← Back

Timothy Snyder

American · 1969–

American historian and professor at Yale University, author of Bloodlands, On Tyranny, and Black Earth, specializing in the history of Central and Eastern Europe, political violence, and the fragility of democratic institutions.

Wikipedia ↗

“The European killing fields were not battlefields. They were, for the most part, places where civilians were brought to be murdered.”

English
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, Introduction ↗ (2010)

“The Holocaust is not only history. It is also a warning.”

English
Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning ↗ (2015)

“Post-truth is pre-fascism.”

English
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century ↗ (2017)

“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.”

English
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Lesson 1 ↗ (2017)

“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so.”

English
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Lesson 10 ↗ (2017)

“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management.”

English
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Lesson 19 ↗ (2017)

“Defend institutions. It is institutions that help us to preserve decency.”

English
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Lesson 2 ↗ (2017)