Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum: Conversation Starters

By Daily Books

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum: Conversation Starters

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism is a book written by journalist Anne Applebaum. The book focuses on a few countries including Poland, Hungary, UK, the USA, and Spain. The author discusses how democratic values have declined around the world in recent years and conflates this phenomenon with the rise of authoritarian right-wing politics in different countries. The title is a reflection of this idea but Applebaum also suggests that it is not necessary to despair and this trend can be changed. 
Twilight of Democracy was published on the 21st of July 2020 by Signal Books. It became an instant hit and was named the Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post and The Financial Times.

A Brief Look Inside: 
 
EVERY GOOD BOOK CONTAINS A WORLD FAR DEEPER
than the surface of its pages. The characters and their world come alive, 
and the characters and its world still live on. 
Conversation Starters is peppered with questions designed to
bring us beneath the surface of the page
and invite us into the world that lives on. 
 
These questions can be used to create hours of conversation:
 
• Foster a deeper understanding of the book
• Promote an atmosphere of discussion for groups
• Assist in the study of the book, either individually or corporately
• Explore unseen realms of the book as never seen before
 
Disclaimer: This book you are about to enjoy is an independent resource to supplement the original book, enhancing your experience. If you have not yet purchased a copy of the original book, please do before purchasing this unofficial Conversation Starters.
 
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Daily Books
• Release date: Apr 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9791220289627

Book preview

Answers

Introducing Twilight of Democracy

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism is a book by American author Anne Applebaum, in which she discusses how democratic values have declined around the world in recent years. She conflates it with the rise of authoritarian right-wing politics in different countries. The book focuses on four countries in detail – Poland, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as snippets of other countries. A part-time resident of Poland, Applebaum believes that the swing towards right-wing politics worldwide began in the late 1980s and the 1990s, the results of which we are seeing today. 

The book starts off with a millennium New Year’s party thrown by Applebaum and her husband, Radek Sikorski, a minister in the center-right Polish government at the time. Her group was what was then considered conservative and anti-Communist, but they also considered themselves liberal and believed in democratic principles. The party was a huge success with a lot of fun and camaraderie. However, within two decades, Applebaum feels that she would prefer not to meet any of the people present in that party because their opinions had become too rigid, and people had become extremely polarized regarding political opinions.

Contrary to popular belief, Applebaum points out that the new extreme conservatives are not blue-collar workers afraid of losing jobs to immigrants, people affected by political changes or transitions, residents of small rural villages, drug addicts, uneducated, or poor. Instead, this new breed of right-wing fanatics are often professionals with well-paid jobs, highly educated at good universities, have traveled abroad, and have access to information. She claims that the modern right is more Bolshevik in its attitude than Burkean. They don’t want to maintain the status-quo, unlike