Thread by @charleshb

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

01. Do not obey in advance.
02. Defend institutions.
03. Beware the one-party state.
04. Take responsibility for the face of the world.
05. Remember professional ethics.

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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

06. Be wary of paramilitaries.
07. Be reflective if you must be armed.
08. Stand out.
09. Be kind to our language.
10. Believe in truth.

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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

11. Investigate.
12. Make eye contact and small talk.
13. Practice corporeal politics.
14. Establish a private life.
15. Contribute to good causes.

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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

16. Learn from peers in other countries.
17. Listen for dangerous words.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
19. Be a patriot.
20. Be as courageous as you can.

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On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by
@TimothyDSnyder

01. Do not obey in advance.

Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer 5/x

...themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do. 6/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

02. 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. 7/x

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. 8/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

03. Beware the one-party state.

The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their 9/x

opponents. So support the multi-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections. Vote in local and state elections while you can. Consider running for office. 10/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

04. Take responsibility for the face of the world.

The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. 11/x

Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so. 12/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

05. Remember professional ethics.

When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without 13/x

lawyers, or to hold show trials without judges. Authoritarians need obedient civil servants, and concentration camp directors seek businessmen interested in cheap labor. 14/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

06. Be wary of paramilitaries.

When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. 15/x

When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

07. Be reflective if you must be armed.

If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding 17/x

themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no. 18/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

08. 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. Remember Rosa Parks. 19/x

The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow. 20/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

09. Be kind to our language.

Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. 21/x

Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books. 22/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

10. Believe in truth.

To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. 23/x

If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights. 24/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

11. Investigate.

Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on the internet 25/x

is there to harm you. Learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns (some of which come from abroad). Take responsibility for what you communicate with others. 26/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

12. Make eye contact and small talk.

This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, 27/x

break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life. 28/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

13. Practice corporeal politics.

Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. 29/x

Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them. 30/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

14. Establish a private life.

Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware on a regular basis. Remember that email is skywriting. 31/x

Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Tyrants set the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have hooks. 32/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

15. Contribute to good causes.

Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life. Pick a charity or two and set up autopay. 33/x

Then you will have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good. 34/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

16. Learn from peers in other countries.

Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends in other countries. The present difficulties in the United States are an element of a larger trend. 35/x

And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports. 36/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by
@TimothyDSnyder

17. Listen for dangerous words.

Be alert to the use of the words extremists and terrorism. Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception. 37/x

Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary. 38/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by
@TimothyDSnyder

18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.

Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. 39/x

The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. DO NOT FALL FOR IT. 40/x

@Wrecksdart @TimothyDSnyder Thanks for the retweet, @Wrecksdart

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

19. Be a patriot.

Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it. 41/x

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by @TimothyDSnyder

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. 42/42