Totalitarianism - what is it? With this arrangement, the state forcibly regulates the life of the whole country. There is no right to independent thoughts or deeds.
The power of control and repression
There are no areas of state life that the government would not want to control. Nothing should hide from her gaze. If, in a democratic sense, the ruler must express the will of the people, then the totalitarian heads of state did not hesitate to produce advanced ideas according to their understanding and to impose them.
People must unconditionally obey all orders and directions that come from above. A person is not offered a choice of ideas and worldview options from which he can choose what will impress him the most. The final version of ideology was imposed on him, which he had to accept or suffer for his convictions, because the ideas of the state were not subject to challenge or doubt.
Where did totalitarianism originate?
The first to use the term “totalitarianism” was J. Gentile, an adherent of fascism in Italy . This happened at the beginning of the 20th century. Italy is the first field where totalitarian ideology sprouted.
The Soviet Union became the receiver, being under the rule of Stalin. This model of government was also popular in Germany since 1933. Each country tinted totalitarian power with those features that were peculiar to this particular structure, but there are common features.
How to recognize totalitarianism
You can talk about a similar system if you come across the following features of totalitarianism:
1. As a rule, they proclaim an official ideology. Everyone must comply with the rules prescribed by her. The control is total. It seems as if the police are watching prisoners or criminals. The essence of totalitarianism is to find the perpetrators and prevent them from taking actions that could harm the state.
2. Authorities may wholly dictate what is permitted and what is not. Any disobedience is strictly punished. Basically, the functions of a supervisor are performed by the party, which establishes a monopoly on governing the country.
3. Features of totalitarianism consist in the fact that there is no such sphere of human life that would not be subjected to observation. The state is identified with society for greater control and regulation. Totalitarianism does not give an answer in any form, what is personal freedom , the right to self-determination.
4. Democratic freedoms are not popular here. Man has very little space for his own interests, aspirations and desires.
What are the signs of totalitarianism?
The most characteristic features of this control system are the following features:
1. Democracy, totalitarianism, authoritarianism - these are all different regimes. In the device that we are considering, freedom is not something that is not taken into account as a necessity for a person, but is also considered something indecent, destructive and destructive.
2. Features of totalitarianism include the presence of ideological absolutism. That is, the set of rules and ideas developed by the ruling elite is elevated to the framework of the divine unbreakable truth, an axiom that there is no way to challenge. This is something that cannot be changed. It was and will be so, because it is right, and it cannot be otherwise. Democracy and totalitarianism are openly at odds.
Indestructible power
If, with freer power schemes, you can change the rulers, make suggestions and comments, then in a situation of autocracy of a particular party, even the thought of such changes is punishable up to exile or even execution. So if someone doesn’t like something, these are his problems, and it’s better to keep silent about it for your own safety.
There is a single party that knows better how the people should live. She creates special structures, patterns and schemes that society should work on.
Cruelty management
The concept of totalitarianism does not include a careful and caring attitude towards citizens. They organize terror, repression and other frightening actions are possible. Cruelty is characteristic. The party is omnipotent and undeniable. The people are dependent and driven.
The authorities keep behind them a power structure that can always help with its services to oppress citizens. Intimidated people obey and obey. In fact, as a rule, most people hate such power, but they are afraid to open their mouths and declare this.
Totalitarianism monopolizes the rule in its favor. What is freedom of choice, citizens of the country usually do not know. All information sources are controlled. People will not know more than the ruling parties would like.
Information constraint
All media serve the party and disseminate only the information that should be made public. Dissent is brutally punished and suppressed very quickly. All that remains is to serve those in power.
Totalitarianism is a regime in which the economy is controlled centrally and is characterized by a command-administrative nature. It belongs to the state, expresses the goals of politics, and not individuals or enterprises.
The country constantly lives in a state of readiness for war. If you settle in a state where totalitarianism reigns, what is peace you are unlikely to recognize. It seems as if you live in a military camp, from which the enemies are from all sides. They sneak into your ranks and prepare enemy plans. Either you destroy, or destroy you.
Such a nervous atmosphere is created by the heads of countries to their citizens. At the same time, the idea of a better future is promoted, a lighthouse is drawn, on whose light people should go. And only the party knows how to do this. That is why she needs to fully trust and follow orders, if you do not want to get lost, get out of the way and be torn to pieces by predatory animals that hang around and are full of bloodlust.
The roots of totalitarian politics
Totalitarianism can be briefly described as a fresh trend of the last century. Thanks to technological advances, mass propaganda has become available. Now there are more opportunities for coercion and suppression. In most cases, this mixture is obtained with a combination of economic crises and related periods, when industrial development is particularly high and active.
Then no one really cares about culture, social structures and other things related more to the spiritual and lofty spectrum. On the agenda is the struggle for resources, power, and the division of territories.
Human life is losing value in the eyes of the people themselves, they are ready to go over their heads and sacrifice other people's lives. In order to push the masses of their heads together, they need to brainwash, deprive them of the ability to think, turn into a herd, spur, like horses, and drive them to achieve their own goals.
In such deplorable conditions, a man - still a living, thinking and feeling creature, no matter how it interferes with the party - feels bad and lost, he wants understanding and peace. He seeks protection.
Wolf in sheep's clothing
Old traditions are crumbling. Reigned violence and vandalism in the truest sense of the word. The most interesting thing is that barbarism is served under the noble pretext of care and guardianship. After all, there is a bright future ahead, you just need to be patient.
Do not believe the party? He will have to get rid of such a person, otherwise he will distract the country from reaching new development peaks with his clever thoughts.
People see good and evil in their rule, patron and tormentor. It's like a stepfather who hits a child. He kind of buys ice cream sometimes, and drives to the rides, but the fifth point from this is still not easier. So it would be better not to drive, but left alone.
People want this same paternal protection, but as a bonus they also get a belt with a huge iron badge that beats very painfully. With the help of such discipline, social problems must be quickly resolved, but in reality new ones appear.
Large crowds support the party, but they themselves are responsible for it, and it binds their hands at a time when you want a little freedom. The people themselves raise an idol on a pedestal, bends their backs before it, worships and fears, loves and hates. At the heart of this is also the desire to give responsibility in one hand. But who agrees to assume great responsibilities without the ability to extract from this freedom to rule and govern uncontrollably?
Visible motive
To convince people of the correctness of what is happening, they talk about theories of general will. Thus, one class or nation must embody all the desires and ideals of humanity.
In this case, dissent distracts people from the right path and must be eradicated, because too much is at stake, you just can not allow distraction from the main goal. Freedom and human rights are becoming less important.
Utopian ideas that they believe in are hopefully blooming, hoping that they will still be able to live to their realization. Sometime in a happy future, a progressive society will be built. Well, now for this you need to strain a little and shed a couple of drops of blood of those who do not understand the importance of the operation and dare to interfere with its progress.
Totalitarian systems, as a rule, reign in those states where they are inclined to the ideologies of dictatorship and communism. Mussolini, the leader of the fascists in Italy, was the first to introduce this definition into everyday life. It was he who the state was proclaimed the main value for all citizens, increased control and repression.
Close government schemes
There were even examples of how absolute control was combined with certain freedoms and authoritarian power.
Totalitarian democracy refers to the period when mass repressions were carried out with the Soviet Union. There was widespread surveillance, which was attended by representatives of various sectors of the population. The purpose of the observation was the privacy of co-workers, people living in the neighborhood or relatives. Then the concept of “enemy of the people” was widely used, which was used to stigmatize the guilty at frequent meetings. This was considered a relatively democratic style of government. People believed in the expediency of such actions and willingly took part in them.
As for totalitarian authoritarianism, this form of power takes place when there is no reliance on the forces of the masses. Ubiquitous control is already conducted by other methods, mainly military, there are features characteristic of dictatorship.