TED Talks Daily

Is democracy doomed? The global fight for our future | Timothy Snyder

Feb 8, 2023

Timothy Snyder, a historian specializing in Eastern European history and Ukraine, discusses the fragile state of democracy today. He argues that democracy requires active participation and cannot be taken for granted. Snyder examines how complacency and media bias threaten democratic values, while also highlighting the dangers of fossil fuel dependency that can lead to authoritarianism. He emphasizes the need to educate future generations about democracy as an ongoing struggle, linking it to broader issues like climate change.

33:16

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Episode guests

Timothy Snyder

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Democracy: A Living Struggle

21min

The Importance of Investigative Reporting in Combatting Bias

2min

Fossil Fuels and the Erosion of Democracy

3min

The Imperative of Democracy Amidst Alternatives

3min

Teaching Democracy to the Next Generation

3min

If you think democracy is some kind of inevitable, default setting for the world, then you aren't going to have it for very long, says historian and author Timothy Snyder. From World War I to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Snyder dives into the structures that uplift and tear down political systems, offering a historical perspective on the current state of democracy around the world as well as the patterns of thought that lead to tyranny. Learn more about a new approach to democracy that could help create and protect a future of freedom. (This conversation, hosted by TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. Visit ted.com/membership to become a TED Member.)

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