On Tyranny [book]

I'm intrigued. I'm currently working on some research into the same topic, but mostly through the lens of the concessions made by these "new" ways of thought (Communism/Bolshevism and Nazism/Volkism) to older systems of power.

For example, Nazis abandoned all semblance of "socialism" by essentially handing Germany over to industrialists as a means to save the then-struggling economy.

On the other side, Bolsheviks resurrected the practices of the Okhrana, the tsarist secret police, as a means of stomping out dissent. This would give way to organizations like the KGB.

These two populist movements were meant to deconstruct power, but instead gave way to even more terrifying tyranny. The more I study the continuous reform/reaction that occurred in the last years of Tsarist Russia, I can't help but notice how hard the pendulum is beginning to swing here in the States.

> The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy.

what tyranny?

The one from the Imperial rule from the King of England (King George III), right before the American Revolution was won, in 1776.

He has a new book On Freedom, too. I haven't read it yet, but I have watched him give excellent talks on youtube, which reference it.

I believe his core thesis in On Freedom is that America has focused on negative freedom, when what really matters is positive freedom.

"Negative freedom" is the idea that no government should interfere with your life. Authoritarian regimes arbitrarily exercise power, and that results in people being prevented from doing things or forced to do things. Maybe that's restrictions on speech or protest. Focusing on "negative freedom" turns people against their governments, which creates a sort of power vacuum anyone with resources is happy to fill. Negative freedom is good, nobody should want the government interfering with their lives, but focusing solely on negative freedom leads to authoritarianism. We can see this effect right now with "free speech absolutists" functionally becoming oligarchs.

He says what people should focus on instead is "positive freedom" -- The idea that you have the freedom to do what you want. If you don't have health, money, or education, you can't really be free. There is no freedom in a hospital bed. So healthcare creates positive freedom. Building housing lets you spend more money on things you want to do instead of rent, that's positive freedom. Without education, you are more easily victimized by those who wish to manipulate you and you are less capable of producing things of value. So education is freeing.

He also has two major series of talks.

One, I believe, touches on his book The Road to Unfreedom and is absolutely worth watching if you have any interest in politics.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej_D0YkDjy8

The other is a reading of On Tyranny as well as discussion of each chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tocssf3w80&list=PLhZxrogyTo...

He also has a substack with quality information and analysis: https://snyder.substack.com/

He says from a historian's perspective what is happening is a coup and it is also very likely a decapitation strike, particularly if we imagine what is happening here were happening to a foreign country: https://archive.is/fNpSS https://archive.is/1xkxK

The East India Company undercutting prices on their smuggled tea and harming their bottom line.