Analysis Of Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny

Who could have possibly envisioned that the American public would appoint a tyrant as president of the United States―a seemingly free and fair country? Timothy Snyder writes On Tyranny to prepare readers for tyranny that may not be as remote or as improbable as they may believe with the Trump Administration as his main focus. The twenty lessons inform the audience on strategies to thwart fascism before it overpowers a nation. As a professor of history at Yale University and a novelist, he uses his expertise on Nazism and Communism to construct his arguments (Snyder, 88). In On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder skillfully connects tyranny in European history to tyranny of the twentieth-first-century as well as utilizing logical reasoning. However, his …show more content…
In chapter six, he forewarns the audience of a paramilitary that infiltrates pre-existing systems of force and later becomes supreme. Moreover, the writer makes a juxtaposition between Donald Trump and tyrants by including an example of when Trump encourages supporters to attack and harm opposers of his ideologies: “as a candidate, the president ordered a private security detail to clear opponents from rallies but also encouraged the audience itself to remove people who expressed different opinions”(Snyder, 32). He then makes a strong emotional appeal to Americans' ingrained hate of Nazi’s by mentioning an instance where Hitler removed rivals: “Nazi storm troopers began as a security detail clearing the halls of Hitler's opponents during his rallies” (Snyder, 31). Lumping Trump’s behavior with Hitler’s behavior accelerates the explanation, and almost does not allow time to separate the two men; the president can display despicable behavior without being compared to Hitler; Donald Trump exhibits tyrannical conduct independent of previous dictator’s actions. In A Man of the People, Nanga, a tyrant in the eyes of Odili the protagonist, removes anyone who disagrees with his own ideas and anyone who would disturb the peace. Nanga’s security officers expel Odili from a rally after he denounces the minister’s …show more content…
Tyranny is not some threat that could harm the United States hundreds of years from now. A cruel and oppressive rule continues to be a real menace of today and the past. Most Americans could never imagine that voters would elect a tyrant to govern the United States, but historically, the United States government shares certain qualities with tyranny from the founding of the