Democracy and its Adversaries Archives - Daniel Aaron Lazar Fri, 12 Jun 2020 22:05:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 A Nation of Racist Dwarfs: Kim Jong-il's regime is even weirder and more despicable than you thought https://daniellazar.com/2010/02/13/a-nation-of-racist-dwarfs-kim-jong-ils-regime-is-even-weirder-and-more-despicable-than-you-thought/ Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:03:08 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/?p=2011 Unlike previous racist dictatorships, the North Korean one has actually succeeded in producing a sort of new species. Starving and stunted dwarves, living in the dark, kept in perpetual ignorance and fear, brainwashed into the hatred of others, regimented and coerced and inculcated with a death cult: This horror show is in our future, and … Continue reading A Nation of Racist Dwarfs: Kim Jong-il's regime is even weirder and more despicable than you thought →

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]]> How Is America Going To End? Five steps to totalitarian rule. https://daniellazar.com/2009/08/15/how-is-america-going-to-end-five-steps-to-totalitarian-rule/ Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:37:59 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/?p=1741 As Hitler and Mussolini prepared to storm Europe, fascism began to generate interest in the United States. In Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel, It Can’t Happen Here, an American president uses an economic crisis as a pretense to take over the media, imprison dissenters, and build his own private army (the Minute Men) into an indomitable … Continue reading How Is America Going To End? Five steps to totalitarian rule. →

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]]> Fascist America, in 10 easy steps https://daniellazar.com/2009/08/15/fascist-america-in-10-easy-steps/ Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:36:39 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/?p=1739 From Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain steps that any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms. And, argues Naomi Wolf, George Bush and his administration seem to be taking them all. From the Guardian

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]]> Lecture on Totalitarianism https://daniellazar.com/2008/07/16/lecture-on-totalitarianism/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:22:52 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/07/16/lecture-on-totalitarianism/   Here is my Power Point, defining Totalitarianism.

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]]> My Lecture on the Mao Years https://daniellazar.com/2008/07/16/my-lecture-on-the-mao-years/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:20:32 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/07/16/my-lecture-on-the-mao-years/ Here is Mao’s China

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]]> Why Parties and Elections in Authoritarian Regimes? https://daniellazar.com/2008/06/29/why-parties-and-elections-in-authoritarian-regimes/ Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:22:16 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/06/29/why-parties-and-elections-in-authoritarian-regimes/ Although parties and elections are thought of as defining features of democracy, most authoritarian governments also rely on political parties and hold elections.Theories of democratic politics see elections as the means by which citizens hold politicians accountable for the quality of governance.Citizens may have insufficient information to monitor politicians closely and, in any event, must … Continue reading Why Parties and Elections in Authoritarian Regimes? →

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]]> Inverted Totalitarianism: A New Way of Understanding How the U.S. Is Controlled https://daniellazar.com/2008/06/29/inverted-totalitarianism-a-new-way-of-understanding-how-the-us-is-controlled/ Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:20:29 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/06/29/inverted-totalitarianism-a-new-way-of-understanding-how-the-us-is-controlled/ Wolin writes, “Our thesis is this: it is possible for a form of totalitarianism, different from the classical one, to evolve from a putatively ‘strong democracy’ instead of a ‘failed’ one.” His understanding of democracy is classical but also populist, anti-elitist and only slightly represented in the Constitution of the United States. “Democracy,” he writes, “is … Continue reading Inverted Totalitarianism: A New Way of Understanding How the U.S. Is Controlled →

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]]> THE SECOND GENERATION OF COMMUNISTS: JOSEPH VISSARIONOVICH STALIN, SOCIAL ARCHITECT https://daniellazar.com/2008/06/29/the-second-generation-of-communists-joseph-vissarionovich-stalin-social-architect/ Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:30:12 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/06/29/the-second-generation-of-communists-joseph-vissarionovich-stalin-social-architect/ Read THE SECOND GENERATION OF COMMUNISTS: JOSEPH VISSARIONOVICH STALIN, SOCIAL ARCHITECT (a chapter from this book) Respond to these questions

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]]> Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators https://daniellazar.com/2008/02/21/talk-of-the-devil-encounters-with-seven-dictators/ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:44:17 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/02/21/talk-of-the-devil-encounters-with-seven-dictators/ Riccardo Orizio is the author of the book Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators. He interviewed deposed dictators who have not apologized for their crimes and weren’t rehabilitated. They were Uganda’s Idi Amin, Haiti’s “Baby Doc” Duvalier, Ethiopia’s Mengistu and others. The interview is conducted by Fresh Air guest host Dave Davies. Listen … Continue reading Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators →

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]]> History vs. Hollywood: Idi Amin's Dictatorship https://daniellazar.com/2008/02/21/history-vs-hollywood-idi-amins-dictatorship/ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:31:30 +0000 http://www.daniellazar.com/2008/02/21/history-vs-hollywood-idi-amins-dictatorship/ Your assignment is to type an essay which: 1. Analyzes the objectives and methods of Idi Amin’s dictatorial rule in Uganda (1971 – 1979) 2. Analyzes the extent to which his rule is accurately depicted in Kevin Macdonald’s “The Last King of Scotland”. Please bear in mind that you are not simply writing a film … Continue reading History vs. Hollywood: Idi Amin's Dictatorship →

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