Published in 2020, Anne Applebaum's Twilight of Democracy provides an insider's view of the authoritarian shift in Western politics, blending personal memoir with historical analysis. Applebaum has lived a cosmopolitan life as a journalist and writer of popular histories usually focused on Central Europe. She remains a center-right conservative on most issues and has watched with dismay as many in her former conservative circle have embraced anti-democratic politics.
Some Goodreads reviews I skimmed were not fond of the book due to Applebaum's tendency to blame the left in a book that's supposed to critique the right. For example, she connects the anti-establishment ethos of Trumpism to the '60s New Left and cites Vladimir Lenin as providing the playbook for modern populists like Steve Bannon who want to "drain the swamp" of liberal government bureaucrats and install their own apparatchiks. Meanwhile, there's a notable silence on the long history of racism in the American conservative movement, nor the harmful of economic policies of the Reagan years.
These criticisms aside, the book provides insight on authoritarian politics as a global phenomenon. The number of book length studies attempting to explain the rise of Trumpism in America are legion, and many are deeply insightful, but not many are from a transatlantic perspective.
Applebaum begins the book recounting a New Year's Eve Party she and her husband hosted in 1999 outside of Warsaw. Twenty years later and many are no longer on speaking terms over politics. The end of history of euphoria at the turning of the Millennium turned out to be a brief respite from the political tensions of the 20th Century, many factors would turn people away from conventional politics:
The people described here range from nativist ideologues to high-minded political essayists; some of them write sophisticated books, other launch viral conspiracy theories. Some are genuinely motivated by the same fears, the same anger, and the same deep desire for unity that motivates their readers and followers. Some have been radicalized by angry encounters with the cultural left, or repulsed by the weakness of the liberal center. Some are cynical and instrumental, adopting radical or authoritarian language because it will bring them power or fame. Some are apocalyptic, convinced that societies have failed and need to be reconstructed . . . Some are deeply religious. Some enjoy chaos, or seek to promote chaos, as a prelude to imposing a new kind of order.
Chapters examine the changing politics of Eastern Europe, specifically Poland and Hungary. Transitioning from communism to democracy brought with it frustration at the slowness of change. In response scapegoats are singled out, misinformation and conspiracy theories proliferate, and a longing for an imagined past that never existed. All the worse tendencies of society are inflamed, xenophobia is usually at the top of the list. Viktor Orban's brand of politics in Hungary has proved a model for the right in Europe and America.
The longest chapter is on the leadup to Brexit in 2016. Exiting from the EU was embraced by many British conservatives who felt the United Kingdom was losing it identity. Many were former Thatcherites who missed the old days of the Cold War yet embraced people like Putin and Orban in their old age, and brought political chaos to their country. While there's yet to be something like the Axis powers of the 1940s, many in the West look to Russia, Hungary, and China as models they would like to impose on their societies.
With another election less than a fortnight away, Trump is once again on the ballot and has a chance at winning. It goes without saying the consequences of another Trump presidency would be catastrophic for America and the world. Whether societies will find ways to adapt democracy to rapid technological and social change, or whether they will pursue their vilest instincts remains an unknown. Even though authoritarians often appear to have the upper hand, they are not invincible.
Applebaum argues for choosing our allies and friends with like minds who still believe in democracy. The problem of totalitarianism occupied intellectuals through the 20th Century and continues to haunt the 21st Century. Democracy has always existed under existential threat from at home and abroad and the challenge of the 21st century will be fostering its survival.