When Democracy Ate Itself: The Sicilian Revolt

The Sicilian Revolt is a gripping and modern take on one of history’s most powerful warnings. Long before Rome or the United States, the city of Syracuse in ancient Sicily destroyed itself from within.Where one man, Dionysius the Tyrant, rose to power by convincing citizens he was their only protector.This episode connects that ancient fall to our modern world. It shows how outrage, lies, and blind loyalty can tear apart any nation that forgets how to listen. Cullen draws clear lines between the streets of ancient Syracuse and the scenes we see now: rallies that turn to riots, mobs that claim to be patriots, and people who cheer for power instead of truth.It is part history lesson, part warning, and part mirror held up to the present.History does not repeat word for word, but it always hums the same tune when we stop paying attention.Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How Democracies Die. Crown Publishing Group, 2018.Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Tim Duggan Books, 2017.Kakutani, Michiko. The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump. Tim Duggan Books, 2018.Paxton, Robert O. The Anatomy of Fascism. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.Applebaum, Anne. Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. Doubleday, 2020.Diamond, Larry. Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency. Penguin Press, 2019.Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1951.