Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in On Tyranny, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Collapse of American Democracy
Tyranny and the Consolidation of Power
Political Action and Civic Responsibility
History and Memory
Summary
Analysis
People should fund charities and participate in organizations that matter to them. Freedom is not only about individuals defending their rights from the government but also about people choosing whom to associate with, whether for political reasons or not. Citizen associations are the foundation of “civil society,” and they help people trust and learn from others. Like 20th-century communists and fascists, contemporary authoritarian governments oppose such organizations because they are a way for people to preserve their freedom.
Supporting groups that form part of “civil society,” or the non-governmental portions of a society's collective political life, is analogous to Snyder’s second rule (“Defend institutions”). In addition to helping specific groups survive and pursue their goals, by participating in civic organizations people help preserve the institution of civil society itself—of public life not controlled by the government.
Themes
