If you're responding to this with a joke about living it now or a book by trump, it's already been done. I don't need more of those posts. It also makes it harder to follow the serious suggestions.
@mmasnick.bsky.social Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism by Monbiot; The Origins of Totalitarianism by Arendt; Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu. Literally anything on the Verso homepage rn https://www.versobooks.com/
I like The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. It revealed how hollowing out the core curriculum of engineering law and MBA students would lead to fascism.
- How Democracies Die by Levitsky & Ziblatt & Tyranny of the Minority by same authors.
- Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen
- On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
- Prequel by Rachel Maddow
-Confronting Christofascism by Carolyn Baker
NGL my brain read "On Tyranny" as *on Tyrion* as in Tyrion Lannister... And honestly if Tyrion Lannister wrote books about how democracies die I'd read it. Heck, I'd read anything from Tyrion Lannister. (Game of Thrones by the way)
P.S. I saw a tiktok talking about "On Tyranny" ...must read it now
Levitsky and Ziblatt, How Democracies Die. About the failures of conservative elites, not the particular ways of seizing power we’re watching in horror this weekend, but that’s where to start. Because conservative elites should be horrified too and are on the hook for history’s judgment.
It's not a joke. Corruption in government or political circles is a product of pushing the lines of legality and truth to get your benefits. Art of the Deal by Trump:
"I discovered, for the first time but not the last, that politicians don’t care too much what things cost. It’s not their money."
I recommend "End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration" by Peter Turchin
I don't necessarily think it's the end all be all in understanding such complex circumstances, but it's an interesting perspective in tandem with a lot of suggestions already made here!
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer will provide an unsettling account of how similar the Nazification of Germany was with how the MAGAification of the US is going now.
I’m reading “While England Slept” by Winston Churchill in 1938. Also reading “The origins of the Second World War” by A.J.P Taylor 1961. Both very relevant to current events.
This! It’s a brief, easy read on ways to combat tyranny. I took two copies and put them in local free library boxes yesterday. There’s even a graphic novel version if that suits you best. Here’s a PDF summary of the 20 rules, starting, of course, with the infamous don’t obey in advance.
i think there is a free on you can find online, its called i think the original title was called "Twitter" then they renamed it to keep up with neo youth. I think they went with "American History X" but trimmed it down to just X... The writing is bad but its very popular with voters.
"The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town 1922-1945," William Sheridan Allen.
He delves into how all different people in a German town thought and behaved during the rise of the Nazis. Super interesting, and not very different from us.
This authoritarian character* type was standard in the German Empire of Prussian type.
He despised the freedom and democracy of the republic and longed for an empire and a leader, which he got with the Nazis and Hitler.
*The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by a disposition to treat authority figures with unquestioning obedience and respect.
Conceptually, the term authoritarian personality originated from the writings of Erich Fromm. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_personality
Considering the psychological and socialpsychological causes helps to understand the gradual transition from democracies to authoritarian systems.
In contrast to dictatorships, which arise more suddenly with the help of revolution or military coup.
@mmasnick.bsky.social dunno but Carroll Quigley's The Evolution of Civilizations is a good one on how civilizations collapse and IMO, it's a better read for our current situation, esp when one consisders the backdrop of climate change
Just picked this book up from the library today. I started with the epilogue (weird, I know, but…) and it’s already grabbed me. I’ll have to order a copy of my own, but NOT from Amazon.
On the fiction side, I’m reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower/Talents right now. Harrowing but brilliant and very prescient as to how *our* democracy might fail.
Frankly I wish I had started with another book(s) of her’s. Hitting way too close to home.
Jahner's Vertigo: The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany is a very different take on the interwar period and has lots of interesting nuggets to digest about democratic society and norms
Everything about the Third Reich.
Fiction, based on facts, ore non fiction.
And there are so much dairy’s left from survivors.
Go to your local library and asks where to begin.
In addition to the many great books already mentioned, I found "Let Them Eat Tweets" by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson helpful for explaining some of the current political dynamics in U.S. - about the danger of plutocratic populism
I haven't read his book yet, but Professor @timothysnyder.bsky.social explains the coup and how to resist it. Best summary I've read so far re what is happening. He also has a book "On Tyrrany" 20 Lessons from the 20th Century.
Two political scientists specializing in how democracies decay and die have compiled four warning signs to determine if a political leader is a dangerous authoritarian:
1 The leader shows only a weak commitment to democratic rules.
“A politician who meets even one of these criteria is cause for concern,” Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, professors at Harvard, write in their book, “How Democracies Die”.
“First published in 1955, They Thought They Were Free is an eloquent and provocative examination of the development of fascism in Germany. Mayer’s book is a study of ten Germans and their lives from 1933-45, based on interviews he conducted after the war when he lived in Germany.”
The Origins of Totalitarianism – Hannah Arendt
A classic, that explains how totalitarian regimes (Nazism, Stalinism) rise from democratic breakdowns. We've got it in the UK, all Media & Press behind it all.
When the people rule, there is opportunity for growth and self-actualization. The things that individuals do resonate across society. With despots and autocrats, the people are merely cogs and cannon fodder. War is inevitable because it is the only thing that repels conquest from outside.
Comments
Although I'm not sure it exactly covers the situation we are in (if that's your subtext)
- Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen
- On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
- Prequel by Rachel Maddow
-Confronting Christofascism by Carolyn Baker
P.S. I saw a tiktok talking about "On Tyranny" ...must read it now
"I discovered, for the first time but not the last, that politicians don’t care too much what things cost. It’s not their money."
I don't necessarily think it's the end all be all in understanding such complex circumstances, but it's an interesting perspective in tandem with a lot of suggestions already made here!
Just on a podcast ("Amicus", from Slate) with Dahlia Lithwick
How do we make enough people angry at the Fascists?
An excellent guidebook to killing democracy.
chris hedges: "empire of illusion" and "death of the liberal class".
History has a funny way of rhyming.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/07/five-of-the-best-books-about-democracy-in-crisis
The Origins of Totalitarianism (3 book collection)
The Dictator’s Handbook
He delves into how all different people in a German town thought and behaved during the rise of the Nazis. Super interesting, and not very different from us.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/99395.The_Nazi_Seizure_of_Power
Man in a high Castle
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/contributor/donald-j-trump/_/N-2k7u
From Dictatorship to Democracy
The Anti-Coup
Heinrich Mann satirically portrayed such a type of man from the imperial era in his novel "The Loyal Subject" (1914).
He despised the freedom and democracy of the republic and longed for an empire and a leader, which he got with the Nazis and Hitler.
Conceptually, the term authoritarian personality originated from the writings of Erich Fromm.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_personality
In contrast to dictatorships, which arise more suddenly with the help of revolution or military coup.
by Nancy Isenberg
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents Paperback – February 14, 2023
by Isabel Wilkerson
Twilight Of Democracy: The Seductive Lure Of Authoritarianism – Anne Applebaum
Fascism: A Warning – Madeleine K. Albright
Published in 1933, it captures every conversation you’re having now.
Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino
Red hats, red shirts...same difference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AORz0OgEVHI
Frankly I wish I had started with another book(s) of her’s. Hitting way too close to home.
The mass psychological side.
This is dark stuff, but it's a rabbithole i never returned from. Maybe the first 4 or 5 books by Arno Gruen right after.
Also check out Sarah Kendzior but prepare to be terrified.
And no, that’s not a joke response.
https://harpers.org/archive/2014/03/nothing-left-2/
Fiction, based on facts, ore non fiction.
And there are so much dairy’s left from survivors.
Go to your local library and asks where to begin.
1 The leader shows only a weak commitment to democratic rules.
3 He or she tolerates violence.
4 He or she shows some willingness to curb civil liberties or the media.
Donald Trump meets them all.
Check out Heather Cox Richardson’s daily posts that combine history and today.
“after the fall” by ben rhodes
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/democracies-and-authoritarian-regimes-9780198820819
Discourses on Livy?
https://countercurrents.org/orlov131108.htm
I'd pay to see it
any hannah arendt
i just picked up 'on tyranny'
A classic, that explains how totalitarian regimes (Nazism, Stalinism) rise from democratic breakdowns. We've got it in the UK, all Media & Press behind it all.
https://ecetemelkuran.net/how-to-lose-a-country/
𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆
https://open.substack.com/pub/patricemersault/p/welcome-to-the-book-club-of-complicity?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can't_Happen_Here
by Jared Diamond
The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator
by Timothy C. Winegard