Reading news in politics and humanity across the world, it’s impossible for me not to feel overwhelmed by trying to make sense of the state of politics and humanity. It’s hard not to wonder where all these crises will lead us, or who, if anyone, will manage to steer us out of them.

That’s when I came across Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, a book recommended on social media as an underrated gem that connects history to our current reality. Curious, I gave it a read, and I was not disappointed. Snyder’s writing reveals striking parallels between today’s challenges and pivotal moments from the past. He reminds us that, while history doesn’t repeat itself, it offers powerful lessons. One line, in particular, stayed with me: “History does not repeat, but it does instruct.”

At just 128 pages, On Tyranny is short but monumental in impact. Thus, it’s the kind of book that recommended to be read by everyone. It delivers “aha” moments on every page, making you rethink about the world. Its relevance and clarity make it a gift worth sharing, especially with those who might need a gentle nudge to consider how history influences our future.

Snyder distills his insights into twenty concise lessons, each serving as a practical guide for resisting tyranny and protecting democracy. Snyder’s writing encourages readers to take small but meaningful actions to safeguard democracy and resist authoritarianism.

The fight against tyranny begins with each of us. By taking these lessons to heart and acting on them, we can contribute to a brighter, more just future. If you’re searching for a powerful and concise read to inspire change, On Tyranny should be at the top of your list.

Here are the twenty lessons with favorite bits that struck me the most:

1. Do not obey in advance – Be critical and challenge blind obedience.

Anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy (..) At the every beginning, anticipatory obedience means adapting instinctively, without reflecting, to a new situation.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

2. Defend institutions – Protect democracy’s foundations from decay.

Choose an institutions you care about—a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union, and take its side.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

3. Beware the one-party state – A lack of political diversity endangers freedom.

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.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

4. Take responsibility for the face of the world – Your choices shape society.

Life is political, not because the world cares about how you feel, but because the world reacts to what you do. You might one day offered the opportunity to display symbols of loyalty. Make sure that such symbols include your fellow citizens rather than exclude them.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

5. Remember professional ethics

Professions can create forms of ethical conversation that are impossible between a lonely individual and a distant government. If members of professions think of themselves as groups with common interests, with norms and rules that oblige them at all times, then they can gain confidence and indeed a certain kind of power.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

6. Be wary of paramilitaries – Uniformed militias following a leader signal the system’s collapse.

Most government seek to monopolize violence. If only the government can legitimately use force, and this use is constrained by law, then the forms of politics that we take for granted become possible. (..) For violence to transform not juts the atmosphere but also the system the emotions of rallies and the ideology of exclusion have to be incorporated into the training of armed guards. These first challenge the police and military then penetrate the police and military, and finally transform the police and military.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

7. Be reflective if you must be armed – Recognize the gravity of violence.

Authoritarian regimes usually include a special riot police force whose task is toi disperse citizens who seek to protest, and a secret state police force whose assignments include the murder of dissenters or others designated as enemies. Without the conformists, the great atrocities would have been impossible.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

8. Stand out – Have the courage to oppose injustice, even when it’s uncomfortable.

It is those who were considered exceptional, eccentric, or even insane in tehir own time—those who did not change when the world around them did—whom we remember and admire today.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

9. Be kind to our language – Disconnect from the internet, read books, and do not easily say what other people say.

More than half a century ago, the classic novels of totalitarianism warned of the domination of screens, the suppression of books, the narrowing of vocabularies, the associated difficulties of thought. What to read? any good novel enlivens our ability to think about ambigous situations and judge the intentions of others.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

10. Believe in truth – Facts matter; resist the spread of lies.

Now, as then, many people confused faith in a hugely flawed leader with the truth about the world we all share.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

11. Investigate – Think critically, support journalism, and share responsibly.

Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Take responsibility for what you communicate with others. Since in the age of internet we are all publishers, each of us bears some private responsibility for the public’s sense of truth. We do not see the minds that we hurt when we publish falsehoods, but that does not mean we do no harm. If we can avoid doing violence ti the minds of unseen others on the internet, others will learn to do the same. And then perhaps our internet traffic will cease to look like one great, bloody accident.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

12. Make eye contact and small talk – Being neighborly builds trust and breaks social barriers.

13. Practice corporeal politics – Participate in civic life beyond the digital realm.

The choice to be in public depends not the ability to maintain a private sphere of life we are free only when it is we ourselves who draw the line between when we are seen and when we are not seen.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

14. Establish a private life – Protect your privacy, think before posting, and meet in person.

Totalitarianism is the erasure of the difference between private and public life. We are free only insofar as we exercise control over what people know about us, and in what circumstances they come to know it.

Hannah Arendt, a political thinker.

15. Contribute to good causes – Support movements that uphold justice and equality.

16. Learn from peers in other countries – Lacking global perspective limits imagination and endangers democracy.

It allows us to see how other people, sometimes wiser that we, react to similar problems. Since so much of what has happened in the last year is familiar to the rest of the world or form recent history, we must observe and listen.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

17. Listen for dangerous words – Question patriotic language and beware of power-grabbing excuses.

18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives – Beware of authoritarian manipulation during terror events.

19. Be a patriot – Patriotism grows through lessons we pass to future generations.

History and experience that reveals to us the dark range of our possible futures. A nationalist will say that “it can’t happen here,” which is the first step toward disaster. A patriot sats that it could happen here, but that we will stop it.

Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

20. Be as courageous as you can – Small acts of bravery ripple into larger change.

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Author: Timothy Snyder

Publication date: 28 February 2017

Number of pages: 127 pages

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