LESSON 3: Beware The One-Party State
Summary
TLDRHistorian Timothy Snyder discusses the importance of vigilance against the one-party state in his video series on 'On Tyranny.' He emphasizes the necessity of supporting a multi-party system and democratic elections to prevent the manipulation of political systems for one party's gain. Snyder warns that as parties focus on rigging the system, they lose touch with the electorate and become less capable of genuine competition. He calls for a truly democratic system where each person has an equal and practical ability to vote, fostering better political parties and a legacy of pride for future generations.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker, Timothy Snyder, is a historian and author of 'On Tyranny', a book that discusses the dangers of authoritarianism.
- 🆕 Snyder has updated 'On Tyranny' to reflect recent events and is releasing a new, illustrated edition in October 2021.
- 🔑 The book contains 20 lessons about the nature of tyranny, which remain unchanged despite updates to the text to account for current events.
- ⚠️ Lesson three warns about the dangers of a one-party state, where a party suppresses rivals and makes political life impossible for opposition.
- 🗳️ Snyder emphasizes the importance of supporting a multi-party system and defending democratic elections, including local and state elections.
- 🏛️ He calls for individuals to consider running for office to strengthen democratic processes.
- 🌐 Snyder stresses that the issues of democracy and anti-democracy are not partisan, and the temptations to move away from democracy are timeless.
- 🔄 The longer a party focuses on rigging the system rather than campaigning for votes on policies, the less democratic it becomes.
- 🚫 As a party becomes adept at manipulating elections, it creates second-class citizens by making voting easier for some and harder for others, increasing the potential for violence.
- 👥 Excluding people from the electoral system can lead to them seeking other ways to be heard, as seen in the historical context and recent events like January 6, 2021.
- 🌟 Snyder concludes with an optimistic note, suggesting that a truly democratic system with equal voting rights for all would improve politics and lead to better political parties for future generations.
Q & A
Who is Timothy Snyder and what is he known for?
-Timothy Snyder is a historian and author known for his books, including 'On Tyranny.'
What is the purpose of Timothy Snyder's new video series?
-The purpose of the new video series is to discuss the updated text of 'On Tyranny' and its new illustrated edition, reflecting on the 20 lessons within the book.
What is the main theme of the third lesson in Snyder's video series?
-The main theme of the third lesson is to beware the one-party state and the importance of supporting a multi-party system and democratic elections.
Why did Timothy Snyder update the text of 'On Tyranny'?
-Snyder updated the text to account for events that have occurred in recent years and to prepare for the book's new edition in October 2021.
What does Snyder argue about the nature of parties that remade states and suppressed rivals?
-Snyder argues that such parties were not omnipotent from the start but exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents.
What is the danger of a political party focusing on rigging the system rather than campaigning for votes?
-A party that focuses on rigging the system ceases to campaign for votes on policies, leading to a decline in their ability to connect with the population and create meaningful policies.
How does the pursuit of a one-party system lead to potential violence, according to Snyder?
-The pursuit of a one-party system can lead to violence as it excludes people from the electoral process, leading them to seek other means to make their voices heard, and by creating a sense of perpetual victory among its supporters.
What historical event does Snyder reference to illustrate the dangers of a one-party state?
-Snyder references the events of January 6, 2021, as an example of the potential for violence in a one-party state.
What is the core principle that Snyder believes should be upheld to maintain a healthy democracy?
-The core principle is that each person should have one vote, with the formal right and practical ability to exercise that vote equally.
What is the optimistic outcome Snyder envisions if the system were to become more democratic?
-Snyder envisions better political parties that campaign on platforms, producing better policies and leaving a legacy that future generations can be proud of.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to 'On Tyranny'
Timothy Snyder, a historian and author, introduces a new video series discussing his book 'On Tyranny'. He mentions that the book has been updated to reflect recent events and will be republished in October 2021 with illustrations by Laura Krug. Snyder emphasizes the book's 20 lessons that remain unchanged, despite updates to the text to account for new events. He highlights the importance of supporting a multi-party system and defending democratic elections, encouraging participation in local and state elections and considering running for office. Snyder stresses that the issues of democracy and anti-democracy are not partisan, and the temptations that lead away from democracy are timeless and universal.
⚖️ Beware the One-Party State
In the second paragraph, Snyder warns about the dangers of a one-party state. He explains how parties that suppress rivals and remake states do not start as all-powerful but exploit historical moments to make political life impossible for opponents. He discusses the transformation of a party that rigs the system, noting that such a party ceases to campaign for votes on policies and instead focuses on gaming the system. This behavior, he argues, leads to a decline in the party's ability to connect with the population and develop relevant policies. Over time, such a party becomes dependent on a single-party system, as it cannot afford to lose rigged elections. Snyder also points out the potential for violence that arises when people are excluded from the electoral process, as seen in the events of January 6, 2021. He concludes by advocating for a truly democratic system where each person has an equal and practical ability to vote, which would improve the quality of political parties and the political process as a whole.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡On Tyranny
💡Multi-party system
💡Democratic elections
💡One-party state
💡Rigging the system
💡Gerrymandering
💡Equal right to vote
💡Partisan
💡Violence
💡Political parties
Highlights
Timothy Snyder, a historian and author of 'On Tyranny', is creating a video series to discuss the book's updated edition.
The book 'On Tyranny' is being released in a new edition in October 2021, featuring illustrations by Nora Krug.
Snyder emphasizes that the 20 lessons from the book remain unchanged, despite updates to the text to reflect recent events.
Lesson number three focuses on the dangers of the one-party state and the importance of supporting a multi-party system.
Snyder argues that parties which suppress rivals and remake states do so by exploiting historical moments.
He calls for the defense of democratic election rules and the importance of voting in local and state elections.
Snyder stresses that the struggle for democracy is not a partisan issue and has been understood for thousands of years.
Rigging the system leads to parties ceasing to campaign democratically and focusing on gaining elections rather than policies.
As parties become adept at gaming the system, they become worse at engaging with the public and creating relevant policies.
Snyder explains that rigged elections lead to a belief in a single-party system, as rigged parties cannot afford fair elections.
He warns that excluding people from the electoral system creates potential for violence, as seen in the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
Snyder calls for a belief in the principle that each person has one vote and the practical ability to exercise that vote.
He concludes by stating that having a truly democratic system with fair competition would be better for all parties involved.
Snyder suggests that improving the democratic system could lead to better political parties that future generations can be proud of.
The video series aims to reflect on the lessons of 'On Tyranny' and their implications for the future of democracy.
Transcripts
[Music]
i'm timothy snyder i'm a historian i'm
the author of on tyranny and some other
books what i'm talking about today is on
tyranny i'm i'm uh i'm creating a new
little series of video discussions about
on tyranny my political pamphlet from a
few years ago
the reason that i'm doing this is that
i've updated the text of the book to
take account for what's happened in the
last few years but more importantly the
reason i'm doing this is that on tyranny
is appearing again
in a new edition in october of 2021
new because illustrated
new because much more beautiful and
interesting thanks to the work of laura
krug so this project that nora and i
have been doing together comes to
fruition this fall and this is the
occasion for me to take a moment to
think back about the 20 lessons which
remain unchanged i've changed some of
the text after them to take into account
new events the 20 lessons themselves
remain unchanged so this is an occasion
for me to
think back to the 20 lessons and to
think forward about what they're going
to mean in the months and years to come
this is the the third little video in
this series which i'm going to call i
think timothy snyder speaks about on
tyranny
so we're doing lesson number three
lesson number three is
beware the one party state
the parties that remade states
and suppressed rivals
were not omnipotent from the start
they exploited a historic moment to make
political life impossible for their
opponents
so
support the multi-party system
and defend the rules of democratic
elections
vote in local and state elections while
you can
consider running for office
now
for me
it's it's very important that
democracy
and
anti-democracy
is not a partisan affair
the temptations that lead us
or our political leaders
or
the leaders away from democracy
are old and have been understood in fact
for
a couple
thousand years
the the reasons why
one party
or another party
can cease to campaign
democratically are pretty much always
the same
over time
i'm going to explain the way the dynamic
works
it works like this
if you become a party
that
rigs the system
i'm talking about america but i don't
have to be
we know this from examples
modern examples from the last hundred
years
if you become a party that rigs the
system
you cease to become a party that
campaigns for votes on policies
so basically you have a choice
sure
parties are going to campaign hard
parties are going to use the rules as
best they can but when your main issue
is
rigging the system
when your main concern is not the
population
but
how you're going to gain the elections
then you cease to become a democratic
party and this works over time
the longer
and the better you get at gaming the
system
the worse you are at actually speaking
to people and coming up with policies
that speak to them so you're making a
choice the further you go down the road
of gaming the system the further away
you are from being democratic not just
beca not just because you're gaming the
system but because you're ever less good
at actually
competing so
how does this work then after a certain
point
you as a political party
have to believe in
a single party system because you can't
afford to have elections
you know that in non-gamed elections
non-rigged elections elections where you
didn't make or exploit the rules you
would lose so you you can't afford to
have
normal elections you start to take for
granted that elections in some way are
just a ritual
to keep you your people the right people
as you see it in power
you start to say for example that
you always win
you tell the lie that you always win
your party always wins you say that as
of course mr trump and
a number of his allies
said in the year 2020
um
you you you start to talk about
elections has just been something that
you win that's that's the definition of
an election
as you're doing this of course you're
you're changing the rules as hard as you
can and perhaps most dangerously you're
sculpting the electorate you're creating
second-class citizens you're making it
easier for some people to vote and
harder for other people to vote if it's
the united states in 2021 you're
probably pretty careful about how you
talk about what you're doing
but you're doing it all the same you're
making it easier for some people to vote
and harder for other people to vote
as you exclude people from the electoral
system you're creating potential for
violence in two different ways
one is that people don't like to be
excluded and again one doesn't have to
talk about the united states here it is
a general tendency apparent from history
if you push people out of elections if
you push people out of an electoral
system
if you deny them a voice in a democracy
they will seek other ways to make their
voices heard
but
as we saw on january 6 2021 you're also
making violence more likely in another
way
because as you push some people out of
the system
you're teaching other people that they
always win
you're teaching other people that
elections are the same thing as their
winning
you're making it harder and harder for
your people as mr trump put it to
distinguish between there being an
election and
and winning and that also makes violence
more likely because it means that when
if an election doesn't go the way of
your party
people people will resist violently
as we have already seen
right it's so easy when talking when
when pronouncing these words and perhaps
for you and listening to them to think
about this as hypothetical as political
science but
we just watched this all play out we
watch the scenario play out step by step
word by word in the 2020 american
presidential election we may not want to
look hard at it we may want to turn away
we want to imagine they want to imagine
the future is going to be better but
this this just happened
so
to beware the one party state
what we have to be able to do is believe
seriously in the simple principle that
each person has one vote
and having a vote means not just the
formal right to exercise the vote but
also the practical ability to vote
an equal right to vote means nothing if
it's just a statement on a piece of
paper an equal right had to vote has to
mean that regardless of where you are
and who you are
as a citizen it will be easy for you to
vote
i'm going to close right again
this is not
partisan
different political parties in the
united states have
gerrymandered and exploited and and
mocked the rules or warped the rules or
broke the rules at different points in
time
we are all vulnerable to this logic the
logic that if you move away from
competing you become worse at competing
the logic that as you move towards
rigging the system you become better at
rigging the system and before you know
it that's all you know about politics
we're all vulnerable to that that's not
a partisan point to whom it's happening
is important and they should be named
but the the issue
is not a partisan one and the issue has
an upside the issue has an optimistic
outcome which is
if we had a system that was truly
democratic
if we could avoid the risks that are now
built into our system and pushed by one
of our political parties to create a
one-party state
that would be better for everyone
it would be better
morally and eventually politically for
both of our parties to be campaigning on
platforms
it's it's a bad thing when one party
doesn't have a platform and one of our
parties doesn't
if if if we change the system such that
each person did have a vote not just
formally but practically
and both parties or more parties were
really competing on policies that would
be better for everyone if we can change
the rules such that we are avoiding the
risks if we can change the rules such
that we are moving towards becoming more
of a democracy that's not just better
for all of us that's not just better in
terms of the policies it'll produce
it'll also give us better political
parties better political parties that
that our children and our children can
vote for
with pride rather than thinking oh that
was the party that started this armed
insurrection that was the party that
suppressed those votes that was the
party which openly declared it didn't
accept an election result if we can get
the system right then we'll be leaving a
legacy of political parties that we can
look back and be proud of so
but where the one party stay
thank you
[Music]
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