This is a fairly depressing survey of the stay of worldwide democracy from a writer who has made her reputation as the biographer of soviet totalitarianism. Coming from the right she has more sympathy for the “legitimate concerns” than I would allow. And she also gets some basic facts wrong. The Lega not Liga. Paul Watson is English not American and Silone who she quotes at the end as a voice of left wing integrity was revealed to be an informer for the fascists. Still this insiders view is worth reading though more action will be needed down the line.

Un libro escrito desde la derecha para la derecha. Que intenta entender los peligros de los extremos y aprovecha para soltar, cada vez que puede, un discurso apologético hacia Margaret Thatcher y Ronald Reagan, lo cual ya dice suficiente.

Los ataques y grandilocuencia hacia lo que ella llama extrema izquierda radical (donde incluye incluso a Jeremy Corbyn, exmiembro del partido laborista inglés) no se comparan con los ejemplos de “soberanistas” y otros adjetivos muchísimo más suaves con los que suele adjetivar a la extrema derecha.

Finalmente, tampoco te deja una comprensión mucho más profunda ni un aporte teórico significativo para entender el fenómeno actual. Me parece un libro bastante sobrevalorado. No lo recomiendo.

An interesting analysis by a moderate conservative journalist about the global shift towards authoritarianism, the radicalization of right-wing parties, and what previous authoritarian tendencies
looked like from the right and left. Applebaum touched on intriguing points like the manipulation of social media data, the shift in how we consume news and politics, and the psychology of those prone to the lure of one-party states - expanding the examples from America to across Europe; all of which she continued to dive into.

My only issue about this book, which knocked it down to three stars, is the writing technique. She weaved between providing historical context to her points, only to jump into a memoir-type confession which dropped all sorts of names involved in conservative politics across the globe - some that had once been her friends or colleagues, the others not. Most of the time this happened, it felt like a space for her to name-drop people or grieve lost friendships instead of getting straight to the point. As well, I didn't like that Applebaum failed to examine individuals who also need to be analyzed like Thatcher and Regan - both who she does gloss over with vague praise.

Overall, would still recommend since the general points provide insight into how authoritarianism grows in our modern landscape and serves as an essential reminder that it will never be 'just a thing from the past'.

Excellent.

former conservative new england republican, changed her mind bc sarah palin, became a centrist who not only fails to realize authoritarian is inherently right-wing, but also compares it to far left activism. still a few disillusionments away from reality. try steven levitsky instead, or hannah arendt herself.