'Talk not only about what is to be lost but what can be gained.'

Timothy Snyder is an American historian specializing in the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust. He argues that the defunding of departments of history and the humanities have led to a society without the "concepts and references" or structural tools to responsibly consider "eroding factors" such as modern forms of populism.

He first published these twenty lessons from the twentieth century seven years ago, "first as a kind of online declaration, and then with historical examples, in a pamphlet called On Tyranny .

"They were written in advance of the first Trump presidency, and have been used since in the U.S. and around the world.

"For those who want democracy and the rule of law in the United States after 2024, I would only add: now is the time to organize, to prepare to win locally and nationally, and to talk not only about what is to be lost but what can be gained."

BOOK EXCERPT: On Tyranny

'Talk not only about what is to be lost but what can be gained.'

A general blueprint for how any cooperative human group can function well

Given libraries’ unique combination of broad accessibility, civic neutrality, and deep public trust, policymakers should embed them intentionally within health and social planning frameworks.

"Socialism has been as impossible to separate from the narrative of the nation’s history as the capitalist economy itself."

"Just keep moving forward, even if the steps are small.”