ABSTRACT
Timothy Snyder, a Professor of Modern European history at Yale University, has written on the forces of tyranny which have bedeviled Europe in recent times. In his recent book, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, tyranny is described as “the usurpation of power . . . by rulers for their own benefit.” 1 He notes how the Founding Fathers feared that the American democracy would be vulnerable to such take over. In this pithy book, Snyder suggests that Americans are currently as vulnerable to falling under tyrannical rule as those who fell under fascism in the last century. He suggests that we have the advantage of possibly learning from their experience, offering several such lessons. He brings to our attention the tendency to obey others who seem to be in charge.
