Book of the Month

With the end of the Cold War, the triumph of liberal democracy was believed to be definitive. Observers proclaimed the end of history, assured of a peaceful, globalized future. However, we now recognize this as premature.

Authoritarianism first reemerged in Russia, where Putin constructed a political system centered on consolidating and exercising power. Over the past six years, it has gradually spread from east to west as nationalism rises in Europe, fueled by Russian propaganda and cyber warfare. While countries like Poland and Hungary have sharply leaned toward authoritarianism, the electoral surprises of 2016 revealed that citizens in the US and UK were rebelling against their countries’ longstanding policies and values. This challenge to the West provides a deeper understanding of the foundations of our political system. In this impactful and incisive exploration of modern history, Snyder goes beyond the surface to uncover the true nature of the threat facing democracy. By highlighting the significant choices we face—between equality and oligarchy, individuality and totalitarianism, truth, and deception—Snyder refreshes our awareness of the principles that underpin our existence, offering a pathway forward amid profound uncertainty.

Timothy Snyder is the Richard C. Levin Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. A scholar of the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust, Snyder speaks five and reads ten European languages, has written 16 books, including six on Ukraine, and co-edited two. His work, published in forty languages, has inspired political demonstrations, sculpture, posters, punk rock, rap, film, theater, and opera and earned him six state orders and decorations from Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland, as well as?four honorary doctorates.

His other book,?On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,?is on my shelf. Like this one, it is mandatory reading in our current political environment.