Timothy Snyder visits Valley College

The esteemed professor gave a talk on tyranny and democracy to a packed audience. 

By: Gabriel Gomez, Copy Editor

World-renowned historian Timothy Snyder speaks to students and faculty during his guest lecture on tyranny and democracy at Valley College on Oct. 22, 2025.

On a cold Wednesday evening in late October, Timothy Snyder, a world-renowned historian and professor at the University of Toronto, delivered a lecture to a packet recital hall at Valley. Snyder, a towering figure with a full head of white hair, entered the room adorned in a chic Ukrainian embroidered shirt known as a vyshyvanka. The professor discussed how a citizen body can resist tyranny and authoritarianism in society. 

"Be skeptical of those that say your country is special... History of imperialism is the history of one state not recognizing another. All people need a state," said Snyder. 

The event was organized by Professor Knorr from the Philosophy department at Valley College, who invited the author to speak on campus after reading his New York Times best-selling book, "On Tyranny", over the summer. "He was generous enough to say yes... I was honestly surprised," said Knorr. 

The topic was one of a precarious nature and quite relevant to the situation in which the American people now find themselves in. However, the energy and excitement of the audience was palpably subdued by the overwhelming swarm of LA County Sheriffs – with distrusting, severe gazes and pistols on their hips, as it were – which encircled the room. 

Despite the seriousness of the lecture, Professor Snyder helped set the audience at ease with his humor. By immediately pointing out that only one individual was wearing any Dodgers gear, he criticized the audience's pride for their city, which was met with an uproar of laughter. 

Synder's slow and melodic timbre of oration held the audience in a state of attentive poise. He asserted that some antidotes to the maladies which plagued the twentieth century, such as fascism, authoritarianism, and oligarchy, include a strong social democracy, local activism, freedom of speech, skepticism of government leaders, rejection of imperialism and plurality. 

"Democracy is always in the plural... more democracies than not, and more than one," he said. 

Non-violence was a central theme throughout the entirety of his speech. "Violence will have to be a last resort,” Snyder said. “Building a political system on violence will not stand... a lot of the time it is an expression of cowardice." 

For Snyder, the human body and democracy are not merely correlated, but absolutely codependent. He argued that, "The government should stay away from our bodies because we have potential... caring about the body in a positive way is to care about democracy." The professor told the audience that to care for the health and well being of all young children is to plant the seed of democratic instinct into the future of our citizenry. 

When Snyder finished his address, Professor Knorr encouraged attendees to participate in a Q&A session. Snyder addressed questions related to the two party system, critique of capitalism, the fascism of Russia and liberation movements. 

Professor Snyder’s visit offered Valley students a thought provoking reminder of the significance of civic engagement and the work required to preserve democracy.