Putin and the Presidents: Timothy Snyder (interview) | FRONTLINE
Timothy Snyder is a professor of history at Yale University. He is the author of The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America.
The following interview was conducted by the Kirk Documentary Group’s Michael Wiser for FRONTLINE on Sept. 26, 2022. It has been edited for clarity and length.
This interview is being published as part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind our documentaries. Explore the transcript of this interview, and others, on the FRONTLINE website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/in...
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As a Ukrainian I couldn't agree more with prof. Snyder. His free online course on Ukraine's history is just brilliant. Thank you for your interest and support of my country.
I'm a proud American volunteer now serving in Ukraine. I love your country! I know for a fact Ukraine will win. Gram Slava Ukraine! 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
@@jameskonzek6730 Heroyam Slava! Thank you, James!
@@jameskonzek6730 ddmddddddddfddmdmddmddddddddmdmdmdddmdddmdmddmdddmmdddmddmdddddmdmddddddmdmdmdmdmdmddddmdddmdmddmddmdddmddfdmdddmdmddmdmddddddddmdddmdmdmdmmmdmdddddmdmdmdmdmdmddmddmdmdddmdddmdmddddmmddmddmdmfdmmddmdmdmdmdmdmdddddddfffdddddd
Couldnt agree more Respect from Norway❤
We stand united with you 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇦🇺🇦🙏
I'm from Ukraine. Thanks a lot to everyone who supports Ukraine, thanks to everyone who believed that we won't be afraid or give up facing the rushits aggression. And yes, thanks to prof. Snyder for doing so much for my country with his publicist and scientific work!
Warm regards from Israel
вам дякую )
You Ukrainians are So Brave!!! Your commitment and sacrifice are so impressive! Even the Ukrainian grandmas are brave - based upon social media reports. Slava Ukraine!
Lies. America caused this war, and your country helped by courting the idea of joining NATO, accepting America's armaments, and provoking Russia into a war. You got what you deserved, stop whining.
Slava Ukraini!
His book, ON TYRANNY, is a must read. At 76, I’m still learning. THANK YOU.
Mr Snyder, i have learned more on world geopolitics in your one hour interview than in the last 25 years. Brilliant. If i was an elected politician, i would love to have you as one of my adviser. And kudos to the interviewer who asked very good questions.
I agree, it's stunning how clearly Tim Snyder communicates and how much insight he shares in so few words. He's a global treasure.
@@showard4300 Prof Snyder, Dr Heather Richardson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Jon Meacham have all been getting me through the last few years. While my favorite period of history to study is Europe and the Middle East between around 1000 until the 1600s, having historians to shed light on current events is not only incredibly helpful when it comes to processing and understanding but also has been a balm for the soul. Just listened to Snyder talking to Bill Kristol while catching up on podcasts and highly recommend that convo if y'all haven't heard it yet
I became a very involved fan of Prof. Snyder, because he brings the conversation back to Ukraine and Ukrainians, when most of journalists just want to speak about Putin
His online lecture series was so helpful for understanding even a little bit about the history of the Ukrainian people and what this war means to them.
@@brianbelgard5988 yes! Once again, it's the first time when we were spoken of as main characters, and not just some country people teared apart by empires. It's so important to realise how imperialistic is the method of teaching history has been so far
Liberal propagandist and nothing more
@Dee Seejay of course it's kinda sad how much Synder gets away with by lying about the history of Russia.
@Dee Seejay good joke bro thanks for that i was having boring until it saw your comment 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can listen to prof Snyder for HOURS. Always clear and insightful. THANK YOU
Me too!
He's a fantasist...if that is the intellect level of your Ivy league academics, can you just imagine quality of your education...pathetic!
I agree. Sounds like a nice conversation to have in a little bit more of a relaxed setting with a few other opinions among a small group of academics and friends. Capitalism != Democracy, BUT I still love Democracy, unrestrained Capitalism, not so much.
Nothing is true. Don’t be like a sheep 🐑 have your mind go and make your own research
Snyder does Americans a great disservice in his obsession on making Trump, in the eyes of as many people he can, into a villain who's just about cut from the same stock and just about as dangerous for democracy as Putin. Such a demonization makes Americans seem for the rest of the world like fools that half of them voted for him to be U.S. president. It's this portrayal of things that actually serves Putin the best in that it goes along with the idea which he's been pushing that the selection of leaders and especially the top leader should be reserved to some elite group ("managed democracy'). As a historian Snyder can't have such a huge memory lapse as to portray Trump as attacking and trying to destroy American institutions just because he called out certain groups within them for trying to use our institutions for devious totalitarian designs when so many of the liberals with whom Snyder associates himself with weren't that long ago themselves attacking American institutions like the FBI, CIA, Supreme Court etc. as tools of some powerful monied cliques using America for their own enrichment and perpetuation of power. Snyder has a talent in getting a narrative to line up with his personal ideological positions. While Trump says that Putin waited with his invasion of Ukraine until we got a weak president, Snyder insists that it was the "January 6th insurrection" that was the weakness which Putin was waiting for and took advantage of. The problem with that interpretation is that the protesters who breached the Capitol weren't really insurrectionists because at no point did they proclaim an overthrow of the government even though they had the building in their hands at some point. What they wanted was a postment of the final Electoral College vote which shows that they were not intent on destroying any democratic institution. What they questioned was something which Democratic congressmen had done in preceding elections. By having them be arrested and kept in jail for 2 years now and forced to plead guilty for very minor things in order not to be locked up for ages plays into the hands of Putin who does just that to those that protest his manipulations of the elections. This is not to say that those who turned the protest into a riot should not be penalized for disrupting the workings of government, but to have hundreds of thousands of people giving tips on relatives and acquaintances if they suspect they were at the Capitol on that day is exactly what governments get their "citizens" to do into totalitarian communist states (spying on one another). All this makes it seem as if Snyder began studying the methods that totalitarian governments use to control the people only recently and was not aware that well of how communist states functioned. Snyder, for example, has no problem with the government and social media conglomerates engaging in censorship and deciding what the public can know and what information must be kept away from them. So, even though Snyder is very helpful in getting Americans more aware of the authoritarian, imperialist tradition that is part and parcel of the Russian mindset and political aspirations, he does a poor job in not recognizing how the various social divisions and conflicts that our American neoMarxist left keeps coming up with and their how their constant maligning of America's image through our history serves Putin's propaganda narrative far better than some so-called "insurrection" that was not as bloody as "historian" Snyder says it was having ended rather quietly after just 3 hours. It's actually alarming that Snyder has nothing at all to say about how Putin's crazy depiction in his 7000-word speech of America as being the pernicious culprit behind most of the world's problems and evils is just about the same thing that many professors are teaching in our universities and colleges. Snyder ignores the one certain thing that came from the Mueller report about Russian Interference was that the Russians primarily aim at creating as much conflict in our country as they can getting one group to view the other as their greatest enemy. This is exactly what Biden did in his recent speech calling the half of the country that voted for Trump fascist and a danger to our democracy. Not calling Biden out on that really undermines Snyder's value as a historian of how dictatorships come into being.
It is a pity that we don't have enough people like Prof. Snyder in the academia of the Free World. Such a bright and easy-to-congest interview.
We'll never have enough, but we have many. Most of them don't talk to the news much.
This so called professor claims Putin doesn't know any other languages yet you can see him speak german or english on multiple occasions. He also claims Putin doesn't know anything about Ukraine when he just gave a 30min presentation on the topic to Tucker Carlson.
awesome. I wish more leadership in this country was as smart as this fellow here.
Thank you Timothy for everything you are doing to spread the truth about that war
I highly recommend Prof Snyder's series of 23 lectures "The Making of Modern Ukraine", also on KZhead. This are the actual lectures he delivered to his history class at Yale. You'd think listening to 23 hour just on Ukraine would be overkill, but he makes it so exciting, so interesting, and draws in so many fascinating connections to the rest of European history over 2,000 years that it's effortless; like reading a really engrossing novel. A wise and intelligent man and a great teacher.
Those lectures are on KZhead? FANTASTIC! Will definitely listen and many thank yous , Andrew! 💛💙
Let me second that sentiment. Absolutely gobbled up those lectures!
@@marshuswp3325 You should be skeptical.
Did it ever occur to you that the professor may be preaching a false narrative?
Thanks for the recommendation!
An assessment of Russian psychology I've never read or heard before. Mr. Snyder is the real deal. Thank you so much for educating us.
Mr snyder is a stone-cold sadistic neo-con who never said one word of truth in his entire parasitic life. For strictly factual details, try: How the West Brought War to Ukraine Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe by Benjamin Abelow.
You are one of my favorite writers. I have learned so much from your books. Thank you And stay safe!
Ты ещё помолись на этого пройдоху Тимоти Снайдера, может этот недоучка Российской истории тебя услышит!
Absolutely tremendous. It’s people such as this that remind me that the people I normally get caught up listening to are pseudo intellectuals
Whats so wrong here? Snyder is verq qualified to speak of this.
@@TheIfifi I was complementing him
@@swollenknees I reread, my bad. I was a bit confused too.
@@TheIfifi my, my! somebody doing an honest mistake and then - BAM! Acknowledging it and apologizing. Is this some corner of intellectuals on the internet or something?
what about socialism as a new option? i worked in a brewery the big secret was that it cost them $1.20 to make a carton of beer .. there was $25 in tax and they sold it for $50.... $1.20 for wages. supplies. production and advertising... i propose we leave government alone and socialise the cooperate sector.. so in this case, we sell beer for $1.20 in profit pay the workers a true living wage.. after that give profits back to the community by selling the beer at cost.. all business should consider profit as a swear word to be avoided.. the model needs to be working for a better life for all.. not working to exploit the consumer '
He has an excellent grasp on the subject and articulates his thoughts very well. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
One has to wonder. When we have such clear thinkers in the US, why wouldn't Obama have spoken to Snyder about Russia? Why did he send HRC to do that idiotic 'ReSet' thing? What other major F-ups did Obama/. HRC oversee?
Snyder seems to attribute all problems in Russia with it not being democratic enough, what about Russia being landlocked with no warm water ports, what about demographic decline? …. How can you have factories when you cant buy supplies or else your products when you don’t have access to the sea? India also would like to buy huge amounts of resources from Russia but it can’t because of how hard it is to get things there. Oil pipelines that would go through Syria or Pakistan or Iraq would they survive?
"articulates his thoughts very well" Agreed, he lies very well !!
@@davidsmith3rd Nice try, Russian troll.
@@aoeu256 Land locked ? Are you kidding !!!
This guy is the ultimate clairvoyant. Thank you.
Thank you for this upload! May I correct one thing? Around 3:55 Synder says that Putin doesn't know foreing languages. This is not correct, Putin speaks German very well, in 2001 he even hold a speech in the German parliament in German. Putin was stationed in the GDR (in Dresden) from 1985 to 1990 as a KGB agent. This doesn't change anything about Synders basic statement, I just wanted to clarify that. I think that the impact his career as a KGB agent has had on Putin's thinking cannot be underestimated.
Wow, that hour just flew by, I wish it had been longer. What a brilliant man with a brilliant mind
You can see more of his stuff from the Yale course he taught on history of Ukraine. Yale posted it on Your tube.
@@syjiang I will do that, thanks for the tip 🙂
I seriously question his level of intellect...not too bright for an "elite" institution 🤣
@@nawaalsalie3692 well then, let’s hear your “thoughts” on the subject 💀 total clown
@@nawaalsalie3692 ofc, not on the level of putin worshipping biomass talking schi; those are the smart ones, da?
I discovered Professor Snyder gradually over the years. He strikes me as a really deep thinker, especially in the field of the history of ideas. In his history, ideas matter, worldview matters, domestic policy matters, fear matters, self-interest matters, dreams matter, ideologies matter. His approach, coupled with a huge knowledge and deep understanding of Eastern Europe and its history, makes for fascinating, well-thought-out ideas and views of what is happening. He is one of those rare people who help me understand things a little bit better, whenever I listen to him. Another person who has that when it comes to the Ukraine war is Lawrence Freedman, a professor of war and conflict from the UK. His substack articles on the war - like those of Timothy Snyder - are always a worthwhile read that helps me understand things just a little bit deeper, a little bit better. Worth your time.
Thanks for the lead - off to search for Lawrence Freedman
Mr. Snyder proves that if the American people can just learn a little bit more from people like him we can begin to resolve our own issues internally. Outstanding.
Тимоти Снайдер не политик и не экономист, поэтому научить американцев как им процветать внутри своей страны не получится. Как говорится : болтать языком, это ещё не значит, что-то сделать. К тому же Снайдер весьма слабо разбирается в истории России, и абсолютно не понимает менталитет русского народа. Или он, общаясь с русскоязычными, что проживают в Америке решил для себя, что вполне стал понимать русскую душу. А вот тут Снайдер по глупому ошибся, ибо не живя в России среди русских, понять их американцу невозможно. А что же касается русскоязычных проживающих в США, так этнических русских среди них очень мало. В основном это люди других национальностей и вероисповеданий. Так что выскочке Тимоти Снайдеру лучше надо учить историю России. А то как-то нехорошо получается - преподаёт студентам историю России, а сам в ней дубина! Да ещё на своём сайте дурит головы своим подписчикам и слушателям.
Lol 😆 people like you are the ones who believed in the weapons of mass destruction lie in iraq 🇮🇶
Phenomenal insight...what a brilliant guy...
This is the most powerful analysis of the situation I have ever encountered . It has dramatically increased my understanding . Thank you Frontline and PBS
Professor Snyder is a wonderful source of knowledge and thinking on this subject. Thank you!
I learned so much from reading his books and lectures. He just completed Modern Ukraine which streamed on Yale Course channel. I not only have much better understanding of Ukrainian history, but also about the world order and European history.
@@ditrower8104 That separates him from other "experts". He's been talking about Ukraine long before it was fashionable. Meanwhile, latecomer "experts" severely underestimate Ukraine, want the victim to "negotiate", and, for some bizarre reason, believe anyone but Russia is to blame for this war.
Serious? He said Putin doesnt know any foreign languages? Basic information and he is wrong. Putin knows German for sure and i dont what other languages he knows. This guy doesnt know that putin was a kgb agent and was working in germany? This guy is totaly misleading.
This is a very hard war to understand. I have read several of his books and he has as good a grasp of the situation as I believe can be found.
This interview is pure gold. At first I was intimidated by the length but now I want to hear even more from him.
Same here, man, that was so refreshing.
check out his making of modern ukraine lectures, even more golden
He is lucid, well informed, humane... I have been reading and listening to him for years. There is quite a lot online. Also, recommend 'Black Earth' and 'Bloodlands'.
what about socialism as a new option? i worked in a brewery the big secret was that it cost them $1.20 to make a carton of beer .. there was $25 in tax and they sold it for $50.... $1.20 for wages. supplies. production and advertising... i propose we leave government alone and socialise the cooperate sector.. so in this case, we sell beer for $1.20 in profit pay the workers a true living wage.. after that give profits back to the community by selling the beer at cost.. all business should consider profit as a swear word to be avoided.. the model needs to be working for a better life for all.. not working to exploit the consumer ,.
@@johney3734 Who is this "We" you're referring to when you say "we" should socialise the private sector. And what is the existing $25 in taxes being used for? Better plan would be for some of those "we" people to open a new brewery, make good beer, pay employees fairly, sell product at a lower price than competitors, especially if they are colluding on price fixing. The competition will either market itself as a premium product justifying a higher price, fall in line with the new, lower price benchmark, or slowly become irrelevant and go out of business.
These Frontline interviews are absolute gold.
Don't be an idiot. They are (deep) state propaganda for gullible people in the West who don't know any better.
I've always wondered how much Ukraine's joint hosting of the 2012 European Soccer Championship accelerated the changes in Ukraine. During my time there in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kyiv, I witnessed a great celebratory connection between the visiting fans and local residents. I also saw a strong Russian affinity in eastern Ukraine, and appreciated the fundamental political divide that existed at the time. Regardless, the trip was fantastic; the Ukrainian people warm and welcoming, and it crushes me to see what is happening there today.
This speaker has voiced everything I’ve been “guessing” for about 30 years now. Nice to know that similar minds have an actual voice, heard, and hopefully heeded.
Snyder is the classic example of of Marxist indoctrination using socialist ideology doctrines He is brainwashed or ignorant and he hasn’t figured it out what’s this all about Al the events are premeditated and planned decades ago as covid-19 scam second biggest scam in history of humanity after fake moon landing in 1969 We live in the world of lunacy and deception including landed snd provoked Ukrainian conflict Yes the neo - Nazis exist in Ukraine and Azov battalion the ancestors of Nazi collaborators during WW 2
Absolutely agree.
A brief explanation might help you distance yourself from the neofascist groups running Ukraine at the moment. But I doubt you’d be able to do that, would you?
Your guesses are as bs as Snyder. This guy doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. Example, at 3:55: “Putin is someone who doesn’t know the outside world…doesn’t know any foreign languages…” What? He was a KGB officer in West Germany and speaks very fluent German. Knowing his familiarity with German language and relationship with Merkel is Putinology 101. This is just one example of a litany of questionable and suspect comments and I’m only 4 minutes in.
You guys are both Westerners who tend to gravitate to people who share your opinions (no one not even me can resist confirmation bias) so of course you would come to similar conclusions... Snyder seems to attribute all problems in Russia with it not being democratic enough, what about Russia being landlocked with no warm water ports, what about demographic decline? …. How can you have factories when you cant buy supplies or else your products when you don’t have access to the sea? India also would like to buy huge amounts of resources from Russia but it can’t because of how hard it is to get things there. Oil pipelines that would go through Syria or Pakistan or Iraq would they survive?
Timothy Snyder is an amazing, remarkable, insightful thinker. Thanks for the interview!
Absolutely he is an insightful thinker, too bad his political bias towards democratic socialism causes him to make up stupid things like, “china and Russia are capitalist countries”. …. As if capitalism is bad and evil. He never clarifies that they are crony capitalist countries and that they are also dictatorships… it’s clear he hates capitalism. Very sad. Probably he never had a real job in his life and produce anything useful for other people. I’m not taking away from his great intellect, But his bias ruins everything.
No. No, he's not. He's just not.
@@jasonsmith1155 Thanks for the reply. OK I'm listening. Why do you say that?
He is a twit.
This Guy Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth, and than Expanded on them for 40 more Minutes!
This was fantastic & wonderfully informative. Thank you.
Just a treat to hear incisive, informed and humble analysis, restores my faith in intelligence
As an Eastern European I can definitely say - this guy gets it. It's really refreshing. Thanks for publishing and well done.
Cannot think of a more important intellectual on the world stage at the moment. Outstanding historian. But he’s much more than that.
Thank you for the interview. As a Greek, watching Russia crumbiling the democracy of the US was making me despair. The US needs to defend its democracy and put malignant tumor Trump in jail, the same way we did with the fascist party leaders, who incited violence. This is a turning point of history, and democracy needs to win.
Where did you see democracy in the States? With full-scale media cencorship and prosecution of political opponets? Turn on your critical thinking instead of listening to deep state political establishment's mantras:) about democracy. Why there's no direct voting? Why no other parties- except for two being pretty much the same with slight differences- were able to establish themselves in 200++ years of the country existence? Being suppressed and suffocated, or what? US is a dictatorship of so-called oligarch 'families', corrupted lobbyists who would promote anything for a couple of bucks (lobbyism= corruption) and anarchists. Nothing more than that, the rest are just mantras to blind the ones like you..
Грек, ты что совсем дурак? Как Россия может разрушать демократию в Америке, если эта страна считает себя мировой сверхдержавой. Тут одно из двух : или Америка стала слабой, что на неё плюют кому не лень, или Америкой правят дебилы, которым место в дурдоме!
the malignant tumor of the USA is the Democrat party platform, which has incited much violence over several months with billions in damages, insurrections on authorities, and at least 25 dead. January 6th was a collaborative 'let happen' substantially allowed by the Democrat party to villify Trump.
Wow! What a knowledgeable guy. Best interview on this subject I've found yet.
To claim that he is knowledgeable you have to have some noledge on the subject your self which youu obviously do not.
@@ivokrkobabic7457 I can at least spell the word 'knowledge' - can you?
@@ivokrkobabic7457 sounds like ruzz aligned biomass talking schi
@@ivokrkobabic7457 your logic is faulty
Try Julia Ioffe next
This is the guy to talk to!!! Not that the other ones have been bad, but Dr Snyder is the person to discuss this situation especially since he called it all. Thanks!
Snyder’s Yale course on the entire history or the entire region is the one , its long and oh you gotta pay attention cuz its packed with a backstory but you won’t get better even if you moved there and married into the area. I speak vaguely because there is a large diverse group of cultures involved, not just Ukraine, Russia and USA.
@@_c_y_p_3 I’m so happy you found it useful for your work as it helps me get to work more 😊
He was the first guy who wrote exactly the the things I thought in a newspaper (was the Neue Zurcher Zeitung that translated his papers). Before I have been to Russia and Ukraine many times, talked to people from there for nearly 20 years. Definitely is was possible to see the 24. February 2022 coming at least 15 years ago. But politicians especially in Europe tried their best ignoring it.
@@_c_y_p_3 It's good, but he missed huge chunks of important history stages out of it to support a couple of his points (especially regarding Habsburgs). He brushed through the Cossack state period in half an episode too, which is ridiculous.
i bet he left out operation qrplumb, formerly aerodynamic, formerly beehive,,,
I was born in Finland in 1958. In my childhood, we were taught what a great friend we have in the USSR. We had a friendship and co-operation agreement with them. We paraded all our prospective Presidents and Prime Ministers for their approval. I was raised to see the best in our eastern neighbour, explain away the occupation of the Baltic countries - our Finnic brothers and sisters there. I represented the amnesia generation after WW2, whereas my parents had seen the deeply traumatizing Russian invasion, brutal war, the loss of our young men and our ancestral land to them. The war payments, the ever-working absent parents, the burden of horrors affected deeply the way I turned out. It has been heart breaking to follow the Russian destruction of Ukraine. Thank you, Professor Snyder, for your thoughtful analysis and your steadfast support of democratic values and the survival of nations previously considered someone else's "buffer zone".
He has a good understanding of situation. Greetings from Ukrainian living in USA
It's a pity it is not possible to put more than one like. The best interview about Russia I have heard. It needs to be louder.
Ignorance displayed.
You can share the video, that is like a super like lol
@@spudwesth no u.
16 minutes into this video and it’s definitely one of the best interviews I’ve seen in a long time. Please have Professor Snyder on for more
Wow. Same here. A few minutes in and I took a break to check the comments, wanted to make sure I wasn't alone. This is dense. It has intelligence, and wisdom, and it's already presented in a polished form. It's a goldmine.
@Navam Sinna Do you think Ukraine should have made the deal to get rid of their nuclear weapons in exchange for Russia's promise not to invade?
@Navam Sinna You hope comrade. My interpretation is that if we had persecuted the USSR state organs that had tortured and killed 30 to 60 million Russians the same way we had done the Nazis we would not be in this situation. When you speak blood and tears look a little closer to home
He has a series of lectures on Ukrainian history on the Yale university channel. Big time sink, but hugely insightful.
It's wonderful to hear a well thought out Q and A response(s) that demonstrate logic and coherent assessment.
Hey America! Listen to this guy!!!!
I’ve looked forward to all of these full length interviews, but I was especially excited for Timothy Snyder’s. Dr. Snyder’s free Yale history of Ukraine lectures on KZhead were appointment watching for me as soon as they came out. He’s a rare American expert who is fluent in multiple languages and thus has real time access to Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, German, etc media and primary sources.
I loved his course!
YALE? That explains plenty. Second rate institution now, ruined be imbibing Progressive KoolAid
Thanks for the information! I'm going to checkout his posts. v
@@jaimekuehner7363 , I'm looking forward to seeing the posts. v
Maybe you guys should listen to Professor Mearshimer. Get a little balance this guy simplifies how the Russia/Ukraine war really came about.
Excellent Interview. Thank you Timothy and Michael.
This is by far the best insight and analysis of Russia and Putin I have ever heared. Congratulations
Recap by Tammy AI with useful timestamps! 0:00: 🌍 The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in late 2021 is a significant moment for the Biden administration and the world, with the stakes being the international legal framework and the idea that countries should not destroy others for no reason. 6:24: 🌍 Russians think of themselves as a great power and want to prove it, while Americans do not need Russia for their sense of themselves. The belief that democracy is inevitable due to capitalism was a mistake and too few people owning too much stuff and dominating the media leads to a lack of democracy. 12:58: 👀 Understanding Putin's turn against the West and the failure of his domestic policy 19:15: 🌍 Russia's goal is to turn America into a total mess and American foreign policy does not matter that much in Russia. 26:31: 🌍 Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 caught the West off guard due to Russian propaganda and manipulation of social media, which they later used in the 2016 US election. 31:20: 🌍 The conflict in Ukraine was about democracy and Russia's fear of a functioning rule-of-law state joining the European Union. 38:57: 🌍 Trump normalized the Russian way of doing politics, which was a huge gift for Putin and had a tremendously negative effect on politics around the world. 44:15: 🔍 The conflict between democracy and authoritarianism is exemplified by the war in Ukraine and Trump's approach to it, which shows his disregard for democracy and his willingness to personalize foreign relations. 50:34: 🔥 The current situation in Ukraine and Russia is dangerous, with Putin's actions having consequences for both countries and the world.
Brilliantly insightful, Timothy Snyder's understanding of the situation and analysis of our journey towards it is one of the most thorough and intelligent I've heard yet. A fascinatingly revealing explanation of Putin's psyche!
If you loved Snyder's talk, you need to also check out talks by Stephen Kotkin, Prof. @ Princeton. They're both brilliant and understand the dictatorship mind. Kotkin wrote THE book on Stalin.
Maybe Putin is a dictator, but if your country lacks ports and has tons of natural resources the common people need some sort of a strongman to redirect the oil profits to the bottom people. How can you build factories when you can't import or export anything (landlocked)?
Very insightful, with clarity.A lot of realistic information.
@@aoeu256 What???
what about socialism as a new option? i worked in a brewery the big secret was that it cost them $1.20 to make a carton of beer .. there was $25 in tax and they sold it for $50.... $1.20 for wages. supplies. production and advertising... i propose we leave government alone and socialise the cooperate sector.. so in this case, we sell beer for $1.20 in profit pay the workers a true living wage.. after that give profits back to the community by selling the beer at cost.. all business should consider profit as a swear word to be avoided.. the model needs to be working for a better life for all.. not working to exploit the consumer
just finished listening to the full series of lectures from prof. Snyder on the history of Ukraine. Such a gift to be able to learn from such great teachers, thank you to the Yale university for sharing their best teachers with us
Where can I find this to hear these same lectures?
It is a shame, but the great professors have died out and what you get now are a mouthpiece of neocons, who miseducate their students. Money wasted on expensive miseducation.
Yes I agree it is great gift to recieve a deeply biased and skewed narrative from an institutionalised intellectual with no connection to reality
@@sondrawatkins4976 If you search for "The Making of Modern Ukraine" you should get a playlist of all the lectures delivered in 2022. 💙💛
@@KingMinosxxvi HAHAHA !!! 🤡🤣 STOP RUSSIAN SALAD MIX !!!💀
Great interview! Thank you, Sir.
Just seen this now. Wow great insight and understanding!
This guy is breaking it down so clean it's unbelievable. He really is explaining how we got to where we are.
Obviously, you never watch and listen to the opposite side, who tell the truth. America has provoked this war and they are scared of a strong Russia. They will do anything and fight "until the last Ukrainian" to try to break up Russia. But Russia is winning against the combined wealth of USA and EU. And they have not started yet.
@@helenajaksic2009 , on 24 February 2022, Russian forces crossed the border into Ukraine, a border established by international treaty in 1991 and ratified by a referendum of the Ukrainian people. Russia has as much right to invade Ukraine as I have to break into your house, which is to say, none. One more thing: on the day when the Chinese, hungry for resources, decide to drive their armies across the Russian border in search of plunder, I will support Russia in defense of her sovereignty.
@@erichodge567 you are cherry picking facts and events to suit your narrative. I wonder whether you would be so restrained and respect my house if I was killing your children in my house. We all know that primarily this conflict was started by USA and that it started way before 1991 with the aim to destroy Russia. Ukraine is just a convenient "host", because of the hatred of the Ukrainian fascists towards Russia. They are so easily manipulated, but of course lots of generals and Zelinsky enrich themselves in the process. The other very important point is that Ukraine applied to become a member of NATO. That is big NO-NO for Putin, but it would be for any president of Russia. Why didn't the West dismantle NATO like Gorbachev did with the Warsaw Pact? Do you think USA would tolerate Russian military bases in Mexico pointing nuclear weapons at them? Putin is on the right side of history. He clearly stated his objectives for the SMO. Read his statement. But now, I think he will have to take the whole Ukraine and de-nazifying will take decades, I am afraid. And where are the millions of young Ukrainian men that "bravely" chose to earn a fistful of dollars in the west rather that fight for their homeland? They all say that they will never go back.
??? you know very little right loool
@@helenajaksic2009 gtfo.
I haven't heard anybody talking that sensible about the situation in a long time! I didn't even realize that almost an hour had passed since I started listening: this is hugely interesting and relevant to the end. Many thanks.
All lies. As per usual.
@@spudwesth Idiot troll.
@@spudwesth Oh thank you dear internet troll for this exhaustive explanation of your statement.
@@stunningride6073 you found some truth here genius? Share it with the class
6:12 - 6:53 Snyder got so many things right! I'm of Russian blood and I confirm that as a nation we are attention seekers and spreading fear gives us sense of importance. When I was little I watched lots of cringerowthy Steven Seagal movies (Russia loves him), and every time I heard the word "the Russians", I'd beam with pride that an American mentioned my country. This is how pathetic my russian mindset was back then. I've shifted since, but 99% of my friends and family haven't. I've come to realize that the imperialistic and frankly fascist mindset Russia exhibits stems from deep-rooted inferiority complexes.
I learned a lot from Prof Snyder's online posting of his Yale University class "The Making of Modern Ukraine." Well researched and supported, logically thought out, clearly presented. Dispassionate analysis in the best sense of the word, presented by a competent, compassionate human being. Highly recommended.
As a Lithuanian I couldn't agree more with prof. Snyder.
Excellent interview! Bravo ! from former soviet citizen - I was lucky to realize it in 1980s
Your own biases do cloud your judgement on a couple things, but that is ok because you really brought a couple things to MY attention that were clouded by MY biases. I really appreciate this interview in the series, and the John Bolton one. As a former lukewarm Trump supporter, these 2 Frontline interviews have provided key details and information that I'd not been open to before.
Thank you❤
Snyder's mastery on display - he boils the whole thing down into one short interview so that a 7-year-old can understand it.
It's just an excellent interview! Prof. Snyder really has a good understanding of what's going on in our region. And I hope an interview like this can help other nations to hear us. Thank you from Ukraine.
LMAO
A lot of the people that matter, that can help you survive and win, are hearing you. The problem is that propaganda machine of Russia is working overtime .and is very problematic, because it can minimize the support for your country. But I have hope.❤️🇺🇦
@@ileanaseagal6757 As an american.. born and raised in florida. And as a taxpayer I support ukraine 100% Joe biden send everything.. Drive those orks out of ukraine, Stop this pain and death from russia ASAP....
Propaganda. Anerica needs to fk off outta other countries.
P😊
What a perspective! So helpful!
One of my favourite people to achieve now that I've found you on KZhead. I'm enjoying your Yale class lectures very much and as a retired teacher I appreciate the work you put in to preparing your lectures. 😅 Thank you for challenging my intellect.
It is amazing how Snyder can explain very complex issues in very understandable terms. What an important voice in today's world.
It’s understandable because it is incredibly simplistic and reductionistic. Good versus evil. “Democracy” versus tyranny.
@@markusrose9667 Why do you put democracy in quotes?
@@Puleczech because it is a misleading word that implies a system were the people simply rule. In reality, like any other system, it is a system controlled by elites. In a democracy, those elites have very sophisticated ways of manufacturing consent or enforcing coercion. In other words, democracy is just a more sophisticated form of tyranny.
@@markusrose9667 What better system do you suggest?
@@Puleczech I prefer living in a democracy where the elites don’t get their way all the time.
There is so much I understand now about this subject through this interview, thanks for this, and so many thanks again. Timothy is a superstar.
Understand? Or come to believe? Personally I stumbled at the first few sentences.
You would gain better insight from Jeffrey Sachs...do yourself a favour
No he's a Russophobic bigot
@@nawaalsalie3692 oh yes, another kremlin's propaganda mouthpiece. Who are you kidding?
@@nawaalsalie3692 I smell a rat
this man speaks truth
Simply brilliant, thank you.
Timothy Snyder's research and texts are invaluable for America and world history. His work is cited by most major world leaders who write about these topics. Snyder is so sharp, I appreciate his commentary so much.
I have a Ukrainian wife, I’m trying to learn the language and I’ve been actively following the war since it started. This guy Timothy Snyder has just spoken about Ukraine with so much coherence, and understanding. All the bullshit I’ve heard from so many other commentators is set straight here and this to me is the absolute truth. I hope more people can hear him speak.
This was outstanding, thank you.
hoping @frontline does a followup on this program this fall.
Thank you Timothy and thanks for your history of Ukraine lectures which everyone can listen to here on KZhead and Apple podcast. 💙💛🌎
Professor Snyder's great insight. His 20 lectures about Ukraine's history from Yale university is obligatory for everyone to understand the issue.
I think it's more than 20, one is done by his wife. I've watched it all once and plan to watch it again.
PREACH. This man has comprehensive insight, an example as to why academics are still so important. Also how important it is for them to be understandable by the general public.
Какая нахуй история, может быть у Украины? Она просуществовала меньше 30 лет. Вот и вся история.
@@shurikkupitman5407 Киев был городом, когда Москва была не чем иным, как местом для поения скота.
@@MarkM001 Я тебе даже больше скажу. Киев, был городом, когда никакой Москвы и вовсе не было. Причём был он, не просто стольным, а великокняжеским. Беда украинского понадусерства в том, что Киев, был русским городом.
Brilliant interview, Bravo!
As russian I can tell that his understanding of russian internal politics and mentality is remarkable
Now I just hung on every one of this man's words lol. This was so insightful. Fantastic interview
May i offer a counter to this? You obviously are interested in geo politics, so here are some independent, non government funded media, Kremlin/ Pentagon free channels? The Duran, Alexander Mercouris, The New atlas, Jeffrey Sacks, Chris Hedges. The Grayzone, The Jimmy Dore show. At the end of every frontline is says in the credits, brought to you by the national endowment for democracy. N.E.D. thats a CIA front organization used to over throw countries that dont fall in line, they arm & fund revolutions all over the world. You dont have to believe me, look it up. 💁♂️🤝
Despite his moral weaknesses, JFK was a person who had the kind of intellectual capacity to understand these sophisticated points. He was too far ahead of his time and was killed accordingly. Please read 'Mary's Mosaic' by Peter Janney. 'JFK And The Unspeakable' by James P. Douglass. And 'The Brothers' by Stephen Kinzer. And listen to the interviews and perspectives by the late L. Fletcher Prouty. So much unique food for thought! Illuminate yourself!
One of the great minds of our time.
😂
@@Wargasm644 What's so funny? Timothy Snyder is probably one of the most important historians and philosophers of our time and I'm sure that our great grandchildren will be reading about him in class.
@@JerjerB Why should I trust him?
@@jakebredthauer5100 Because he has spent decades on learning Eastern European history in their own languages and reading their history outside of simply Russian imperial history which composes of owning peoples due to chauvinism.
His analysis is based on ignorance. 👎👎
When I was an ESL teacher I had a class with a Romanian and a Moldovan. I agree that speaking more than one language is a wonderful thing. However, these 2 women didn’t learn to speak Russian by choice. They were forced to learn. Forced into a society where they made no choices about what career they could pursue. And when they did work in those professions that we in the west would consider lucrative, for them they were paid the same as teenagers working at McDonalds. They managed to get to Canada and they love the fact that they are learning English and French because it’s their choice.
Great soon Canada Trudeau will demand they learn to speak hindi as well as learning all the gender neutral pronouns😊
Professor Snyder explains things so clearly!
Timothy Snyder has an excellent understanding that very few seem to have!
I’ve watched a few hours of Ukraine related content daily for the past year, and this is vies for the very best of everything I’ve imbibed. So broad, so deep, so succinct.
to a neutral obvserver of the conflict his view comes as extremely biased bordering the fanatical, he seems to too emotionally involved in this war and these people to provide any sort of rational, moderate and realistic assesment
@@Verntallat7 Nonsense. You are not neutral.
@@feynou "Cata-what" is actually one of the very few neutral and genuine comments in this propaganda comment section and video series
@@feynou why I'm not neutral? I want Russia to withdraw to the pre-invasion borders and then negotiate the status of Crimea and the Donbass and start reparations to the victims but at the same time I don't think this is a war "about democracy" or "david vs goliath", that would be China vs Taiwan, were actual democratic values would be put to the test
@@Verntallat7 He has dedicated his life to studying the region. He's extremely knowledgeable on the subject.
FASCINATING interview
Great intervieuw and good analysis.
Timothy is a true luminary. He gets Russia like very few foreigners do (saying that as a Russian myself). Been looking forward to this for a while. Thank you!
fr
PROF JEFFERY SACHS ⚒️ THIS GUY IS A CORPORATE TOOL🙈🙉🙊
HOW ABOUT THE USA KEEP THE PROMISE TO GORBACHEV AND NOT EXPAND NATO🙊🙉🙈
@@kipincharge2833 Sachs is an apologist dreamer
@@happyhappynuts who wants to DREAM in a CORPORATE MILITARY POLICE STATE 🙊🙉🙈 what is SAD is the USA could have worked for real☮️ around the 🌎 after Gorbachev agreed to pull back from eastern Europe 💥 but the MIC had to be fed☠️☠️☠️☠️the PEOPLE of the USA live in BONDAGE to 🖕🏼Private🖕Corporate🖕🏾Power☠️and their will be a bill due💀☮️
This should be mandatory viewing for any American that loves their country.
Empowering, but easy to digest. Many thanks!
This guy has the sort of matter-of-fact sassiness that I aspire to 😅
Most enlightening piece. Thank you
how much do they pay for a comment like yours? I might be interested
@@marcosvidal4940 If you think PBS has the money to manufacture Internet clout, I have a trendy tote bag and coffee mug for you (as long as you pledge a recurring annual donation of $99…)
SO glad I watched this interview.
Spoken so well, amazing interview
thank you. So much clarity.
Some people are brilliant but professor Snyder is also incredibly perceptive. Thanks so much for the insights on how we in the US failed to see what was happening when Russia exploited our weaknesses.
USA is the greatest threat to the world.
My thoughts exactly. Professor Synder gave a great synopsis of the situation. The USA messed up BIGLY. v
Definition : "Shambolic " . EVIL. DEFINITION EVIL: Any person forcing males to migrate or any person preventing female migration. A good, simple definition to save the world and define who is evil. Now the catch? You are only good if you actively oppose evil.
Hey Putin! It's actually democracy! But you know that. Need a ride?
Bullsh-t!!
Amazing interview. Snyder is SO prescient. Worth rewatching. Also - great Qs by Michael Wiser. Thanks PBS.
He doesn't even know that Putin speaks fluent english and german and lived years abroad...come on.
@@michaelvonpalubicki8849 yes he does and Timothy also speaks Russian. But as for Putin’s English, is is good enough but not fluent.
@@michaelvonpalubicki8849 oh ok. So the invasion of ukraine part is correct?
what about socialism as a new option? i worked in a brewery the big secret was that it cost them $1.20 to make a carton of beer .. there was $25 in tax and they sold it for $50.... $1.20 for wages. supplies. production and advertising... i propose we leave government alone and socialise the cooperate sector.. so in this case, we sell beer for $1.20 in profit pay the workers a true living wage.. after that give profits back to the community by selling the beer at cost.. all business should consider profit as a swear word to be avoided.. the model needs to be working for a better life for all.. not working to exploit the consumer
@@michaelvonpalubicki8849 Putin lived in the Soviet occupied DDR, controlled completely by the USSR, as an operative of the regime; this is hardly ‘abroad’. His English and German are far from fluent. Fabulous interview by Prof Snyder.
Brilliant.
Thank you Timothy for helping me understand another piece of this world puzzle. You spoke honestly, clearly, and in a way that IS understandable. Thank you.
It seems that Yale University is a branch of the CIA. Mr. Snyder lies from the very first words, both about Russia's goals in Ukraine and about the fact that the international legal framework has not been violated since the Second World War. About the so-called "history" of Ukraine, I won't even discuss this nonsense, it's something from a parallel reality. The US has never followed international rules. When the two independent countries of the USSR and Cuba agreed to deploy nuclear weapons on the island, the United States rudely intervened and said no, this cannot be done. Either you remove your missiles, or there will be a war - that is, the United States has grossly violated international law and interfered in the affairs of two independent countries. Thank God that at that time the leaders of the USA and the USSR were sane people and managed to come to a compromise. Nowadays, the West is led by narrow-minded people who do not have a sense of responsibility for their peoples. In January 2022, Russia said - either you include Russia in the European security system and guarantee that Ukraine will not be accepted into NATO, or we will solve this problem ourselves. Now the West is reaping the fruits of its recklessness.
Just one small correction. Putin is fluent in German, as East Germany was his first KGB detail!
You are the only intelligent person I found here. The rest are stupid idiots that believe all lies.
What a interview!!! Going to listen again.
I am Australian, and am fascinated by Prof. Snyder after watching him on Rachel Maddow. Brilliant man with so much knowledge we all should be paying attention to. Have his book On Tyranny. I hope he is 100% well after his serious illness.
Great interview; explains many aspects well for people unfamiliar with the subject, doesn't overstate conclusions.
What an enlightening interview. Well done everyone. Timothy Snyder is a star!
what about socialism as a new option? i worked in a brewery the big secret was that it cost them $1.20 to make a carton of beer .. there was $25 in tax and they sold it for $50.... $1.20 for wages. supplies. production and advertising... i propose we leave government alone and socialise the cooperate sector.. so in this case, we sell beer for $1.20 in profit pay the workers a true living wage.. after that give profits back to the community by selling the beer at cost.. all business should consider profit as a swear word to be avoided.. the model needs to be working for a better life for all.. not working to exploit the consumer
It is the EXACT opposite of enlightening. Further introductory reading: How the West Brought War to Ukraine Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe by Benjamin Abelow.
In the same sense that Kim Kardashian is a star.
this guy is as delusional; as putin
I love Dr. Snyder, the depth of his Eastern European knowledge is incredible! Thank you Frontline !
He claims that Putin does not speaks foreign languages. Putin speaks fluent German and fully understands English
@@juha-petrijantunen5100 he's a terrible propagandist, i suspect thats why he had the dry throat.. people should ask him about operation qrplumb.. notice how he set up the condition that anyone who dissagrees with his assettion that he knows how everyone thinks is a putin propagandist
Yeah it's more in depth than putins that was born there and lived there all his life and worked in government all his life. Amazing.
He knows his stuff and thinks in practical terms.
@@juha-petrijantunen5100 He just doesn't speak them. He tends to use an interpreter or makes the other party speak their second language. It's a power thing, I guess.
What an insight, great interview.
Is anybody still watching this?
This man is a complete genius, I wish there were more people understanding the situation like him.
LMAO -A complete genius??????? really? okay. Sure.
@@jasonsmith1155 Glad you agree.
more like complete clown who promotes neocon values.
@@jasonsmith1155 he wrote a book called road to unfreedom! Was amazing takes about brexit and us elections 2016 and how Russia tried to meddle in both! Timothy is a genius
@@tomthebomb09 Except for that he gets simple facts wrong like "Putin doesn't speak any foreign languages" (3:56) ... he speaks German and has spent some time there for the KGB. Just one example.