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  • Twilight of Democracy

  • The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
  • Written by: Anne Applebaum
  • Narrated by: Anne Applebaum
  • Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (107 ratings)

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Twilight of Democracy

Written by: Anne Applebaum
Narrated by: Anne Applebaum
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Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "How did our democracy go wrong? This extraordinary document ... is Applebaum's answer."—Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian explains, with electrifying clarity, why elites in democracies around the world are turning toward nationalism and authoritarianism.

From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege, while authoritarianism is on the rise. In Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum, an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West, explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy. In this captivating essay, she contends that political systems with radically simple beliefs are inherently appealing, especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else. Elegantly written and urgently argued, Twilight of Democracy is a brilliant dissection of a world-shaking shift and a stirring glimpse of the road back to democratic values. 

©2020 Anne Applebaum (P)2020 Random House Audio

What listeners say about Twilight of Democracy

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not her best work

Anne Applebaum is a great historian, but this is not a work of history. It’s a short, critical monograph aimed mostly at Right-wing Authoritarianism. She lost me at her Britain chapter, where she subtly includes Roger Scruton into the vehement pro-Brexit camp. Better books can, and should be written, about the rising tide of Right-wing Authoritarianism in the West. This one, unfortunately, is not one of them.

1 person found this helpful

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Mandatory Reading

Thoughtful and well articulated warnings of the ongoing demise of the greatest gifts from the greatest generation. This is a must read.

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an insightful book

enjoyed the narration and Ms Applebaum's voice and delivery, it very much lined up with how i imagined her to be from reading her columns

i don't agree with everything Ms Applebaum has to say about the left (probably more a question of degree) and the American projection of their power (if more people in positions to do something had the idealism that Applebaum espouses on this issue i might be swayed) i am with her on her analysis and insights regarding current events, issues and governments.
i think she is one of the more or even most insightful observers and commenters currently commenting on these issues and also follow her columns for theatlantic.com
will stand with her to fight the good fight for a better more inclusive world and against nihilism.
thankyou Anne Applebaum

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Not a lot of hope and joy

She knits together a history of events that, though not very hopeful, may alert us to the paths not to take as we head into the future. She exhorts us to care and act. Thank you for your work.

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One Sided View of the World

If you believe in globalism, then this book is for you. Not much good to say about those who believe in protectionism. To me, it sounds like the author is exactly the kind of elite that populist groups rally against.

I did appreciate her comments about how friends of twenty years ago can't even speak to one another now because political positions become entrenched. I'm afraid that is now too real and I wish we could reverse that trend.


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An insider's quality observations

Anne has got it all right. And the angle of her view somewhere from Liberal Center, from best times of the Western Civilization, yes - from year 2000 AD. Narrator is good, sometime sounds overworked.

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Totally absorbing book

The author examines the concept why authoritarianism is so seductive to formerly liberal-minded people. Those who lived in formerly totalitarian countries were expecting democracy to lead to happiness, more money , fulfilling jobs etc. So when the Soviet era collapsed they cheered and embraced ‘democracy’. But democracy is messy. Decisions are not clear and negotiations as well as political decisions mean compromise. People often prefer to be told what to do than to find a consensus that doesn’t fully satisfy anyone
The examples in Hungary really spoke to me as I am am immigrant who came to Canada. Then we saw the changes in Hungary and going back to elitism and totalitarianism.
The author is an amazing story teller/historian. She traces her personal experiences in Poland and US ans UK and describes the political and social changes after 2000.

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informative on Poland and Hungary

Very interesting story of the author's personal experience and connections in Poland, Hungary, and Brittain. Short on experience and facts on the U.S. I share her distaste for authoritarianism and was sad to hear her insider's perspective on Poland and Hungary. Would have preferred more facts and details and fewer generalizations throughout.

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  • AJ
  • 2020-07-23

Modern Dictators & President who wants to be them

This book gives you a close up look at how people that once suffered under Fascist, Communist or Dictatorial regimes and gained freedom of government based on hodge podge of western values have (often willingly) slipped into the iron grip of a powerfully manipulative few.

While autocrats have learned to streamline and soften the blow with their deluge of alternative facts churned through modern public relations operations. Everyday citizens, talented and educated are replaced by loyalists without experience and face a dangerously perilous future for themselves and their families. Every person eventually reaches a crossroad: Tow the party or autocrat line no matter how absurd or contradictory to what may have been said days before or risk losing everything.

The book tells the tale of those who have been through what some in the west are only experiencing now for the first time. It is a warning that should not be taken lightly.

The book shows that once momentum of an ideologue begins, the competence or lack thereof in its leader means far less to the average person then the opportunity for benefits, status and sense of belonging to something greater then themselves (real or perceived) that rains down on its loudest and most rabid supporters.

51 people found this helpful

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  • Kieran
  • 2020-07-25

Anne Applebaum’s political diss track

First of all this book gives an excellent perspective from the authors point of view on how many public figures, especially her former friends have fallen into advocating authoritarian policies and ideas. It really gives an excellent perspective into these political figures’ thoughts and motivations for advocating conspiracy theories and undermining the rule of law. It is also really interesting to understand that the Author is talking about individuals who used to make up her own social circle. This is especially intriguing from her perspective because she has written many books on past authoritarian communist regimes in these countries. Reading this book you get the sense that this is not just a political discussion but also the author’s personal attempt to make sense of why so many of her previous friends have fallen for such bankrupt ideologies. She reads this book herself which is quite suited to the way that this book is written compared to her other works.


The only downside to this personal perspective is that it makes this book feel much less authoritative than her other works such as Gulag or Iron Curtain. If you have not read any of her previous books I would recommend reading at least one of them before reading this one.

36 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2020-12-31

Intelligent Person that Knowingly Rewrites History

Apparently when people get elected that she doesn’t like or agree with, democracy is on the verge of ending. Also for someone to be so pro democracy why does she support unelected bureaucrats in institutions that aren’t in the constitution?

She knowingly lies about the views of Reagan and Thatcher when it comes to the European Union. She claims many times that Reagan and Thatcher supported it when the Union didn’t even exist as we know it until 1993. Thatcher supported free trade throughout Western Europe but never supported unelected Supra-National institutions that over turn democratically enacted laws across Europe.

It’s also strange how she endorses many left-wing movements like LGBT and open and free immigration and claiming how not endorsing these current movements are an end to democracy and the Reagan/Thatcher movements when they themselves never supported such things.

Another curious thing Applebaum seems to no longer understand when she clearly used to in her other books about Communism is that cultural power is stronger then political power, most of the time. A couple years in control of government is meaningless compared to the power of cultural trends as politics is downstream from cultural. Does Applebaum really believe that Trump having the top seat in the executive branch for 4-8 years is a democracy ending event when most of the Universities, Press, Hollywood, and millions of federal government officials actively oppose his presidency and agenda?

I’ll always read Applebaum’s work as much of it is highly researched and well written. Another thing about Applebaum that I like is that when I read her work I can never predict where she’s going with it. Other writers I can predict the ending conclusion based on the first paragraph. She’s contra to most political writers as she understands when the left goes to far as most writers can only understand when the right goes to far.

24 people found this helpful

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  • candy herring
  • 2020-07-30

Excellent Reas

Loved it. Well written with parallels and comparisons to past and present societies. Worth your time.

17 people found this helpful

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  • James
  • 2020-07-23

A must read

This is an extremely well written
explanation of the political mess the world seems to be
mired in today. Nothing I write in a review can do it justice, you have to read it, it’s definitely worth it

16 people found this helpful

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  • Gerald Cabrera
  • 2020-07-24

Scary thing is, it's truely happening...

All around us. As I see it, history will repeat itself. Question is how far will the pendulum sway this time!

14 people found this helpful

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  • Ryan
  • 2020-07-27

Amazing book

A must read for our times. Please read and pass it on to your friends

11 people found this helpful

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  • Pogo
  • 2020-07-27

A tour through our current political hell, guided

a Virgil who has wisdom, clear vision, and personal acquaintance with many of the demons

11 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2021-04-19

Illuminating! Anne Applebaum

This was my second reading of this book! I loved her cosmopolitan and comprehensive analysis of events, personal, political, and profound. It portends and is predictive of what is to come globally and how 🤔 and what must be done to preserve Democracy, if it is to overcome authoritarian dominance. An excellent, timely book!

10 people found this helpful

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  • Ron
  • 2021-04-10

extremely well written and compelling

I loved the way the story was woven through the authors own experiences starting with a party at the turn of 2000 and then ending with a similar party held in 2019 - and how not only the world but friendships and people's ideals had been altered too.
definitely recommend to anyone wanting to hear about how politically and social interaction has evolved

5 people found this helpful