In Germany, the Nazis started by labeling shops as “Jewish” or “Aryan,” which established a foundation for separating people. The end of the lesson warns against using symbols of national pride, especially if they can be used to exclude specific parts of the population. An excerpt from Václav Havel’s “The Power of the Powerless” describes a greengrocer putting a poster with a government slogan in his shop window. The slogan is meaningless. The poster is a symbol of loyalty to the system, which discourages others from resisting.

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