Critical Thinking And Totalitarianism Analysis

Critical Thinking and Totalitarianism
While Germany was undergoing a great financial depression, Adolf Hitler took opportunity upon the state of the population to impose his political ideals and dictated through totalitarianism. What is totalitarianism? “Strictly defined, a totalitarian regime is one that bans all institutions apart from those it has officially approved. A totalitarian regime thus has one political party, one educational system, one artistic creed, one centrally planned economy, one unified media, and one moral code. In a totalitarian state there are no independent schools, no private businesses, no grassroots organizations, and no critical thought” (Wood, week 6, slide 4). He sought total control of the masses through the

use of terrorism, propaganda and removal of knowledge and belief which had a massive impact on the critical thinking of the citizens and other foreign countries. But what is critical thinking? Critical thinking is “the systematic or formulation of beliefs or statements by rational standards” (Vaugh and MacDonald 3). Therefore, critical thinking within a totalitarian regime is incompatible.
Terrorism was one of Hitler’s greatest tools to manipulate the society’s freedom of thinking. The Secret State Police, also known as The Gestapo, was used as an instrument of terrorism (Hildebrand, 13) to rid the state of Anti-Nazis or anyone who opposed Hitler’s regime. As a critical thinker, one must be free of accepting or declining statements as long as they have good reasons or beliefs to do so. The worse out of this situation is that people were threatened for the nature of their thinking. The freedom among the citizens is obliterated through the wire-tapping of telephones and opening of mail. Voicing their opinions would be a great threat to themselves since nobody was trustworthy, not even family or friends. Although, many citizens did oppose to the Nazi Party, they did not have the choice to keep quiet because of the outcome of their opinions would lead them to.
Propaganda was a huge success in brainwashing throughout Hitler’s regime.

Joseph Goebbels, who was the head of the Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, played a significant role in the propaganda of Hitler’s intentions and objectives. The transmission of ideas through the press, radio and television and other means of communication (Friedrich and Brzezinski 130) positively impacted the mind of Germany and other countries. The people did not have a choice but to accept the information. Propaganda was everywhere, influenced in every aspect of their lives. Even though they tried to resist the influence of the regime, they could not because at a certain extent and many ways, it does successfully influence and persuade (Vaughn and MacDonald 151) them. Propaganda during the regime did not plan to send out valid reasons, but rather appeal to the emotion of the public. However, critical thinkers will analyse and examine the situation to develop an idea if the information given is worthy enough to

belief.
Intellectual and cultural growth were deprived from the Germans due to the censorship of the means of knowledge.

Joseph Goebbels organised the “burning of un-German literature” (Friedrich and Brzezinski 7) so that the state would only be cultured by the “superior” German race. Depriving the nation of important foreign information can lead to narrow-minded opinions about different cultures and races. In addition, The Church was also a big part of this cultural deprivation. The majority of Germany were protestant and supported Hitler and his claims. However, “the Confessing Church and Lutheran and Reformed faiths was formed in opposition to the attempt to Nazify the Protestant churches, for the purpose of protecting purely religious activities” (Hoffmann 56). Although there were those who opposed to the Nazification of the Church, they were often punished and sent to concentration

camps.
As it is stated in many history books, Hitler’s dictatorship was successful in many ways. His use of terror against different thinking, constant emission of propaganda and removal of knowledgeable information are just a few aspects that he used in order to get the people to succumb to his ideology. We need our own knowledge, education and opinions in order for us to fully round our own critical thinking. It is a good thing that we do not live in a totalitarian society as of today because if it were to be, we would not be the person we are today.