Socials 11
Ms. Matthews
TOTALITARIANISM:
A FEW CONTROL EVERYTHING
Adolph Hitler (1889 – 1945) held power in Germany from 1933 to 1945. He said, “The
great masses of the people….will more easily fall victim to a great lie than to a small
one.”
Benito Mussolini (1883 – 1945) was Fascist premier of Italy from 1922 to 1945. He
said, “For Fascism, the State is an absolute before which individuals and groups are
relative.”
Totalitarianism is a political philosophy. It describes a system in which a highly
centralized government is controlled by one political group. No alternative political
parties or groups are permitted. The duties of the citizen to the state are all-important.
Political, economic and social life are directed by the official party. Totalitarian
movements seek control of everything. This control goes beyond the normal area of
government concern to include even personal life. Everything an individual does, from
having children to what is grown in his garden, is a concern of the state.
A plan for a new society is an important feature of totalitarianism. A totalitarian
movement doesn’t just think up a new idea of how society should be organized. Instead,
it works out a scientific or historical theory justifying its position. This makes people
much more likely to accept the plan. It’s like someone saying you can’t think that
“because I say so”. Most people aren’t willing to accept this kind of reasoning.
However, if people are given reasons for believing something, they more readily accept
the idea. This is the way a totalitarian plan for a country works. People are told there are
historic or scientific theories supporting the idea, so they become more willing to accept
the truth.
Part of a totalitarian plan is an enemy of some kind. For the Nazis of Germany it was the
Jews. Working against the Jewish “enemy” gave the Germans a point on which everyone
could unite.
Basic Characteristics
Here are some basic characteristics of totalitarian societies:
1. An official plan which covers all vital aspects of human existence. Everyone
living in a totalitarian society is expected to accept this ideology without question.
2. A single mass party usually under one leader. The party generally represents a
small percentage of the population. Party members are totally dedicated to the
plan and are prepared to promote its general acceptance in every way possible.
3. A government monopoly of politics and weapons. This includes a system of
police control directed against all enemies of the regime. These enemies can
include anyone who is suspected of being disloyal to the regime as well as any
open critics or “historic” enemies.
4. Party control of all means of mass communication. This includes the press, radio
and films, as well as art, music and literature. All these methods of
communication are used to train people to think and behave in a specific way.
This process is known as indoctrination.
5. Tight control of the country’s economy by the totalitarian party.
Origins
The idea of a totalitarian government isn’t new. Many early Greek thinkers talked and
wrote about the philosophy. However, if you look at the basic characteristics of
totalitarian governments, it is easy to see why totalitarianism is considered modern.
Control of weapons and communications, for example, is very important in a totalitarian
society. A leader with a few bows and arrows isn’t going to be strong enough to terrify a
whole country. But when the leader has guns and tanks the situation is quite different.
And consider communications. Making a few speeches isn’t going to be effective in
making people think in a totally different way. But when there are newspapers, books,
radio and film to constantly put ideas across it becomes far easier to make totalitarian
concepts widespread.
It is these factors which have led people to view totalitarianism as a modern
phenomenon. Before the Industrial Revolution with all its technological advances, it
would have been almost impossible to create a strong totalitarian society.
Italian Fascism under Benito Mussolini is generally considered to be the first example of
mature, national totalitarianism. Mussolini’s government from 1922 to 1945 shows the
basic pattern of totalitarian regimes. Fascist ideology glorified the state and emphasized
the individual’s responsibility to the state. The state under Mussolini was considered
absolute. Secret police and a strong army kept Mussolini’s party in power. Tight control
of all forms of communication and economic life also strengthened the position of the
regime.
The Nazis
Nazi Germany under Adolph Hitler exhibited the traits of a totalitarian regime. Hitler,
who held power from 1933 to 1945, planned eventually to dominate the world.
According to Nazi ideology, races could be scientifically classified. There are inferior
and superior racial types. According to its racial classification system, the Aryan race or
Nordic type was superior. In its view, Jews stood at the bottom of the racial ladder and
were the enemy. Hitler’s plan was to have the Nordic-type people run the world; the
Nordic group or “master race” has a role to fulfill as rulers of the world.
German citizens were taught to believe they had a duty to establish a new society ruled
by the “master race”. The interests of the state were to be put above all other loyalties.
Even marriages were supposed to be in the interest of the state. Men were expected to be
strong military heroes. Women were expected to produce children who were loyal to the
Nazi regime.
The Nazis shaped thinking to make people loyal to the regime. This process is often
called ‘propaganda’. Even in our county we are subjected to mild forms of propaganda.
A soap manufacturer will try to convince us that his product makes clothes the cleanest
and whitest. However, there are lots of other soap manufacturers telling us how good
their soaps are. This leaves people free to make a choice of what soap they will buy.
They can decide which ‘propaganda’ they believe in. But in Germany, people were told
only how good the Nazis were without being given any other choices.
An important part of propaganda is constant repetition. Having the same ideas repeated
again and again eventually crates the impression that the ideas are right. Take a simple
example in your own life. Think of some common mistake in speech – perhaps the
expression, “I wish I was….”. Grammatically this isn’t correct but it is used so often it
begins to “sound right”. In the same way the Nazis kept repeating ideas over and over
again. Their intention was quite deliberate: they knew in time people would think the
ideas were right.
On an economic level, Germany was entirely controlled by the Nazi government. The
government decided what should be produced and how it should be produced. If the
government decided a factory should make guns instead of knives, this was done. If the
government decided the country needed only one type of toothpaste, then the country had
one type of toothpaste. Also the working class was equally powerless. Labour became
so restricted that even its recreational activities were controlled by the government. In
fact, nothing happened in Germany that wasn’t controlled by the Nazi government. The
youth of the country was controlled by the government. The legal system was
completely under government control. The educational system was shaped by the
government to meet the Nazi needs and aims.
Advantages
One party directing everything makes running a country simpler. In a democratic system
things can’t always work smoothly. The government might try to introduce some
program but quick action is impossible because there are certain people who object to this
program. This can happen even if the proposed program is considered good by most
people. A few objections can delay government action. This type of situation doesn’t
exist in a totalitarian system. Once the government decides something should be done,
the plan goes through. No opposition is allowed.
Having everything unified in the country also has advantages. For example, a totalitarian
regime would establish one system of education. This means that you wouldn’t
encounter the same kinds of problems you would in Canada, if you moved from one
regime to another.
Totalitarian regimes can also make solid economic gains. In many cases they have
worked successfully to transform a country into an industrial nation. They have
accomplished high rates of employment, fostered economic growth and made necessary
reforms in areas such as taxation.
Disadvantages
People can point to horrible events that have taken place in the name of totalitarianism.
Hitler’s concentration camps and his wholesale slaughter of Jews would be an extreme
example of this. But even without such desperate events, totalitarianism is considered
destructive of the individual.
Totalitarian movements assume they have the final knowledge and authority on all
matters. This is like placing oneself on the level of a god. In other words, there is no
possibility for any criticism or alternative way of thinking. It is like saying that
everything a Canadian Prime Minister does is right. It is really hard to believe that
someone can be right 100 percent of the time. To have the freedom to question things is
far healthier.
Also, people living in a totalitarian regime have no options whatsoever. They have to act
entirely according to the government’s wishes. In Canada it is quite possible to refer to a
politician as an idiot. To make such a statement publicly in a totalitarian regime is almost
certain to lead to imprisonment or death.
Almost everything carried to an extreme is harmful. This applies to something like
eating to excess and even emotions such as hate or jealousy. If they are carried on long
enough the body or the mind is likely to be destroyed. This can apply to policies as well.
Democracy carried to extremes could eventually result in total chaos. There have to be
some elements of order and control to make democracy work.
Totalitarianism is the opposite of democracy. A situation of too much order and control
exists. By its very nature, totalitarianism is altogether too rigid. There are not
opportunities for people to act as individuals; they almost become pieces of machinery.
In the long run the totalitarian machine is likely to break down because the system
doesn’t allow for changes to meet situations.