The Road to Unfreedom

Russia, Europe, America

By: Timothy Snyder

Narrated by: Timothy Snyder

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

With the end of the Cold War, the victory of liberal democracy was thought to be absolute. Observers declared the end of history, confident in a peaceful, globalized future. But we now know this to be premature.

Authoritarianism first returned in Russia, as Putin developed a political system dedicated solely to the consolidation and exercise of power. In the last six years, it has creeped from east to west as nationalism inflames Europe, abetted by Russian propaganda and cyberwarfare. While countries like Poland and Hungary have made hard turns toward authoritarianism, the electoral upsets of 2016 revealed the citizens of the US and UK in revolt against their countries’ longstanding policies and values.

But this threat to the West also presents the opportunity to better understand the pillars of our own political order. In this forceful and unsparing work of contemporary history, Snyder goes beyond the headlines to expose the true nature of the threat to democracy. By showcasing the stark choices before us - between equality or oligarchy, individuality or totality, truth and falsehood - Snyder restores our understanding of the basis of our way of life, offering a way forward in a time of terrible uncertainty.

©2018 Timothy Snyder (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Combining topical reporting with delvings into the history of ideas and some political-philosophical musing in the author’s own voice, this relatively short book covers a vast canvas.... A roller-coaster world calls for a news editor's skill in processing facts and a philosopher's ability to dissect ideologies. Snyder has both." (The Economist)

"The Road to Unfreedom offers a brief, potent and carefully documented history of Vladimir Putin's consolidation of power in Russia, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election." (Chicago Tribune)

“We are living in dangerous times, Timothy Snyder argues forcefully and eloquently in his new book.... To understand Putin, Snyder argues persuasively, you must understand his ideas.... The Road to Unfreedom is a good wake-up call.” (Margaret MacMillan, The New York Times Book Review)

• A New York Times Editors' Choice
• Shortlisted for the 2019 Lionel Gelber Prize

A Deep Dive into the Sea of Events that Brought US Trump

This book is an interesting analysis of historical events and politics that brought us to the world of Trump-type leaders. It is a fascinating explanation of how differently a fascist-thinking influencer truly believes that he is entitled to be a god for the world, possess everything, and feel nothing for others. It is like a very scary mystery with no ending, no resolution. Unfortunately, these men are real and are major players in our world.

A must read

If you want to truly understand the nature of today’s political climate, then Snyder is a must read.

excellent! Looking forward to listening again.

this was exactly the book I needed. it not only clarified and put together some of the information I had heard in the news, mostly regarding Russian influence over US politics, but also painted an important picture of where these motivations came from, using Russians activities o
in Ukraine as illustration. I was expecting something more like an essay, which is more of the second part. I was surprised and delighted by the rich history I received in addition to the grounding ideas. both are essential bulwark against tyranny.

the most important book of the 21st century

engaging. well cited. must read for any advocate of democracy. I've read it and listened to the audiobook.

If you're concerned with democracy read this book!

I always knew Russians meddled in US politics and around the world but I had no idea what was going behind the scenes until reading this book. Author also goes into detail about where Russia's fascist regime and ideology comes from.

We are at a juncture presently and can very well end up with moving towards authoritarianism sadly. This book is quite important.

Required Reading

For anyone who wants to understand where we are as Americans and the choices we face, this book is required reading.

Connecting so many dots

An incredibly researched & detailed book. Recommend! The first half or so of the book examines where the Russsian dictatorship draws its inspiration. This is fascinating and amazingly strange all at once. Building from there Mr Snyder begins to connect dots, showing how Putin & friends goals include the downfall of the rule of law & democracy in the world. Thus making his & indeed other autocratic governments the preferred system.

Scary prediction

This book is a scary prediction of the current situation in the world, written 3 years ahead of the atrocities Putin is commiting in Ukraine at the moment. Every american should know this documented factual story before they let themself get blinded by Trump and his russian funded sadopopulistic policy. An extremly relevant contemporary history everyone should learn to the benefit of democracy.

Narrative Needs Getting Uses To

There is a lot of fact-checking. However, as a person who lived till my early teens in communist Czechoslovakia, the tactics seem way too familiar.

A critical book for our time

To understand how our democracy has been gravely wounded and how to heal. MUST READ.