--- product_id: 40216471 title: "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" price: "€ 15.89" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/40216471-on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the-twentieth-century store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century **Price:** € 15.89 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century - **How much does it cost?** € 15.89 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/40216471-on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the-twentieth-century) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “bracing” ( Vox ) guide for surviving and resisting America’s turn towards authoritarianism, from “a rising public intellectual unafraid to make bold connections between past and present” ( The New York Times ) “Timothy Snyder reasons with unparalleled clarity, throwing the past and future into sharp relief. He has written the rare kind of book that can be read in one sitting but will keep you coming back to help regain your bearings.”—Masha Gessen The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. On Tyranny is a call to arms and a guide to resistance, with invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come. Review: Real Action - Historical Examples Review: Love ittt - A short but very powerful book. It explains historical lessons about democracy and authoritarianism in a clear and accessible way. Even though it’s a quick read, it gives you a lot to think about. Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in history, politics, or civic responsibility. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,316 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Civics & Citizenship (Books) #4 in Democracy (Books) #11 in Sociology Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 35,722 Reviews | ## Images ![On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5176LKi-MLL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Real Action - Historical Examples *by J***N on June 27, 2024* ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love ittt *by A***L on March 10, 2026* A short but very powerful book. It explains historical lessons about democracy and authoritarianism in a clear and accessible way. Even though it’s a quick read, it gives you a lot to think about. Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in history, politics, or civic responsibility. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We must work hard, very very hard to create a paradise *by J***K on March 24, 2021* Make no mistake about it! This is a very important book. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Buy it and read it! "1. Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is feely 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 this way is teaching power what it can do. "8. Stand Out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom … The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow. "2. 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." In the first chapter Snyder gives illustrations of people who follow an authority, no matters how heinous the commands of that authority might be. As you know from the quote above, Point Two is about defending institutions. We saw how the Post Office was attacked in the latter part of 2020. Even buying a sheet of stamps was seen as protecting it. We can go further from there: buy and donate books to a public library. Subscribe to a newspaper, even if the editorial page angers you. Patronize local privately owned businesses. The options are endless. 3. Beware the one-party state. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”: “American democracy must be defended against Americans.” There must always be fair elections. Letting moneyed interests interfere is a bad thing. Seriously, our democracy must be constantly safe-guarded. 4. Take responsibility for the face of the world. Politics are played. If you refuse to play, you become its victim. Symbols of hate, such as the Confederate and Nazi flags, are not to be tolerated or ignored. Speak out and take responsibility (indeed) for the world around you. 5. Remember professional ethics. If the professional class – of any profession – maintains the ethics of their craft, then it makes tyranny more difficult. One must not cooperate with a great evil, or more evil will occur. Stand fast and do good! Be strong! 6. Be wary of paramilitaries. Paramilitaries outside of governments are an incredible danger. Mercenaries on the payroll of government are a catastrophe waiting to happen. Private prisons are immoral and anarchic and the beginning of the end. All this privatizes violence! 7. Be reflective if you must be armed. Every single government employee must retain the right to disobey an illegal order. Riot Squads and Special State Police are immoral; do not participate in such atrocities. This applies to local police forces, legal professionals and civil servants. Don’t participate to just not look weak. Don’t be afraid to stand out. As we look at Point Eight, we see that it’s easier to give in and to conform. The real courage is that of people who stand out, who do what is just no matter how difficult it might be. To not conform, do not surrender, do what is right no matter what the cost is. 9. Be kind to our language. Don’t say the same things everyone else is saying. Don’t use the same buzz-words. Don’t start to limit your vocabulary. Don’t participate in the shrinking of our language. Reading a variety of books will help this. If there is still an underground or avant-garde theater in your town go there! 10. Believe in truth. Do not abandon facts. Do not allow authority figures to be hostile to reality. Do not let endless repetition of nonsense disguise the truth. If you think you are hearing nonsense, you probably are. Do not misplace your faith on charlatans. Do not forget that propaganda is bizarre. Fascists create a web of lies to live by. 11. Investigate. Check the sources of the news you consume. Right now, in America in the years 2020-21, reliable sources are CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, etc. Do not spread false news that caters to your prejudices. Do not be a conspiracy theorist. Support good journalism if you can. Dedicate yourself to the truth. 12. Make eye contact and small talk. Make friends – real friends – lots of friends. It’s a resource that you might need. 13. Practice corporeal politics. Physically get out and do something of a political nature. Affect the three-dimensional world. One can organize while having “screen time”, but then one must go out and meet these people physically. You cannot only do the former. The latter must eventually happen. 14. Establish a private life. Don’t put everything online. Scrub or delete things that are maybe a little bit too public or personal. When you hear or read news: Is it really news, or is it gossip? Make a distinction. It is fine to publicly have a discussion; that is more real. Delete gossip from your thought processes. Don’t feed the rumor machine! 15. Contribute to good causes. It is up to you to create – or co-create – a civil society. Donate money to something that does good. Share in an undertaking. This will make life seem less chaotic and mysterious. 16. Learn from peers in other countries. It is important to be in touch with people in other countries, even moreso to travel there. Like it or not, trends are international. The more we know about the world, the more we can spot things beginning to happen at home – to challenge and fight things happening at home. 17. Listen for dangerous words. Fascists will attach phony meanings to words such as extremism, terrorism, emergency and exception. Don’t let them do this. If someone is using a “patriotic vocabulary” they are probably seeking to manipulate you. This is why the Patriot Act must be dispelled; it violates the Bill of Rights in many areas. Be bold! Be strong! 18. Be clam when the unthinkable arrives. Do not sacrifice you freedoms when terrorism occurs. I am reminded that wartime presidents always get reelected. When the government perverts what is “normal”, you will give it any power to return to what you think is normal – but it’s not normal, it’s just an authoritarian dictatorship in disguise. Beware of faux terror attacks engineered by your government or some other government. 19. Be a patriot. Be an ideal American. Live by high standards, and teach those same standards. Serve your own country. A patriot fights against tyranny in his or her homeland. 20. Be as courageous as you can. “If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.” Epilogue: History and Liberty. Fascism, Nazism, and other forms of Authoritarian Dictatorships are not gone forever. Unless we are on guard, they will return. In order to move from the Dark Ages to a better and brighter future, we cannot sit on our behinds. We must work hard, very very hard to create a paradise. One will not automatically happen. All right? ## Frequently Bought Together - On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century - A People's History of the United States - The Constitution of the United States and The Declaration of Independence --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/40216471-on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the-twentieth-century](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/40216471-on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the-twentieth-century) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*