Category: Politics

Lesson 4:  Take Responsibility for the face of the world.

“The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.”

Tim Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century, 2017.

Symbols matter. They are the outward expression of societal views and represent signs of loyalty to the existing system.

From 1930-33, Joseph Stalin’s oversaw the transformation of the Soviet Union’s agricultural system from one dependent on small peasant farmers to one of Collectivized farms run by the government in order to support rapid industrialization. In order to do this, the larger peasant farms needed to be broken up. The more prosperous peasants who’s land and animals would need to be confiscated to bring Stalin’s policies to life were portrayed as pigs. This symbol was intended to dehumanized them and make them targets of violence from other peasant farmers.

At the same time, the Nazi Party in Germany adopted the symbol of the swastika and used the word “Aryan” to promote itself. They used the sacred symbol of Judaism, the Star of David, to deny basic human rights to German Jews.

Symbols can deify and demonize. We must be aware of them and how they are used by people in power.

Our current situation in the United States is a case in point. The flag of the United States of America, a sacred symbol to Americans, has been co-opted for political reasons to represent opinions and views that are not universally shared by the vast majority of Americans.

I urge you, no I implore you, to proudly display the American flag at your home or office. The symbol of our flag needs to be proudly displayed by all of us. It needs to once again represent all that is good and right and just in this country. It represents immigrants, diversity, compassion, freedom, justice and democracy.

Take back your flag and take back our country. We are being seriously challenged right now. But, we are a courageous, strong and resilient people. We will be ok.

Be well, be strong, be a leader. Hang in there.

Lesson 3:  Beware the one-party state.

“The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents. So, support the multi-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections. Vote in local and state elections while you can. Consider running for office.”

Tim Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century, 2017.

That moment that is right now is the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2019. One of our political parties has taken this event and sought to use it to further their political aim of one party domination of politics in the United Sates of America.

This is a controversial claim. I know that. But, I also think that it needs to be stated out loud so that more and more people are exposed to it, hear it and contemplate it.

American abolitionist Wendell Phillips said “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Several democracies came and went in the 20th Century. They were the victims of major events combined with oppressive actions of the duly elected rulers in the 1930’s-’40’s. These fascist, Nazi and communists took advantage of their moments and democracy was disappeared.

As Dr. Snyder notes, most people who voted for the Nazi Party in 1932 didn’t consider that they would not be voting in another fair and free election for awhile. The only reason why Germans have free elections today is because the Nazis were defeated in 1945. That 1932 election might have been the last one that the German people would ever have. The last Russian election was in 1990. Will there ever be another one in Russia? Not until the Russian people say there will be.

Could this happen in the United States? The answer is, of course it could. When Dr. Snyder first published On Tyranny in 2017, he said this in the book: “We can be sure that the elections of 2018, assuming they take place, will be a test of American traditions. So, there is much to do in the meantime.”

Defend Institutions

“It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So, choose an institution you care about–a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union–and take its side.

Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century, 2017.

(A reminder that I am paraphrasing Dr. Snyder in this post. If you want his entire message, I encourage you to read the book.)

I do think that Dr. Snyder’s message here is very clear. If you believe in something strongly, it is your duty to support it in whatever way that you can.

Do you value good journalism? Subscribe to a publication that offers a printed version of their work. In this way you support news organizations that pay journalists to gather, edit, vet and publish factual news from real sources with actual evidence.

Do you value the vote? Support organizations like Project Vote Smart or Fair Fight.

Do you know anyone or of anyone that is suffering during COVID-19? Support legislation to help them financially, donate to your local food bank, encourage your friends and families to get involved.

Don’t stand by and think that someone else will do the work. You need to do the work. Find the cause that you value and help it to do its work.

Thank God and Timothy Snyder for this book. Timothy Snyder and Jon Meacham (The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels) are my biggest reasons for hope that we will emerge out of this national nightmare.

I am working on my second reading of this little book with big content. I approached Dr. Snyder about printing the book verbatim in my Blog. He pointed out that there would be clear copy write issues with this approach.

So, because I think that getting the content of this book out to my small , but loyal, readership is important, I’ve decided to re-state the lessons at the start of each of the 20 chapters and summarize the contents in my own words.

Dr. Snyder begins his book with these words: “History does not repeat, but it does instruct.” The folks that wrote the Constitution of the United States were concerned that their well conceived democratic institutions would devolve into oligarchy (a small group of people having control of a country, organization or institution) or empire.

Tyranny comes from the Latin tyrannus meaning “illegitimate ruler.” In the 20th Century Fascism and Communism arose in Europe in response to globalization. Nation states fearing that they were loosing control of power turned to Fascism and Communism. Fascists ruled for a decade or two in Italy and Germany in the 1930’s and ’40s. The Soviet version of Fascism lasted over seven decades.

The United States has the chance to learn from history, to seek out and understand where tyranny comes from and what it looks like and then to take action to restore the democratic forces that our nation was founded upon. This will not happen by itself. Dr. Snyder has identified 20 points or lessons that he thinks will help us to do battle with the forces of tyranny in our time.

Speaking of the Contents:

1. Do Not Obey in Advance.
2. Defend Institutions.
3. Beware the one-party state.
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world.
5. Remember professional ethics.
6. Be wary of paramilitaries.
7. Be reflective if you must be armed.
8. Stand out.
9. Be kind to our language.
10. Believe in Truth.
11. Investigate.
12. Make eye contact and small talk.
13. Practice corporeal politics.
14. Establish a private life.
15. Contribute to good causes.
16. Learn from peers in other countries.
17. Listen for dangerous words.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
19. Be a patriot.
20. Be as courageous as you can.

Lesson 1:Do Not Obey in Advance

“Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”

Timothy Snyder

Dr. Snyder gives two examples of this tendency to presumptively following the new ruler in the book.

In 1938 Austria, the decision of a large portion of the Austrian people to follow Adolf Hitler without question decided what would happen to Austrian Jews.

In 1961, a Yale psychologist conducted an experiment to demonstrate why Germans followed along with Hitler in the 30’s and 40’s. He told one group that they would be applying an electric shock to another group in a learning experiment.

The group receiving the “shock” were instructed on what was happening. The people “giving” the shock did not know what they were doing. They witnessed great pain and suffering from people that they did not know. The instructor gave them orders to “increase” the level of the shock until victims complained of chest pain and victims appeared to die. There appeared to be no concern for the fate of their fellow citizens in light of the results of the experiment.

The experiment showed how willing people were to listen to a new ruler and follow them without question.

I encourage you to get a copy of this book:

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. Tim Dugan Books, New York, 2017.