Defend Democracy-Lessons From History
The Most Important Book Series I Read in 2025 About How History is Repeating Itself
Background: Last year I reflected on my top 10 books I read in 2024 and most were health, fitness and personal growth (mindset) related. You can read that article and watch my video review here. While I read lots of great books expanding on those health themes again in 2025, the best book series I was gifted from a great friend and read this past year is Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy. This was my first deep dive into any of Follett’s writings, and this article is a summary of why I urge you to read and learn especially at this critical point in US history.
The health of our nation is now at risk, and reading Follett’s trilogy in parallel with events unfolding in the US they way they currently are is horrifying and quite frankly we all need to stand up for our democracy before it is too late.
When Democracies Sleep: Lessons from Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy for America Today
Ken Follett’s The Century Trilogy is not just historical fiction. It’s a cautionary tale disguised as a family saga—a reminder that democracy rarely dies in a single dramatic moment. It erodes slowly, legally, and often with applause.
Across Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity, Follett traces how ordinary people live through extraordinary political shifts: world wars, economic collapse, racial injustice, propaganda, and the rise of authoritarian leaders who promise order in times of chaos. What makes the trilogy unsettling today is not its depiction of the past—but how familiar its patterns feel.
History, Follett suggests, doesn’t repeat itself exactly. But it rhymes loudly enough that ignoring it becomes a choice.
The Myth of “It Can’t Happen Here”
One of the most chilling themes in Winter of the World is how Nazi Germany didn’t begin with camps and genocide—it began with grievance, humiliation, economic anxiety, and a leader who framed himself as the nation’s only savior.
Hitler rose not through a coup, but through elections, alliances, and legal mechanisms. He exploited distrust in institutions, vilified the press, labeled political opponents as enemies of the state, and weaponized nationalism as a substitute for truth.
The most dangerous moment, Follett shows, is not when democracy is overthrown—but when people stop believing it’s worth defending.
Sound uncomfortably familiar?
Strongmen Thrive on Division, Not Strength
Authoritarian movements share common DNA:
They divide relentlessly—citizen vs. citizen, “real” people vs. outsiders
They delegitimize elections unless they win
They attack the press as corrupt or treasonous
They politicize the courts and undermine independent institutions
They glorify loyalty to the leader over loyalty to the constitution
Sound uncomfortably familiar again?
In Follett’s telling, these tactics weren’t obvious at first. Many Germans believed they were choosing stability, tradition, and national pride—not authoritarianism. By the time the cost became clear, the guardrails were already gone.
The lesson is uncomfortable but critical: democracy doesn’t collapse because people hate freedom—it collapses because people grow tired, cynical, and distracted.
Parallels to the Present Moment
Drawing parallels between Hitler’s rise and the current Trump political movement is not about equating outcomes—it’s about recognizing patterns of power.
Trumpism, like other authoritarian movements, centers on:
A cult of personality
Open hostility toward democratic norms
Rejection of factual reality when inconvenient
Calls to punish political enemies
Nostalgia for a mythologized past (“Make America Great Again”)
Sound yet even more uncomfortably familiar?
Follett’s work reminds us that authoritarian leaders rarely present themselves as villains. They present themselves as victims—wronged by elites, betrayed by institutions, silenced by critics. And they invite followers to share in that grievance.
Democracy erodes not when tanks roll in—but when truth becomes negotiable and power becomes personal and bribes and lies become part of every day normal.
The Quiet Complicity of “Normal Life”
Perhaps the most haunting aspect of The Century Trilogy is how ordinary life continues while democracy decays. People focus on their jobs, their families, their routines. Politics feels exhausting. Engagement feels futile.
Follett shows us that this is exactly when democracy is most vulnerable.
The rise of fascism in Europe wasn’t enabled only by extremists—it was enabled by moderates who assumed someone else would stop it.
A Call to Action: Democracy Is a Verb
The central lesson of The Century Trilogy is this: democracy is not a permanent condition—it’s a practice.
It demands participation, vigilance, and discomfort.
So what does that mean now?
Vote. Every time. Even when it feels pointless. Especially then.
Defend institutions, not parties—courts, journalists, public servants, and educators.
Challenge disinformation, even in your own circles. Silence is consent.
Reject political violence and dehumanization, no matter who it targets.
Teach history honestly, without nostalgia or whitewashing.
Democracy doesn’t require perfection—but it does require courage.
Follett’s characters survive the 20th century not because they are heroes, but because they refuse to look away when it matters most.
The question for us is simple, and deeply uncomfortable:
When future generations look back on this chapter of American history, will they say we recognized the warning signs—or that we mistook them for noise?
History is watching. We are all watching innocent people being killed and silenced while standing up for their freedom in Minneapolis against ICE and the regime. They are coming for our cities and towns next.
Of note, Follett described Hitler’s ‘Brown Coats’ in much the same way how they took innocent people off the streets to spread more fear and hate. Trump defunded healthcare in his big ugly bill and is currently diverting that money to fund his own personal army and support his criminal empire.
Sound yet even more uncomfortably familiar?
If it doesn’t I’d urge you to read up on your US history. Not the kind the current administration would like you to read, as they are whitewashing that and eliminating that narrative (the truth) as you read this.
And here we go one more time, democracy, as always, is asking to be chosen—again.
[End Note] I wasn’t much for historical fiction writing before reading Follett, but I’m hooked now as I certainly do not support kings. I urge you to read his work and take your own notes about the current state of affairs. Or sit and talk with a neighbor, friend or veteran about how they feel right now about where this country is headed.
My dad was a veteran of the Korean War, lost friends he fought side by side with and came home with scars of war but always, always would defend democracy and old glory.
His words remain with me in my soul, he would always say, Keep the Faith, and “if something is broken, stand up and fix it”.