Is Trump as bad as Hitler?

Book review: On tyranny If more people followed Snyder’s injunctions, the world would be a better place.

Dr Matthew Partridge
By
published
in Features

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Published by Bodley Head, £8.99

Authoritarianism seems to be making a comeback. Indeed some, including Timothy Snyder, the author of this book and an American historian and academic, worry that Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election has parallels with the rise of Hitler. His book examines how historical leaders have subverted democracy, and offers tips for how we may prevent that happening again. It is a slim yet vital book, says Carlos Lozada in the Chicago Tribune, written with "bracing immediacy" and "providing 20 plain and mostly actionable lessons".

He provokes us to think again about major issues of our time, says Richard J Evans in The Guardian. But "he seems to have rushed it". The book could do with "far greater depth of historical illustration" and is unconvincing with regard to the rise of Trump. He overeggs that one, agrees Michael Gove in The Times, but if more people followed Snyder's injunctions to read newspapers, avoid falling for contrived scandals, make friends across boundaries and remember professional ethics, thenthe world "would indeed bea better place".

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri

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