El ocaso de la democracia: La seducción del autoritarismo
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- Create Date：2021-05-12 12:16:13
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Anne Applebaum
- ISBN：B08YPCHRHK
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Summary
From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond， liberal democracy is under siege， while authoritarianism is on the rise。 In Twilight of Democracy， Anne Applebaum， an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West， explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy。 In this captivating essay， she contends that political systems with radically simple beliefs are inherently appealing， especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else。
Despotic leaders do not rule alone; they rely on political allies， bureaucrats， and media figures to pave their way and support their rule。 The authoritarian and nationalist parties that have arisen within modern democracies offer new paths to wealth or power for their adherents。 Applebaum describes many of the new advocates of illiberalism in countries around the world， showing how they use conspiracy theory， political polarization， social media， and even nostalgia to change their societies。
Despotic leaders do not rule alone; they rely on political allies， bureaucrats， and media figures to pave their way and support their rule。 The authoritarian and nationalist parties that have arisen within modern democracies offer new paths to wealth or power for their adherents。 Applebaum describes many of the new advocates of illiberalism in countries around the world， showing how they use conspiracy theory， political polarization， social media， and even nostalgia to change their societies。
Reviews
Steven Hix
，
This was really close to being a top notch book。 I learned a whole lot about the exact path of descent in Polish politics and some of the parallels with Western powers， but it all comes from the perspective of somebody who reads the news and then decided to write a book about her experience reading the news。The author has a lot of interesting personal anecdotes to add， but often fails to connect them to her main thesis in a unique way。 Huge chunks of the book are about how she has lost friendshi This was really close to being a top notch book。 I learned a whole lot about the exact path of descent in Polish politics and some of the parallels with Western powers， but it all comes from the perspective of somebody who reads the news and then decided to write a book about her experience reading the news。The author has a lot of interesting personal anecdotes to add， but often fails to connect them to her main thesis in a unique way。 Huge chunks of the book are about how she has lost friendships because of politics， but that's not unique; her friends are just more influential than most people's。I love the concept of the book and wanted to badly to love the book itself， but it comes up slightly short。 She's a fantastic writer and obviously thinks deeply about these things， but I was hoping for some more inside knowledge， and it never came。 。。。more
Maria
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I appreciate that the book was easy to read and the reasoning easy to follow。 It introduced me to some new concepts and connections between ideas but I can't forgive it the lack of balanced criticism。 The book is definitely subjective and opinionated while saying it's not which I generally condemn。 I also felt like Applebaum was quite separated from the life of the regular folk。 She's like 'yay， capitalism， now we have WiFi and catering in our village' which is quite a skewed and untrue view of I appreciate that the book was easy to read and the reasoning easy to follow。 It introduced me to some new concepts and connections between ideas but I can't forgive it the lack of balanced criticism。 The book is definitely subjective and opinionated while saying it's not which I generally condemn。 I also felt like Applebaum was quite separated from the life of the regular folk。 She's like 'yay， capitalism， now we have WiFi and catering in our village' which is quite a skewed and untrue view of what has happened in Poland during the last 20-30 years。（Restorative nostalgia， extremities， authoritarism， Europe， Brexit， Prawo i Sprawiedliwość） 。。。more
Catherine
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Excellent book to read if you want to feel hopeless about our current state of the world and it’s possible trajectory。 I found it a bit odd how obsessed the author is with parties and name dropping the people she invites to them。 Overall thesis is interesting and worth exploring but it was lacking some depth。 Of course the world needs intellectuals to promote the concept of authoritarianism to the common folk。。。。 but the actual psychology of why these people are bonkers must go further than a lo Excellent book to read if you want to feel hopeless about our current state of the world and it’s possible trajectory。 I found it a bit odd how obsessed the author is with parties and name dropping the people she invites to them。 Overall thesis is interesting and worth exploring but it was lacking some depth。 Of course the world needs intellectuals to promote the concept of authoritarianism to the common folk。。。。 but the actual psychology of why these people are bonkers must go further than a longing for the days of yore。 。。。more
Bucket
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Excellent book。 I had to giggle a few times as it's obvious that part of the author's motivation for writing this book boils down to trying to understand what the fuck happened to her formerly awesome friends。 But overall as a leftist it was refreshing to read a book raising the alarm about extremism from someone on the right （she calls herself "center-right"）。 So many of these books are written by leftists （or at least the ones I come across）， and it was interesting to get another take。 Appleba Excellent book。 I had to giggle a few times as it's obvious that part of the author's motivation for writing this book boils down to trying to understand what the fuck happened to her formerly awesome friends。 But overall as a leftist it was refreshing to read a book raising the alarm about extremism from someone on the right （she calls herself "center-right"）。 So many of these books are written by leftists （or at least the ones I come across）， and it was interesting to get another take。 Applebaum is not shy about pointing to the dangers of both right AND left-wing extremism/authoritarianism， which I find left-wing authors often sugarcoat or gloss over。 It was also interesting to hear her thoughts on why individuals in government， sooner or later， begin to turn away from democracy。 Recommended。 。。。more
Diane C。
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While Anne Applebaum is a bit of a name dropping sort of conservative journalist， as a few Goodreads reviewers assert， she has also written an absorbing， very relevant book that I would recommend anyone read。 Page 75 of the book analyzes the Brexit movement as an allegory for the disgruntled discontent of cultures wanting to stay the same and needing a scapegoat for why things are changing too much， instead of embracing a new world。 Also， an eye opener about the authoritarian movements and admin While Anne Applebaum is a bit of a name dropping sort of conservative journalist， as a few Goodreads reviewers assert， she has also written an absorbing， very relevant book that I would recommend anyone read。 Page 75 of the book analyzes the Brexit movement as an allegory for the disgruntled discontent of cultures wanting to stay the same and needing a scapegoat for why things are changing too much， instead of embracing a new world。 Also， an eye opener about the authoritarian movements and administrations in Poland and Hungary。 。。。more
Julier
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Interesting ideas and well-written。 I find it fascinating to "talk" with people who actually have been in the middle of what they're writing about。 I don't agree with a lot of Applebaum's basic views， but found it thought-provoking。 Wish I had read it along with someone to discuss it with。。。。 Interesting ideas and well-written。 I find it fascinating to "talk" with people who actually have been in the middle of what they're writing about。 I don't agree with a lot of Applebaum's basic views， but found it thought-provoking。 Wish I had read it along with someone to discuss it with。。。。 。。。more
Tia Suplizio
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Deeply insightful and equally disturbing， Anne Applebaum outlines the anti-democracy， pro-authoritarian movement in Western Europe and the US。 It’s no mistake that this shift is interrelated and connected to the far left rhetoric of Soviet communism and equally connected to the far right facsimile， racism， and white nationalism of Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy。
Alexandre Borges
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Lamentável como uma escritora do porte de Anne Applebaum se preste ao papel de cometer um livro em que， em nome da tolerância， destila um desprezo esnobe e injustificável em relação a amigos e conhecidos que ousam pensar diferente dela， misturando no mesmo saco figuras como o extremista Viktor Orbán e gigantes do quilate de Roger Scruton。A autora de livros fundamentais sobre a URSS mostrou uma face mesquinha e constrangedora， uma mancha desnecessária em seu currículo。
Micebyliz
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Finished this the other day and have already recommended it several times。 I don't think i've read everything Anne Applebaum has written but i like to pretend that i have :） flipping my hand over my forehead as if， ah yes， i know her personally， hahahaShe is an excellent writer， astute and perceptive。 I value her insights and clear-eyed analysis of politics。 Finished this the other day and have already recommended it several times。 I don't think i've read everything Anne Applebaum has written but i like to pretend that i have :） flipping my hand over my forehead as if， ah yes， i know her personally， hahahaShe is an excellent writer， astute and perceptive。 I value her insights and clear-eyed analysis of politics。 。。。more
Keen
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2。5 Stars！Applebaum covers some interesting ground， focusing a lot on the political climate of Poland with the Law and Justice Party， with some background on Smolensk air disaster and the Kurski brothers， Orban in Hungary， the Vox party in Spain as well as the usual Trump and Brexit spiel。 This account never quite manages to shrug off the smug， metropolitan elite tone about it， that really grated on me。 Story after story about all of her other immensely white privileged “friends”， contacts and h 2。5 Stars！Applebaum covers some interesting ground， focusing a lot on the political climate of Poland with the Law and Justice Party， with some background on Smolensk air disaster and the Kurski brothers， Orban in Hungary， the Vox party in Spain as well as the usual Trump and Brexit spiel。 This account never quite manages to shrug off the smug， metropolitan elite tone about it， that really grated on me。 Story after story about all of her other immensely white privileged “friends”， contacts and husband （former member of The Bullingdon Club along with Boris Johnson）。 And oh yes it all sounds rather cosy and jolly and all the bon vivants and liars and killers。 I enjoyed this in places， but after a while I really found her tone to be nauseating and I soon tired hearing all about her rich， powerful and boring friends from various parts of the world。 This was originally an article and it you can really tell， there is a lot of padding and a real lack of cohesion or polish and as a result this reads like a collection of loose thoughts and half-hearted arguments that don’t really go anywhere significant or conclude anything we haven’t read before。 。。。more
Dorin
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The book is an essay， full of anecdotes， short stories and short biographies。 Applebaum draws from her own experiences as a journalist， as a historian， as an American living in the UK or Poland， as a politician’s wife， and from her many connections。 It’s not eye-opening or very original。 It has an impact though。 The dividing lines she presents， in a number of different countries， paint a grim picture。 We are undoubtedly headed to a new way of doing politics。 This will probably mean decades of ma The book is an essay， full of anecdotes， short stories and short biographies。 Applebaum draws from her own experiences as a journalist， as a historian， as an American living in the UK or Poland， as a politician’s wife， and from her many connections。 It’s not eye-opening or very original。 It has an impact though。 The dividing lines she presents， in a number of different countries， paint a grim picture。 We are undoubtedly headed to a new way of doing politics。 This will probably mean decades of manipulation， authoritarianism and shift in values。 Things that work for some dictators are replicated by others。 We have to thank new technologies， social media and its fancy algorithms。 Being born in a place where these things happen all the time， I don’t have that much experience with democracy and all the good things it entails。 But for some， the disappointment will be enormous。 They should not prepare for a zombie apocalypse; they should prepare for this。I hate the polarized society I live in and I hate that this polarization is deliberately constructed but some for their selfish interest。 Small men with their big egos。 。。。more
Pedro Esperanca
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Nice opinion piece on why some prefer to follow loud conspiracy theories rather than harder to accept facts。
Jack
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Great concept， mediocre product。
Merili
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Klatširaamat。 Mõnus lugemine， aga mis sellest jääb？
Sergio Alonso De Leon
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People are often attracted to authoritarian ideas because they are bothered by complexity。 They dislike divisiveness。 They prefer unity。 A sudden onslaught of diversity， diversity of opinions， diversity of experiences， therefore makes them angry。 They seek solutions in new political language that makes them feel safer and more secure
Helga Maria （lifeinabook）
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3。5 - I'm stuck somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars。This book won't be for everyone。 I liked seeing the current political climate from the eyes of a conservative that hadn't fallen into the far-right side of the political spectrum。 Someone who has different political views than I do， but we are still playing the same game， not like far-right who seem to be playing GTA while I'm playing Monopoly。Overall， I enjoyed the book and would recommend the audiobook。 It wasn't what I thought it was and it ce 3。5 - I'm stuck somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars。This book won't be for everyone。 I liked seeing the current political climate from the eyes of a conservative that hadn't fallen into the far-right side of the political spectrum。 Someone who has different political views than I do， but we are still playing the same game， not like far-right who seem to be playing GTA while I'm playing Monopoly。Overall， I enjoyed the book and would recommend the audiobook。 It wasn't what I thought it was and it certainly didn't change my opinion on anything， but it was interesting。 。。。more
Barbara （The Bibliophage）
，
Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。Anne Applebaum isn’t an author I’d normally read。 But， on the recommendation of a friend， I picked up her book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism from the library。 It’s short but presents a variety of anti-democratic and authoritarian political events and figures， mostly outside the US。 Applebaum is a writer and political journalist based in Poland， where she lives with her Polish-born husband。 Her insights into Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。Anne Applebaum isn’t an author I’d normally read。 But， on the recommendation of a friend， I picked up her book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism from the library。 It’s short but presents a variety of anti-democratic and authoritarian political events and figures， mostly outside the US。 Applebaum is a writer and political journalist based in Poland， where she lives with her Polish-born husband。 Her insights into that country’s conservative and right-leaning changes make up a good portion of the book。 She details individual politicians and their rise to prominence。 But she also discusses the conservative press in Poland， which has a significant impact on citizens’ thinking。 Then she broadens her scope and discusses other European countries， the European Union， and the United States。 The drive for Brexit in Great Britain figures particularly strongly in her narrative。 My conclusionsApplebaum is always front and center in this book。 It’s about her relationships to various figures but isn’t billed as a memoir。 Essentially， she’s discussing the political landscape as if she’s inside the structure。 While I suppose she’s objective， I don’t know her work or the situations well enough to be sure。 I learned a lot from this book。 But I’m also glad it was fairly short， because Applebaum doesn’t belabor her points。 By keeping it brief， she also only presents one side of the story。 Her focus is on the moderate folks becoming more conservative as time passes。 The way she includes changes in the press coverage and the journalists themselves is also a vital part of this book。 She illustrates how politics and journalism are intertwined as she addresses each region。 Twilight of Democracy lent another perspective to my reading about authoritarian leaders。 And it’s very current with a relatively small amount of history。 Applebaum assumes her readers know the basics。 After reading this book， brush up on your history and read Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present by Ruth Ben-Ghiat。 There’s very little overlap between the two books。 If you’re a liberal reader like me， I recommend this book as a short window into both European politics and conservative political changes overall。 。。。more
Youssef Abdelgawad
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Applebaum displays erudition and makes a point to tell us how well connected she is， but barely explains what the seductive lure of authoritarianism is， and thus fails at its main objective。
Chelsie
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2。5 stars
Nadia
，
All I had to do was check out the works cited page （which included multiple Daily Mail， Telegraph， and American Conservative articles） to know that this wasn’t the book for me ❤️ Also if you’re gonna cite the Regan/Thatcher era as your ideal democracy， I am also not interested！
Joan
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“It is better described as simple-mindedness: people are often attracted to authoritarian ideas because they are bothered by complexity。 They dislike divisiveness。 They prefer unity。 A sudden onslaught of diversity—diversity of opinions， diversity of experiences—therefore makes them angry。 They seek solutions in new political language that makes them feel safer and more secure。” This is a really short book， where I really enjoyed the authors personal accounts of her relationships and how they ch “It is better described as simple-mindedness: people are often attracted to authoritarian ideas because they are bothered by complexity。 They dislike divisiveness。 They prefer unity。 A sudden onslaught of diversity—diversity of opinions， diversity of experiences—therefore makes them angry。 They seek solutions in new political language that makes them feel safer and more secure。” This is a really short book， where I really enjoyed the authors personal accounts of her relationships and how they changed over the years。 She talks of Brexit， Poland， and US politics and how complexity is too much for people and how its easier to listen to the black and white of the despot。 。。。more
Holly Dolezalek
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This is a dire but ultimately hopeful book that tries to explain the rising tide of authoritarianism in the world， not just in the U。S。 It puts what we're seeing here in the U。S。 in a world context， and demonstrates that what's happening here is not unique。 Applebaum doesn't try to offer a solution; she does something much more valuable at the moment， which is to point out that there is never a "final" solution to a problem like this one。 There is only creativity and hard work to combat the rese This is a dire but ultimately hopeful book that tries to explain the rising tide of authoritarianism in the world， not just in the U。S。 It puts what we're seeing here in the U。S。 in a world context， and demonstrates that what's happening here is not unique。 Applebaum doesn't try to offer a solution; she does something much more valuable at the moment， which is to point out that there is never a "final" solution to a problem like this one。 There is only creativity and hard work to combat the resentment and anger of those who aren't winning in the current order， and/or those are not interested in a lively debate and turn to authoritarians because it's easier。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Janine
，
（In Australia， this book was titled 'Twilight of Democracy: the Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends'。 I'm racking my brains to work out why the change in title）。I was aware of Anne Applebaum's work on the Soviet gulags， and I think that I have read several of her essays and pieces in various journals and newspapers， but I confess that it didn't really occur to me to wonder about her own political affiliations。 That's just as well， because I probably wouldn't have read this book otherw （In Australia， this book was titled 'Twilight of Democracy: the Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends'。 I'm racking my brains to work out why the change in title）。I was aware of Anne Applebaum's work on the Soviet gulags， and I think that I have read several of her essays and pieces in various journals and newspapers， but I confess that it didn't really occur to me to wonder about her own political affiliations。 That's just as well， because I probably wouldn't have read this book otherwise， closed as I am in my own little leftish-leaning progressive bubble。 In this book， which is a mixture of memoir and political argument， Applebaum talks about her falling out with her friends， most of whom would fit into that American Enterprise Institute， Thatcheritish， conservative-leaning （but not Trumpian） Republican world of intellectuals and diplomats。 。。。She draws on examples from across the Northern hemisphere， but concentrates on Brexit in the UK， Trump's America， Hungary， Poland and Spain。 In all these countries， far-right parties have been supported by 'intellectuals'。 Why？ she asks。 They operate from a variety of motives， she suggests。 It is not a charitable list。。。。But by March 2020 the world had changed again with the abrupt closure of borders because of COVID。 She ends by being unsure which future faces us: perhaps we are living through the twilight of democracy and heading towards anarchy or tyranny; or perhaps the coronavirus will inspire a new sense of global solidarity。 （I think that vaccine nationalism has put an end to that optimistic hope）。 She reminds us that liberal democracies have always demanded things from citizens: participation， argument， effort and struggle （p。 189）。 And they always acknowledged the possibility of failure。For my complete review please visithttps://residentjudge。com/2021/04/22/。。。 。。。more
Prateek Jain
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Book chronicles how authoritarian regimes and their support is growing globally with focus on Europe specifically Poland where the author lives and her husband works in the Polish govt。 Book describes her interactions which friends and colleagues who have slowly moved towards right and how it is now normal。 It talks about UK and US as well in same context。 It does not get into much details about the what’s the cause behind it or the history of it。 That part is left uncovered。 For me that’s the p Book chronicles how authoritarian regimes and their support is growing globally with focus on Europe specifically Poland where the author lives and her husband works in the Polish govt。 Book describes her interactions which friends and colleagues who have slowly moved towards right and how it is now normal。 It talks about UK and US as well in same context。 It does not get into much details about the what’s the cause behind it or the history of it。 That part is left uncovered。 For me that’s the part which I am most interested in and it left a bit to be desired。 。。。more
Michael Fasano-McCarron
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A page-turner of plausible explanations for our current moment
Andrés Talero
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Interesting， but I wanted a little more insight。 Possibly hope with a way out of authoritarian rule。 Ends with a “maybe” and it bummedme out。 She describes nihilism as the virus， but doesn’t offer an antivirus。
Thom
，
Conservative author Anne Applebaum examines authoritarianism， visible in both parties but predominantly represented by the previous president。 She makes some excellent points about current media and historical authoritarians， and reaches a good conclusion。Authoritarianism is a tendency， held by a percentage of humans worldwide。 It takes different forms in different parties and situations。 The definition the author settles on -“Authoritarianism appeals， simply， to people who cannot tolerate compl Conservative author Anne Applebaum examines authoritarianism， visible in both parties but predominantly represented by the previous president。 She makes some excellent points about current media and historical authoritarians， and reaches a good conclusion。Authoritarianism is a tendency， held by a percentage of humans worldwide。 It takes different forms in different parties and situations。 The definition the author settles on -“Authoritarianism appeals， simply， to people who cannot tolerate complexity: there is nothing intrinsically “left-wing” or “right-wing” about this instinct at all。 It is anti-pluralist。 It is suspicious of people with different ideas。 It is allergic to fierce debates。 Whether those who have it ultimately derive their politics from Marxism or nationalism is irrelevant。 It is a frame of mind， not a set of ideas。” Through examining history in Poland， the UK and the US， and finally France （Dreyfus）， she looks at both when authoritarianism has held sway and what techniques have been used to promote it。 This last is especially interesting in the recent administration and their grip on one news source。 This results in a muddled section describing how an ideal candidate is packaged for the masses。 This seems a little too easy an explanation， and a bit off track - easier to focus on the authoritarian aspects。In the conclusion， she does come back to those aspects。 The definition of country may be the biggest hook of the authoritarian， who in most cases do not like where they live。 The majority of Americans do like where we live， and that unity of people， purpose and history may be the key to keeping authoritarians in the background， at least during this generation。 History points out that this can be a largely cyclical effect。I found the book thought provoking， 4 of 5 stars。 。。。more
Salty Swift
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I don’t know why I bother with books that regurgitate what we already know。。。 Orban and Kaczynski and the Trump cult are evil but so what。。。so what if half of the author’s old friends are now enemies as they turned towards autocratic， fascist tendencies。 Recommended solely for those who are in the dark as to the basics of world political schemes of the past two decades。
Hollie Buckey
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Came across as an opportunity to name drop， rather than what I read it for， an analysis of anti-democracy。 I did learn about some Polish politics， which made me give an extra star。
Kim Arne Hammerstad
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