Politics

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

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  • Create Date：2021-06-23 07:53:14
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  • Author：Anne Applebaum
  • ISBN：0385545800
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Summary

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author， professor， and historian offers an expert guide to understanding the appeal of the strongman as a leader and an explanation for why authoritarianism is back with a menacing twenty-first century twist。

Across the world today， from the Americas to Europe and beyond， liberal democracy is under siege while populism and nationalism are on the rise。 In Twilight of Democracy， prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum offers an unexpected explanation: that there is a deep and inherent appeal to authoritarianism， strongmen， and， especially， to one-party rule--that is， to political systems that benefit true believers， or loyal soldiers， or simply the friends and distant cousins of the Leader， to the exclusion of everyone else。
People， she argues， are not just ideological， they are also practical， pragmatic， opportunist。 They worry about their families， their houses， their careers。 Some political systems offer them possibilities and others don't。 In particular， the modern authoritarian parties that have arisen within democracies today offer the possibility of success to people who do not thrive in the meritocratic， democratic， or free-market competition that determines access to wealth and power。
Drawing on reporting in Spain， Switzerland， Poland， Hungary， and Brazil; using historical examples including Stalinist central Europe and Nazi Germany; and investigating related phenomena: the modern conspiracy theory， nostalgia for a golden past， political polarization， and meritocracy and its discontents， Anne Applebaum brilliantly illuminates the seduction of totalitarian thinking and the eternal appeal of the one-party state。

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Reviews

Piet ，

Bewonderenswaardige poging om de huidige chaotische wereld enigszins te begrijpen。 Het laatste hoofdstuk duidt erop dat verdeeldheid onlosmakelijk verbonden is met de menselijke aard en van alle tijden stamt。 Waarom het nu sterk in de richting van onverdraagzaamheid en autoritaire regimes gaat is niet gemakkelijk te verklaren Applebaum geeft aan dat veel mensen een hekel hebben aan complexiteit en gemakkelijk vallen voor duidelijke taal en nationalistische kreten。Dit verschijnsel zien we duideli Bewonderenswaardige poging om de huidige chaotische wereld enigszins te begrijpen。 Het laatste hoofdstuk duidt erop dat verdeeldheid onlosmakelijk verbonden is met de menselijke aard en van alle tijden stamt。 Waarom het nu sterk in de richting van onverdraagzaamheid en autoritaire regimes gaat is niet gemakkelijk te verklaren Applebaum geeft aan dat veel mensen een hekel hebben aan complexiteit en gemakkelijk vallen voor duidelijke taal en nationalistische kreten。Dit verschijnsel zien we duidelijk in Polen en Hongarije， ook Trumps Amerika lijkt erop en Frankrijk met Le Pen， Spanje met Vox ， Nederland met Wilders en Baudet zijn niet vrij van zorgelijke ontwikkelingen in de richting van intolerantie。 。。。more

Han Far ，

2，5Overfladisk pirking i et mangefasettert fenomen som umulig kan forklares godt på et par hundre sider。 Det blir for mange forenklinger og halvsannheter。 Forfatter haster videre fra tema til tema uten å gå i dybden av noe som helst。 Første del av boka。 Den delen som omhandler Polen og Ungarn er ganske interresant， men alt i alt blir dette for tynt。

Banuta ，

Anna Applebaum writes very well， and the conceit of bookending her story between two parties， some 20 years apart， is a great idea。 Her story and her argument are depressing even though she tries to shoehorn some hope into the last pages; and it's a good thing， too - I can't help wondering whether an abiding sense of inescapable dread is part of growing twenty years older。 That said， the world in 1989 and 1991 did seem at a wonderful pivot and now less so。 I've given it only three stars -- it's Anna Applebaum writes very well， and the conceit of bookending her story between two parties， some 20 years apart， is a great idea。 Her story and her argument are depressing even though she tries to shoehorn some hope into the last pages; and it's a good thing， too - I can't help wondering whether an abiding sense of inescapable dread is part of growing twenty years older。 That said， the world in 1989 and 1991 did seem at a wonderful pivot and now less so。 I've given it only three stars -- it's really more of an essay， than a book -- but I do think it's an important read。 。。。more

Gary Cohen ，

I wish I could say this is a comforting book， but it's really not。 The book is a quick read and provides several different examples of how the more the world changes， the more humankind repeats its behavior。I guess the comforting part is that just as their are those who seek to divide us and cast one or more groups as the "others"， there are also individuals and societies who figure out ways to overcome the divisiveness and misinformation to come together as human beings in a civil and democrati I wish I could say this is a comforting book， but it's really not。 The book is a quick read and provides several different examples of how the more the world changes， the more humankind repeats its behavior。I guess the comforting part is that just as their are those who seek to divide us and cast one or more groups as the "others"， there are also individuals and societies who figure out ways to overcome the divisiveness and misinformation to come together as human beings in a civil and democratic society。So， the two lessons I took from this book are:1。 Never forget history2。 Work with others to build and maintain the society we want to live in 。。。more

Ellen ，

I was especially interested in the focus on Polish politics that this book covered， as well as the author's personal connections to many of the people she discusses。 A short and by no means comprehensive book， but an interesting one nonetheless。 I was especially interested in the focus on Polish politics that this book covered， as well as the author's personal connections to many of the people she discusses。 A short and by no means comprehensive book， but an interesting one nonetheless。 。。。more

Tbuikema ，

Quick and compelling read。 Fascinating and scary。 Offers various views into different societies slide toward authoritarianism。 Equally interesting view into the world of political journalists and thinkers， their interaction and evolution。 Another excellent piece of writing by Anne Applebaum。

Brooks ，

I enjoyed the author’s other work on Russian history， Gulag。 I have been interested in the USA current political instability。 But found this book too focused on personal history of the author’s experiences in Poland， Hungary， and England。 It was filled with personal anecdotes of politicians，almost like name dropping and clearing personal history。 But few have the vantage point of how the hope after the fall of communism went to fascism。

Kris ，

I don’t know that Applebaum’s analysis offers any new insight about which conditions， systems， and type of people advance authoritarianism。 But I find chilling her statements that there is no guarantee our country will retain our democracy， just because our founders created checks and balances to try to preserve it。 Applebaum shows that others have failed and ours may as well。 “Alternative visions” of our nation are in play。 She posits it could go either way。

MangoLoverReads ，

3。75/5 - Not particularly masterfully written but certainly lots to think about here。 A free society costs tolerance of differences， tolerance of things we don’t like， ways of life we may not agree with。 She reminds us that it’s important to care for our democracy by allowing differences of opinion and lifestyle。 Democracy eventually reaches consensus， it is just messy and requires a lot of work， debates， compromise， and ingenuity。She argues that “democracies always demanded things from citizens 3。75/5 - Not particularly masterfully written but certainly lots to think about here。 A free society costs tolerance of differences， tolerance of things we don’t like， ways of life we may not agree with。 She reminds us that it’s important to care for our democracy by allowing differences of opinion and lifestyle。 Democracy eventually reaches consensus， it is just messy and requires a lot of work， debates， compromise， and ingenuity。She argues that “democracies always demanded things from citizens， participation， argument， effort， struggle…tolerance for cacophony and chaos…" "…not all of the things that human beings think are good or desirable are compatible。 Efficiency， liberty， justice， equality…all of these things push us in different directions。”“…democracy and free markets can produce unsatisfying outcomes…。” These don’t appeal to those who “want to belong to a special community， a unique community， a superior community。 … The losers of these competitions were always， sooner or later， going to challenge the value of the competition itself。”“Given the right conditions， any society can turn against democracy。 Indeed， if history is anything to go by， all of our societies eventually will。”Stathis Kalyvas said “Unity is an anomaly。 Polarization is normal。 Skepticism about liberal democracy is also normal。 And the appeal of authoritarianism is eternal。”“Authoritarianism appeals， simply， to people who cannot tolerate complexity…。 It is anti-pluralist。 It is suspicious of people with different ideas。 It is allergic to fierce debates…。 It is a frame of mind， not a set of ideas。 … The emotional appeal of conspiracy theory is in its simplicity。 It explains away complex phenomena， accounts for chance and accidents， offers the believer the satisfying sense of having special， privileged access to the truth。” It appeals to people who want success or power or fame and feel unjustly denied it。 It gives them an opportunity to define a new elite。 Tools are to blame problems on outsiders like immigrants or international organizing bodies; de legitimize institutions; denounce legitimate news as false; promote false narratives built on a grain of truth from new sources posing a ‘news’ and then help those false narratives or “alternative facts” （in other words falsities） become viral and spread。“No political victory is ever permanent， no definition of 'the nation' is guaranteed to last， and no elite of any kind…rules forever。” 。。。more

Mafalda ，

An extremely scary nonfiction book。 It helps to understand how and why authoritarianism is gaining ground and new adherents。 If you don't take my word for how amazing this book is， take Obama's – for him， one of the best books of 2020。 An extremely scary nonfiction book。 It helps to understand how and why authoritarianism is gaining ground and new adherents。 If you don't take my word for how amazing this book is， take Obama's – for him， one of the best books of 2020。 。。。more

Sara Zarr ，

A little light reading on a summer road trip！ Despite the bleak topic， I liked it and found it helpful。 There was one little blip where the author mistakes Franklin Graham for Jerry Falwell Jr。 （which I suppose is understandable， but still）， but overall it’s a good efficient survey of where we are now （“we” meaning a lot of democratic/ish governments around the world） and how we got here。

K ，

This is a concise， very readable account of how authoritarianism has become stronger and more acceptable in several European countries and the US in recent years。 The author gives examples from Poland，Spain， Hungary， UK and the US of how conspiracy theories，social and other media have undermined traditional institutions。 This is done by political operatives，writers and others who often are joking and ironic with their work。 They seem not to have core values but change their stance to advance the This is a concise， very readable account of how authoritarianism has become stronger and more acceptable in several European countries and the US in recent years。 The author gives examples from Poland，Spain， Hungary， UK and the US of how conspiracy theories，social and other media have undermined traditional institutions。 This is done by political operatives，writers and others who often are joking and ironic with their work。 They seem not to have core values but change their stance to advance their career or just bc they are bored and want to be part of a new，exciting movement。 However they are able to persuade enough voters to make a significant impact。 。。。more

Nic Ryan ，

Really interesting read。 Anne is gr8。 I question the inclusion of some of the personal anecdotes。 I now have a few more books to add to ‘want to read’ list。

Peter Timson ，

Excellent summary of where we are today。 Easy read and quite insightful。

Czarny Pies ，

"Twilight of Democracy" is an extremely thin book with no biography in which Anne Applebaum vents her spleen against her former friends who like her in the good old days supported the anti-communist， conservative agenda of Thatcher and Reagan but have since abandoned this camp to serve the alt-right in four different countries。 The book is most remarkable for the vehemence of the loathing that the author expresses for her old companions。 Applebaum perceives that the alt-right as a multi-national "Twilight of Democracy" is an extremely thin book with no biography in which Anne Applebaum vents her spleen against her former friends who like her in the good old days supported the anti-communist， conservative agenda of Thatcher and Reagan but have since abandoned this camp to serve the alt-right in four different countries。 The book is most remarkable for the vehemence of the loathing that the author expresses for her old companions。 Applebaum perceives that the alt-right as a multi-national phenomenon。 She analyses it four different countries。-1- Poland where it manifests itself as the Law and Justice party （a。k。a。 Prawo i Sprawiedliwość; PiS） led by Jarosław Kaczyński-2- Hungary where the leader is Viktor Orbán and the party's name is Fidesz-3- England where the alt-right takes the form of Boris Johnson's Conservatives-4- USA where the alt-right is a faction of the Republicans that follow Donald TrumpThe dominant trait of these alt-right groups is that they rely on “Medium-Sized Lies”; that is to say conspiracy theories， xenophobia and a nostalgia for the mythical societies that existed in their countries before being corrupted by liberalism。 Applebaum justifies her vicious attacks on her former friends who work for these various alt-right groups because they play a vital role: "They ¨（the alt-right parties） need members of the intellectual and elite， who will help them launch a war on the rest of the intellectual and educated elite， even if it includes their university classmates， their colleagues and their friends。" （p。 17） In Applebaum's view here friends who became servants of alt-right are all second-raters who were not good enough to maintian careers in either mainstream journalism or academia。Applebaum states her conceptual framework comes from Julien Benda's "The Treason of the Intellectuals" （a。k。a。 "La trahison des clercs"） （1927） who used to describe the groups of intellectuals who worked for Europe's rising fascist movements。 The treason committed by the facist intellectuals was that they betrayed the vocation of the intellectual to be truthful。 As a result they found themselves promoting nationalism， xenophobia， anti-semitism and the cult of violence。 Their first sin had been to adopt the Hegelian doctrine that the the truth was dynamic and involving rather than fixed and static。 Anyone who reads Benda's book， will see that Applebaum had studied Benda very well and used his ideas very well in her analysis of the Alt-Right。 Throughout her book Applebaum demonstrates a fascination for French culure 。 She compares the lies of the Alt-Right to the anti-Semitic lies of the Dreyfus era。 She invites her reader to take comfort in Marcel Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past" in which the decent people of society rally together and successfully obtain the release of Dreyfus from his incarceration。 I think that Applebaum's book would have been better had she taken into account the theory presented in Umberto Eco's novel "The Prague Cemetery" about the writing of the "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"。 According to Eco purveyors of conspiracy theories never try to tell credible lies; rather they tell the lies that that their audience specifically desire。 Unfortunately for Applebaum， the weakest section of her book is the one in which she deals with the American alt-right which is well known to her readers and the best section is about Poland which her readers would generally know nothing about。 Nonetheless the book should still be read as it succeeds in demonstrating the international nature of the "Alt-Right" movement。 。。。more

Everydayreader1 ，

I have been reading Anne Applebaum's pieces in the Atlantic Magazine and elsewhere for some time。 I find her writing and perspective informative， and it often gives me pause—to think， evaluate， and figure out what I think about an issue， and， more importantly， why I believe as I do。 Such is good for the mind because it keeps it open to change and consideration of new ideas。 I want to keep my mind open to new experiences of ways of looking at life。For these reasons， I wanted to read TWILIGHT OF D I have been reading Anne Applebaum's pieces in the Atlantic Magazine and elsewhere for some time。 I find her writing and perspective informative， and it often gives me pause—to think， evaluate， and figure out what I think about an issue， and， more importantly， why I believe as I do。 Such is good for the mind because it keeps it open to change and consideration of new ideas。 I want to keep my mind open to new experiences of ways of looking at life。For these reasons， I wanted to read TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY， to see if I could better understand how we， as a world， and as a people， got to where we are today。 Many of us polarized， intolerant， unloving， uncaring—unless someone believes exactly as we do。 I was not disappointed。 This book explained some of this。 As I also expected， it gave me pause to consider my own journey， commitment to speak out about human rights， social justice， and my own commitment to following Christ， my reasons for disappointment with the modern church， and a whole host of other topics which， you will see for yourself， if you choose to read this book。 I hope you do make that choice。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Kinga ，

Nie ma planu， jak zbudować lepsze społeczeństwo， nie pouczającej ideologii， jakiegoś wzorca。 Możemy tylko bardzo starannie wybierać sojuszników i przyjaciół。。。bowiem tylko z nimi， działając wspólnie， można uniknąć pokus， jakie najróżniejsze autorytaryzmy oferują raz po raz。 Wszystkie autorytaryzmy polaryzuja， dzielą ludzi na wrogie obozy， a walka z nimi wymaga tworzenia nowych koalicji。Książka Anny Applebaum oferuje nam dość krótki opis upadku demokracji， i wzroście rzadów populistycznych， skraj Nie ma planu， jak zbudować lepsze społeczeństwo， nie pouczającej ideologii， jakiegoś wzorca。 Możemy tylko bardzo starannie wybierać sojuszników i przyjaciół。。。bowiem tylko z nimi， działając wspólnie， można uniknąć pokus， jakie najróżniejsze autorytaryzmy oferują raz po raz。 Wszystkie autorytaryzmy polaryzuja， dzielą ludzi na wrogie obozy， a walka z nimi wymaga tworzenia nowych koalicji。Książka Anny Applebaum oferuje nam dość krótki opis upadku demokracji， i wzroście rzadów populistycznych， skrajno-prawicowych， zakłamanych。 Od Orbana， przez Kaczyńskiego i Vox aż do Trumpa， autorka próbuje znaleść powody dzisiejszej sytuacji politycznej。 Tłumaczy historie tego wieku dość dobrze， jako osoba， która zajmuje się tym na codzień。 Jedyny wątek， tego którego najbardziej potrzebowałam a którego brakowało mi w tej książce， to możliwość wyjścia z tego bagna。 Teraz， kiedy mamy tak trudne sytuacje w wielu krajach， jaka jest szansa na demokracje， na prawdę， na progresywne i liberalne kroki？ Niestety， ani Anne Applebaum， ani inni którzy piszą o naszych czasach nie mogą odpowiedzieć to pytanie: jak z tej nienawiści wyjdziemy？ 。。。more

Thi Ha Kyaw ，

A beautiful and well-versed book about current crisis in western democratic worlds spanning America， Poland， French， Russia。 Good theories behind the rise of Trumpism and how one can overcome by resisting together as global citizens are given。 Highly recommended。

Basti ，

Brilliant Analyses of the shifting politics in the contemporary

Jacob ，

I was hoping to learn about how the Republican Party is flirting with authoritarianism in their fealty to Donald Trump。 What I got were pages of Polish history and talk of Polish politicians with names I can’t pronounce。 My eyes were glazed over。

António Dias ，

Uma análise lúcida sobre o （re）surgimento dos extremismos nas sociedades ocidentais， possíveis causas e perspectiva histórica。 Não é um estudo nem um tratado mas um ensaio bem fundamentado e articulado。 Sem concordar com tudo o que a autora avança ou mesmo com alguns aspectos da forma de expor os assuntos （é meritório o esforço para descolar do ponto de vista americano， sobretudo como fundadores de uma certa democracia， ou para se afastar de "eu"， "eu e os meus amigos"， etc。。。 mas nem sempre con Uma análise lúcida sobre o （re）surgimento dos extremismos nas sociedades ocidentais， possíveis causas e perspectiva histórica。 Não é um estudo nem um tratado mas um ensaio bem fundamentado e articulado。 Sem concordar com tudo o que a autora avança ou mesmo com alguns aspectos da forma de expor os assuntos （é meritório o esforço para descolar do ponto de vista americano， sobretudo como fundadores de uma certa democracia， ou para se afastar de "eu"， "eu e os meus amigos"， etc。。。 mas nem sempre consegue）， vale a pena a leitura para quem se interessa pelo tema。"Parte do que ela vê é real: a suposta «cultura de cancelamento» na Internet， o extremismo que explode por vezes nos espaços universitários e as revindicações exageradas daqueles que praticam políticas de identidade são um problema politico e cultural que necessitarão de verdadeira coragem para combater。 Todavia， já não é claro que ela pense que estas formas de extremismo de esquerda podem ser combatidas com recurso à política democrática normal。" 。。。more

anapao ，

Tuve que leer este libro para escribir un ensayo， entonces empezando por ahí ya sabia que no era un libro que hubiera escogido para leer por mi cuenta。 Tiene pasajes interesantes y es interesante para mí ver cómo la autora que es claramente conservadora era amiga de muchas de las personas sobre las que versa el libro， personas que ahora están involucradas en movimientos de extrema derecha。 En algunas partes sí sentí que idealizaba periodos de la historia que supongo que para los conservadores fu Tuve que leer este libro para escribir un ensayo， entonces empezando por ahí ya sabia que no era un libro que hubiera escogido para leer por mi cuenta。 Tiene pasajes interesantes y es interesante para mí ver cómo la autora que es claramente conservadora era amiga de muchas de las personas sobre las que versa el libro， personas que ahora están involucradas en movimientos de extrema derecha。 En algunas partes sí sentí que idealizaba periodos de la historia que supongo que para los conservadores fueron muy importantes pero no mencionaba también las controversias de ese entonces， como cuando habla sobre el gobierno de Ronald Reagan o Margaret Thatcher。 En general， es un buen libro para analizar el alza de movimientos autoritarios y sí me puso a pensar sobre el porqué tanta gente que es considerada como intelectual o incluso gente "normal" se ve tan atraída hacia estos movimientos。 。。。more

Alvin ，

Early in the book， Applebaum postulates that once you remove the notion that leaders are ordained by God or birth， there will then always be an argument or tension about who will be the leaders and the elite。 In modern democracy， that has been established by merit， work， and competition。 However， there is an allure of authoritarianism which is actually quite old and still working in our world today and certainly played out violently in the 20th century。 It is still with us in 2021。 And the dange Early in the book， Applebaum postulates that once you remove the notion that leaders are ordained by God or birth， there will then always be an argument or tension about who will be the leaders and the elite。 In modern democracy， that has been established by merit， work， and competition。 However， there is an allure of authoritarianism which is actually quite old and still working in our world today and certainly played out violently in the 20th century。 It is still with us in 2021。 And the danger comes from the right and the left。Copied rest Across the world today， from the Americas to Europe and beyond， liberal democracy is under siege while populism and nationalism are on the rise。 In Twilight of Democracy， prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum offers an unexpected explanation: that there is a deep and inherent appeal to authoritarianism， to strongmen， and， especially， to one-party rule--that is， to political systems that benefit true believers， or loyal soldiers， or simply the friends and distant cousins of the Leader， to the exclusion of everyone else。People， she argues， are not just ideological; they are also practical， pragmatic， opportunistic。 They worry about their families， their houses， their careers。 Some political systems offer them possibilities， and others don't。 In particular， the modern authoritarian parties that have arisen within democracies today offer the possibility of success to people who do not thrive in the meritocratic， democratic， or free-market competition that determines access to wealth and power。Drawing on reporting in Spain， Switzerland， Poland， Hungary， and Brazil; using historical examples including Stalinist central Europe and Nazi Germany; and investigating related phenomena: the modern conspiracy theory， nostalgia for a golden past， political polarization， and meritocracy and its discontents， Anne Applebaum brilliantly illuminates the seduction of totalitarian thinking and the eternal appeal of the one-party state。 。。。more

Joseph Reynolds ，

Required reading。

Nic ，

Twilight of Democracy was a good book。 Anne Applebaum does not use flashy， sensational hyperbole in this book。 She plainly explains the recent history of the downfall of democracies around the world， and uses personal examples from her friends and colleagues to highlight how polarized people have become。 She warns against far right AND far left extremism and how susceptible people are to authoritarianism。 This book touches on Poland， social media and Trump among other topics。 A good book- I lear Twilight of Democracy was a good book。 Anne Applebaum does not use flashy， sensational hyperbole in this book。 She plainly explains the recent history of the downfall of democracies around the world， and uses personal examples from her friends and colleagues to highlight how polarized people have become。 She warns against far right AND far left extremism and how susceptible people are to authoritarianism。 This book touches on Poland， social media and Trump among other topics。 A good book- I learned from it， but boring at times。 The bottom line is democracy is fragile and in many democratic countries around the world （including ours） it is in decline。 Hence the title， "Twilight of Democracy"。 。。。more

Matt Bennett ，

This is a well-written， readable and clear-eyed account of democracy's decline in Poland， Hungary， Western Europe and the US。 It makes no pretense of being the definitive account or a deep scholarly analysis and relies heavily on Applebaum's own experience as a journalist， resident of Poland， and wife of a former Polish official。But this book is very illuminating。 She tracks the movement of many of her friends from a centrist good government approach to deeply anti-democratic right-wing populism This is a well-written， readable and clear-eyed account of democracy's decline in Poland， Hungary， Western Europe and the US。 It makes no pretense of being the definitive account or a deep scholarly analysis and relies heavily on Applebaum's own experience as a journalist， resident of Poland， and wife of a former Polish official。But this book is very illuminating。 She tracks the movement of many of her friends from a centrist good government approach to deeply anti-democratic right-wing populism and paranoia， and she dubs the government officials and other elites who have traveled the path "clercs，" a term she borrows from Julien Benda。 After 4 years of Trump and the growing dominance of Trumpism in the US GOP， it's all too easy to see the rise of the clercs here and the danger we face if they return to power。 。。。more

Polly Rosenstein ，

This book explores current as well as past trends towards authoritarianism and its appeal and excesses on both the far right and left and how social media has helped to spread lies and stoke fears。 Applebaum explores authoritarian current trends around the world in the U。S。， Poland， Hungary， Spain and France as exhibited by zenophobia， isolationism， nationalism， anti-immigration as nations withdraw and become inward focused rather than global in outlook。 All of this leads to less freedom， more g This book explores current as well as past trends towards authoritarianism and its appeal and excesses on both the far right and left and how social media has helped to spread lies and stoke fears。 Applebaum explores authoritarian current trends around the world in the U。S。， Poland， Hungary， Spain and France as exhibited by zenophobia， isolationism， nationalism， anti-immigration as nations withdraw and become inward focused rather than global in outlook。 All of this leads to less freedom， more government control of media and thought and more trends towards political violence。 Applebaum doesn't have any solutions as she sees regimes and trends come and go， but she warns to be vigilant and seek truth and integrity as democracy is fragile。 。。。more

Joseph Mullan ，

Quick Read - overall quite a scary book on trends toward authoritarianism in countries billing themselves as democracies， and based on the authors personal experience。

Daniel ，

A good reminder that everything is a remix across space and time， including extremism。

Joanna ，

Offers insights into both the general phenomenon of authoritarianism and the particular personalities doing their best to inflict it on the world this time around。 Flaws include Applebaum’s overly rosy take on the Reagan/Thatcher era and her wildly off-base conclusion about the American far-right attitude toward COVID regulations。 She clearly hasn’t spent much time in the U。S。 lately， but I’m curious to read more of her work on Eastern Europe。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0