Trapped in False Antitheses
This paper critically scrutinizes Timothy Snyder’s book The Road to Unfreedom. Russia, Europe, America (The Bodley Head, Vintage, London 2018). It claims that the main reason for his failure to present a convincing account of the current neo-nationalist and authoritarian turn and outline an adequat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute of International Relations Prague
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Czech Journal of International Relations |
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| Online Access: | https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/90 |
| _version_ | 1797975253345894400 |
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| author | Pavel Barša |
| author_facet | Pavel Barša |
| author_sort | Pavel Barša |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper critically scrutinizes Timothy Snyder’s book The Road to
Unfreedom. Russia, Europe, America (The Bodley Head, Vintage, London
2018). It claims that the main reason for his failure to present a convincing
account of the current neo-nationalist and authoritarian turn and outline an
adequate intellectual and political response to it is his clinging to an anti-totalitarian framework which he had applied to Eastern Europe in some of
his previous historical works (Snyder 2003, 2010). The framework reduces
three main ideological alternatives that fought with each other in the last
century into two: liberalism was supposedly challenged by totalitarianism.
Since Snyder reduces the present crisis to the threat of the return of
totalitarianism, he sees an appropriate response in the revival of the human
and civic solidarity associated with the anti-totalitarian movements of the
last century. The essay outlines an alternative view: it links the present crisis
of democracy to the ravaging e!ects of neo-liberal globalization and,
accordingly, suggests combining anti-authoritarianism with anti-capitalism
– or human and civic solidarity with social solidarity.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:32:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5b0f90c1dec247f7a8b7314a0a05ee92 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0323-1844 2570-9429 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:32:34Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Institute of International Relations Prague |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Czech Journal of International Relations |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b0f90c1dec247f7a8b7314a0a05ee922022-12-29T03:58:45ZengInstitute of International Relations PragueCzech Journal of International Relations0323-18442570-94292020-06-01552Trapped in False AntithesesPavel Barša0Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Czech Republic This paper critically scrutinizes Timothy Snyder’s book The Road to Unfreedom. Russia, Europe, America (The Bodley Head, Vintage, London 2018). It claims that the main reason for his failure to present a convincing account of the current neo-nationalist and authoritarian turn and outline an adequate intellectual and political response to it is his clinging to an anti-totalitarian framework which he had applied to Eastern Europe in some of his previous historical works (Snyder 2003, 2010). The framework reduces three main ideological alternatives that fought with each other in the last century into two: liberalism was supposedly challenged by totalitarianism. Since Snyder reduces the present crisis to the threat of the return of totalitarianism, he sees an appropriate response in the revival of the human and civic solidarity associated with the anti-totalitarian movements of the last century. The essay outlines an alternative view: it links the present crisis of democracy to the ravaging e!ects of neo-liberal globalization and, accordingly, suggests combining anti-authoritarianism with anti-capitalism – or human and civic solidarity with social solidarity. https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/90totalitarian paradigmfalse dichotomiesneoliberal globalizationthe new and old social movementscrisis of democracy |
| spellingShingle | Pavel Barša Trapped in False Antitheses Czech Journal of International Relations totalitarian paradigm false dichotomies neoliberal globalization the new and old social movements crisis of democracy |
| title | Trapped in False Antitheses |
| title_full | Trapped in False Antitheses |
| title_fullStr | Trapped in False Antitheses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trapped in False Antitheses |
| title_short | Trapped in False Antitheses |
| title_sort | trapped in false antitheses |
| topic | totalitarian paradigm false dichotomies neoliberal globalization the new and old social movements crisis of democracy |
| url | https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/90 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pavelbarsa trappedinfalseantitheses |