Wednesday, September 23 at 2:00 pm
The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism: Anne Applebaum
The left may be dominant in cultural spheres. But the right is dominant in politics, where real power is exercised. That dominance, however, has derailed political conservatism throughout the Western world, where authoritarian "strong man" leadership and values have become increasingly mainstream. Historian Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy talks about how the right went wrong.
Anne Applebaum leans conservative, but hasn't voted Republican since Sarah Palin became John McCain's running mate in 2008.
The historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer was born in the U.S. but now lives in Poland. She has been watching as elements of the political right have made one wrong turn after another, embracing authoritarianism and illiberal practices, morphing into what she calls the "new right."
"Although they don't like the term, the new right are more Bolshevik than Burkean. The new right does not want to conserve what exists … these are men and women who want to overthrow, bypass or undermine existing institutions, to destroy what exists," the acclaimed historian writes in Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism.
Her book traces the lure of authoritarianism not simply through the populist strongmen who dominate world politics today but through the intellectuals who support them.
"Authoritarianism appeals, simply, to people who cannot tolerate complexity."
Anne Applebaum spoke to IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed to explain why authoritarianism is so tempting.
To listen to the audio of “The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism: Anne Applebaum” from Ideas From the CBC online, please click HERE.