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The Road to Unfreedom

Russia, Europe, America

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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Road to Unfreedom, written and read by Timothy Snyder.

The past is another country, the old saying goes. The same might be said of the future. But which country? For Europeans and Americans today, the answer is Russia.

Today's Russia is an oligarchy propped up by illusions and repression. But it also represents the fulfilment of tendencies already present in the West. And if Moscow's drive to dissolve Western states and values succeeds, this could become our reality too.

In this visionary work of contemporary history, Timothy Snyder shows how Russia works within the West to destroy the West; by supporting the far right in Europe, invading Ukraine in 2014, and waging a cyberwar during the 2016 presidential campaign and the EU referendum. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the creation of Donald Trump, an American failure deployed as a Russian weapon.

But this threat presents an opportunity to better understand the pillars of our freedoms, confront our own complacency and seek renewal. History never ends, and this new challenge forces us to face the choices that will determine the future: equality or oligarchy, individualism or totalitarianism, truth or lies.

The Road to Unfreedom helps us to see our world as if for the first time. It is necessary reading for any citizen of a democracy.

‘A brilliant and disturbing analysis, which should be read by anyone wishing to understand the political crisis currently engulfing the world.’ YUVAL NOAH HARARI, author of SAPIENS and HOMO DEUS

 21st Century Modern Politics & Government Russia Russian & Soviet World Socialism Imperialism Soviet Union Scary War Military Middle East Cyber Warfare Capitalism

Critic reviews

A brilliant and disturbing analysis, which should be read by anyone wishing to understand the political crisis currently engulfing the world (YUVAL NOAH HARARI, author of SAPIENS and HOMO DEUS)
This story of how Russia dismantled democracy, and the man who set its template for fake news, is chilling and persuasive ... unignorable... a disturbing and persuasive insight... Snyder's forensic examination of, for example the news cycle that followed the shooting down of flight MH17 makes essential reading ... Meticulously researched and footnoted. (Tim Adams)
One of the best…brisk, conceptually convincing account of democracy’s retreat in the early years of 21st century (Luke Harding)
Snyder’s central thesis is a strong one… Vividly and insightfully told. (Edward Lucas)
A rollercoaster world calls for a news editor’s skills in processing facts and a philosopher’s ability to dissect ideologies. He has both.
The Road to Unfreedom is a sprawling epic that veers from Dark Ages Kiev to modern day Washington and back again. (Oliver Bullough)
Snyder’s informative timeline of events on the ground in Ukraine is vivid, and offers a much greater understanding of how this conflict emerged than we got in most English-language news coverage (Katrina Gulliver)
Timothy Snyder… offers unexpected insights into the seemingly familiar events of the past decade (Anne Applebaum)
Timothy Snyder is one of the world’s top historians… [The Road to Unfreedom is a] bracing analysis (William Leith)
If there’s one book to help explain the bloody mess we find ourselves in…this is it… [Snyder] is a refreshing voice… [and] every chapter is rich with apercu… Every sentence smacks of careful thought, engaged concern, and urgency
All stars
Most relevant
If you were to read 5 books this year, this should be one of them in my opinion.

A must read books

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Brings a level of understanding of the forces shaping modern society that left me stunned. Ties global forces to local outcomes with ease. A must read ... well for anyone that wants to live in a democratic society.

Terrifying, illuminating, riveting, worrying.

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It's clear from the events in recent years that Russia is up to something yet the strategy linking it all together is not so easy to see. Timothy Snyder disentagles the web and gets to the heart of what's going on. Essential reading for anyone who values democracy and cares where we are headed.

Putin's Game

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This is a fantastically concise and linear book that connects fragmented history, obstructed nows and ends with a hopeful note for the future.

In terms of the narrative Tim connects moments in time that span the globe to illustrate an experience of time and politics both at home and abroad. In the process Tim explains key concepts and details the mechanical operation of these concepts in politics, culture and history.

To support all of this Tim has has receipts - and lots of them. Details of names, meetings, occurrences, sources, references, everything. He spans the globe and in the process shows the shadowy spiderweb connecting individuals and a common objective - to destabilise the legitimacy of democracy as a succession principle to re-establish pseudo-empires - systems of mass inequality that create inertia and confusion.

Must read book. This book should be mandatory for all in all schools everywhere.

Reading this book is act of responsibility

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This is a convincing, excellently backed analysis of present-day Russian cleptocracy and the road to decline of American democracy.
The narrator occasionally swallows words and his intonation is disturbing, especially in phrases referring to a year in the beginning of a sentence as in "In 1989"...

Excellent analysis; only intonation bothers

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