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
Snyder’s epigraph comes from the Polish philosopher Leszek Kołakowski: “In politics, being deceived is no excuse.” History can instruct people, Snyder begins, even if it does not necessarily repeat itself. Informed by ancient philosophy, the American Founding Fathers feared the rise of tyranny— powerful people using their power to benefit themselves rather than the collective. Snyder examines history in 2017, because he, too, believes that the United States risks falling into tyranny.
Snyder uses this epigraph from Kołakowski because his book’s purpose is precisely to give readers the understanding they need to fight tyranny. Deception and diversion are tyranny’s principal strategies, so effectively resisting it—and being a responsible citizen in its face—requires learning to see through it. Developing this understanding requires paying attention to history, both because of the lessons it provides about what tyrants do and also because it acts as a reality check, which people desperately need because contemporary American politics relies on deceiving them about the history of the United States.
Themes
While the Founding Fathers looked at classical antiquity in Greece and Rome, Snyder will look at European democracies founded at three critical periods in the 20th century: 1918, 1945, and 1989. Many of these democracies collapsed, giving way to authoritarian fascist and communist governments that tried and failed to stop globalization. In the 21st century, the United States faces the threat of a similar collapse, and Americans must learn from the past.
While Americans often assume that American democracy will survive any pressures placed on it, the Founders’ dedication to protecting the state from tyranny and the history of 20th-century Europe demonstrate that democracy is actually remarkably unstable, and citizens must take steps to protect it.
Themes
