Structure

This book is largely structured like an instruction manual. It is divided into 20 extremely short chapters, each of which focus on a specific “lesson” that can be drawn from history. The lessons begin with a short introductory paragraph providing specific actions that the reader should take to resist tyranny. Taken together, these introductions are the most important part of the work. Through them, Snyder provides a clear and concise list of actions and practices that the reader should embrace. While each chapter also includes some historical context and a broader philosophical argument, these too are quite brief. Historical figures and events are introduced with as little background information as possible. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with many of these. The author’s goal is to avoid distracting the reader with long historical narratives that require them to determine his arguments through detailed analysis. Snyder...