4.5 out of 5 stars
The publisher provided a copy of this, free of charge, in return for an honest review.
It feels like we have been in a living hell for the past decade. The rise of populism and nationalism in numerous countries across the world is driven by divisive figures who are being funded by unaccountable billionaires who have their own agendas for world domination. Having a malleable population who are susceptible to the fears that inflamed by the rhetoric by these individuals leads down a path that I thought that we’d never see again after the 20th century.
So how do we go from what feels like a proper democracy to a fully-fledged dictatorship?
According to Temelkuran, there are seven distinct steps on this path from democracy to dictatorship. She writes this from the experience of having lived through the coup in Turkey and the yearning that she has to live back in her home country once again. In each step, she explains the warning signs that she saw and how they can differ in each country.
She documents how an unknown political party in 2002 began a movement for the ‘real people’ of the country. They claimed all the way through this process that they were the true representatives of the country and that it was their aim to fix the dysfunctional problems that the country had. They won the elections, and seventeen years later, they are still there. They have changed everything for the worse…
These themes are present in all political systems around the world, and the UK is not immune; Farage and Brexit come to mind. The problem is that the mainstream politicians don’t really have any answers to some of the intractable problems that are facing our society at the moment. Educated individuals with liberal and progressive views are portrayed as enemies of the people who do not understand. The new politicians demand respect; they do not think about earning it, and it is a one-way street, too. They show no respect for other views. People who do not show respect or deference to them are held in contempt and often threatened.
It is only later that the ‘real people’ come to understand that they have been fed a lie. The truth that these politicians spout changes constantly; a figure who is seen in a glowing light at the beginning can become an enemy overnight. No one dares question the narrative, so they get away with it.
Temelkuran looks at how the populists control the narrative, attacking the character rather than having a rebuttal to the discussion, claiming things that are true when they aren’t, because lots of people think that (commonly known as sheeple).
The narratives that populists have are often seen as infantile. But it gives them the ability to arrange the narrative to suit their agenda. Trying to pin them down to anything is like trying to nail a jelly to a wall. If you choose not to follow the party line, you become a target for all their ire. This is something that Temelkuran has been on the receiving end of. These people are slippery bastards.
Another crucial indicator in the slide to dictatorship is the erosion of shame and empathy. This can be seen in the shocking response to the plight of refugees and migrants who are fleeing wars and other conflicts. People have a very fluid relationship with the truth, hence the rise of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories, including one where a lad had to prove that he was a student at a school that suffered a mass shooting after the trolls in the gun lobby claimed it was a hoax and he was an actor.
Popularists rely on distractions. They say something controversial and watch as the media furore kicks off and people get agitated by it, then as people are concentrating on that change something fundamental to suit them. Later on, when it has all died down, declare that neither side is in touch with the ‘real people’. It is, of course, all nonsense, but it means that the changes they made have slipped by, unnoticed by the majority.
When they are in power, authoritarian leaders ensure they are involved in everything and that you only get something if the leader has approved it. Even the wealthy stay wealthy if he wants them to remain that way, Russia under Putin is a good example of this. As their power grows, it becomes easier to change the rules to suit themselves and the opposition is left voiceless and often imprisoned…
With right-wing authoritarianism comes hard-line misogyny; women start to lose control over how they can look after their bodies; birth control and abortion are obvious indications. If you don’t fit their ideal image as a citizen, then they don’t want you. The harassment and then beatings of those who don’t conform are first reported as ‘isolated incidents’ but they are not. They are part of a concerted campaign. If you are audacious enough to bring up these attacks, then you are the person seen to be dividing and polarising the country and not understanding the values of the ‘real people’.
It all comes down to dictators wanting idealised citizens who conform to the ‘great’ leader’s vision or cause. Though what that actually is or means is almost never communicated to anyone, as it can then be moulded and changed at their whim. AS with all dictatorships, the rules that apply to the majority of the population don’t apply to the elite, as Temelkuran finds out one day for herself.
Dictatorships have no rigid or set ideology either. They morph and reshape the agenda as it suits them. It reminds me of Animal Farm and the way that the messages to all the other animals kept changing throughout the story. The situation seems laughable, but as the grip of the dictator increases, the laughter becomes a poison in its own right.
She visits a Greek island; from there, she can see her hometown, Izmir. It is a place she misses with all her heart, but she knows that until there is a regime change in the country, she will never be able to return.
I found this a shocking book in lots of ways. I knew that Turkey was a dodgy democracy because of the issues that they had when they had it is mind to join the EU and couldn’t or wouldn’t change the way they were doing things. I wasn’t aware of just how far down this path they had ventured. Temelkuran clearly loves her country and is mournful about the way it has gone and that she no longer can live there, having been brave enough to stand up to the authorities there.
More shocking though, is when I used this prism to look at how far down this path we and other countries had gone. I really hope it is not too late…
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