![]() ![]() ![]() 2 The Reconstruction of Nations examined the emergence of the Central and Eastern European nations, beginning in the early modern period. First published in 1998, Nationalism, Marxism, and Modern Central Europe explored the life and work of Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz, a Polish philosopher and sociologist active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Snyder’s earlier books were concerned with more distant times. This role is, in fact, a relatively recent development. Snyder, an American historian and professor at Yale, has become well-known for his commentary on contemporary politics, striving not only to divine meaning in the complications and chaos of the present, but also to explain the historical roots of current phenomena. In The Road to Unfreedom, Snyder seeks “patterns and concepts that can help us make sense of our own time,” and to “define the political problems of the present, and to dispel some of the myths that enshroud them.” 1 Political and media manipulation, he believes, has obscured our understanding of the present time. ![]() In recounting the conflict between the Delian and Peloponnesian leagues, Thucydides rejected the lies and propaganda disseminated by the leaders of both sides, seeking instead to discern and describe their real motives. T hucydides, the ancient Greek historian whose account of the Peloponnesian War marks the beginning of modern historiography, can be considered the patron of Timothy Snyder’s latest book. The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America ![]()
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