It dawns on you that there aren’t really rules to history. Eventually you hit some sort of a crisis where it dawns on you that progress is not automatic. The American version of (the politics of inevitability) is something like, the free market’s going to bring about democracy and happiness, and those are just the rules and there’s not really much that can be done one way or the other. “Virtues are inseparable from the institutions they inspire and nourish.” These qualities are not mere platitudes or preferences, but facts of history,” he writes. “(I)ndividuality, endurance, cooperation, novelty, honesty and justice figure as political virtues. Snyder centers on the notion that the world may be lurching from a “politics of inevitability” - the notion, as Snyder writes, that a better future is ahead, “the laws of progress are known, that there are no alternatives, and therefore nothing to be done” - and a “politics of eternity,” or the idea that time is “a circle that endlessly returns to the same threats from the past … (that posits) that government cannot aid society as a whole, but can only guard against threats.”įraming the book with six political virtues, Snyder offers alternatives in his chapter titles: Individualism or Totalitarianism Truth or Lies. He has both.' - The Economist You may also be interested in.“The Road to Unfreedom” offers a brief, potent and carefully documented history of Vladimir Putin’s consolidation of power in Russia, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S.

'A rollercoaster world calls for a news editor's skills in processing facts and a philosopher's ability to dissect ideologies. Vividly and insightfully told.' - Edward Lucas, The Times 'Snyder's central thesis is a strong one.

'One of the best.brisk, conceptually convincing account of democracy's retreat in the early years of 21st century.' - Luke Harding, Guardian Meticulously researched and footnoted.' - Tim Adams, Observer Snyder's forensic examination of, for example the news cycle that followed the shooting down of flight MH17 makes essential reading. 'This story of how Russia dismantled democracy, and the man who set its template for fake news, is chilling and persuasive. 'A brilliant and disturbing analysis, which should be read by anyone wishing to understand the political crisis currently engulfing the world.' - Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens and Homo Deus

The road to unfreedom book