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What is a totalitarian government essay
What is a totalitarian government essay
Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler
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The question “By what methods, and with what success, did Hitler and Stalin attempt to establish a totalitarian state after coming to power?”, will be discussed and addressed in this essay, firstly by gaining understanding the concept of totalitarianism, secondly by proceeding to discover the methods and means used to establish totalitarianism in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945, and in USSR, 1922-1991 in relation to their leaders Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin respectively, and lastly evaluating the methods and means of which Hitler and Stalin used. Though the aims of creating a totalitarian state can seem to be different of Hitler and Stalin, it is reasonable to state that similar methods were used in variations. In the establishment of the totalitarian states both leaders used economic policies, oppression, and propaganda (combined with the cult of personality) to gain enough political control, enabling the transition of turning the previous political systems to ones in which these leaders gained ultimate dictatorial powers. This essay will argue that both Hitler …show more content…
Adding on to the definition, totalitarianism in a historical context was a term first coined as totalitario by Benito Mussolini to “characterize the new fascist state of Italy” in the 1920’s according to The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica in Encyclopædia Britannica’s online page on Totalitarianism. The totalitarian state is usually characterised by the limited rights of the people (removal of opposition in both Nazi Germany and USSR), rule through fear (Gestapo in Nazi Germany and GPU in USSR), a specific goal of the parties in charge (Lebensraum for the german people in Nazi Germany, and collectivisation and industrialisation in USSR), and leaders/parties who reform the politics to enable dictatorships and ultimate
The Silber Medal winning biography, “Surviving Hitler," written by Andrea Warren paints picture of life for teenagers during the Holocaust, mainly by telling the story of Jack Mandelbaum. Avoiding the use of historical analysis, Warren, along with Mandelbaum’s experiences, explains how Jack, along with a few other Jewish and non-Jewish people survived.
It was during the 1920’s to the 1940’s that totalitarian control over the state escalated into full dictatorships, with the wills of the people being manipulated into a set of beliefs that would promote the fascist state and “doctrines”.
Under a backdrop of systematic fear and terror, the Stalinist juggernaut flourished. Stalin’s purges, otherwise known as the “Great Terror”, grew from his obsession and desire for sole dictatorship, marking a period of extreme persecution and oppression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s. “The purges did not merely remove potential enemies. They also raised up a new ruling elite which Stalin had reason to think he would find more dependable.” (Historian David Christian, 1994). While Stalin purged virtually all his potential enemies, he not only profited from removing his long-term opponents, but in doing so, also caused fear in future ones. This created a party that had virtually no opposition, a new ruling elite that would be unstoppable, and in turn negatively impacted a range of sections such as the Communist Party, the people of Russia and the progress in the Soviet community, as well as the military in late 1930 Soviet society.
Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany as Totalitarian Atates A totalitarian state refers to a country in which the central government exercises total control over all aspects of people's life. Main features include an infallible leader, one-party rule, strict party discipline, elitism, planned economy, an official doctrine, absolute obedience of individuals to the State, nationalism and usually an expansionist foreign policy. Up to these criteria, both Fascist Italy (1922-43) and Nazi Germany (1933-45) could be deemed totalitarian states to a large extent.
Totalitarianism can be defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the centralized control by an autocratic authority. The leaders of these societies are obsessed with complete control and will take whatever steps are necessary to reach such a goal. In many totalitarian societies, children are separated from their families. This is enforced on the citizens because rulers want them to be loyal to the government. Such living arrangements can be portrayed in Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem.
To conclude, both Stalin's Soviet Union and Hitler's Nazi Germany during the 1930s could be considered totalitarian states to a very large extent.
The term was first used in 1925 to describe a socio-political system that was comprehensive and all embracing. It applies to both extremes of political systems, Communism and Fascism. Historians Carl Friedrich and Zbigniew Brzezinski, in 1956, tried to identify certain features of totalitarianism. It has an official ideology that is generally adhered to, the state has control over the military, economy and mass communication, particularly in the field of administering propaganda and censoring the press, and has a terror inspiring police force for controlling the population. As described by the historian Robert Pearce, "…a fully totalitarian government controls the whole life of its citizens.
Life is the most precious thing on Earth, but what if it was taken just at the snap of a finger? Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, took millions of lives under his totalitarian rule. He was the most fierce and vicious leader in comparison to all the other rulers that enforced totalitarian rule. Due to governing and how many people were killed under Stalin’s rule, this is what makes the Soviet Union during the 1920s to the 1950s the worst totalitarian state ever in existence. THE SOVIET UNION’S EXISTENCE Stalin believed that there needed to be a dictatorship that regulated every aspect of its citizens’ lives in order to industrialize the Soviet Union.
In order to conclude the extent to which the Great Terror strengthened or weakened the USSR, the question is essentially whether totalitarianism strengthened or weakened the Soviet Union? Perhaps under the circumstances of the 1930s in the approach to war a dictatorship may have benefited the country in some way through strong leadership, the unifying effect of reintroducing Russian nationalism and increased party obedience. The effects of the purges on the political structure and community of the USSR can be described (as Peter Kenez asserts) as an overall change from a party led dictatorship to the dictatorship of a single individual; Stalin. Overall power was centred on Stalin, under whom an increasingly bureaucratic hierarchy of party officials worked. During the purges Stalin's personal power can be seen to increase at the cost of the party.
The Development of Totalitarianism Under Stalin By 1928, Stalin had become the undisputed successor to Lenin, and leader of the CPSU. Stalin’s power of appointment had filled the aisles of the Party Congress and Politburo with Stalinist supporters. Political discussion slowly faded away from the Party, and this led to the development of the totalitarian state of the USSR. Stalin, through.
Stalins rise as a dictator over the USSR in 1929, was a struggle for power. It was set by Lenin, in his testament, that Stalin was not to takeover control as the party leader, and to be removed from his position as General Secretary, as Stalin in Lenins eyes had lack of loyalty, tolerance, and politeness. However, different factors, such as Lenins funeral, Stalins position as General Secretary and the rise of bureaucracy, and Stalins relationship to Kamenev and Zinoviev, made it possible for Stalin to become the undisputed leader over the USSR in 1929. This essay will discuss the methods and the conditions, which helped Joseph Stalin rise to power.
The history of the 20th century can be defined by the biographies of six men: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and Josef Stalin. Each of these men had a lasting significant involvement in world affairs. This essay will focus on the significance each individual had on the ideologies of Democracy and Totalitarianism. Four of the six individuals were leaders of a totalitarianistic state, and three of these led a communist country. Also four of the six leaders were in power during the Second World War. The profiles of these six men formed the world that we live in today.
For a historian, the 20th century and all the historic events that it encompasses represents a utopia with endless sources of inspiration for the analysis of political figures, events and their consequences. Political figures such as Benito Mussolini of Italy, Adolf Hitler of Germany, Mao Zedong of China and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union are all names we are familiar with due to the time period that they influenced; this time period after the trauma and atrocities of World War I and the Great Depression led to completely new forms of government in Europe and beyond. These “manifestations of political evil”, commonly known as totalitarian states, should not be considered as mere extensions of already existing political systems, but rather as completely new forms of government built upon terror and ideological fiction. Therefore, this was also a time in which political philosophers such as Hannah Arendt, the author of the standard work on totalitarianism, “Origins of Totalitarianism”, could thrive. When looking at totalitarianism as a political philosophy, two initial questions have to be dealt with: what is totalitarianism and what kind of effect it had on countries ruled by totalitarian regimes. The reasons for its occurrence have briefly been mentioned above, although there are much deeper ideological, social and economic reasons including imperialism and anti-Semitism. In order to fully understand it, we must also contrast it to other political systems like authoritarianism and dictatorship, which are similar to a certain extent, but lack crucial elements that are in the core of totalitarian ideology. Out of the many examples of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century, Nazi Germany, Communist China and the Soviet Union stan...
MODERN HISTORY – RESEARCH ESSAY “To what extent was Nazi Germany a Totalitarian state in the period from 1934 to 1939?” The extent to which Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state can be classed as a substantial amount. With Hitler as Fuhrer and his ministers in control of most aspects of German social, political, legal, economical, and cultural life during the years 1934 to 1939, they mastered complete control and dictation upon Germany. In modern history, there have been some governments, which have successfully, and others unsuccessfully carried out a totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is one in which a single ideology is existent and addresses all aspects of life and outlines means to attain the final goal, government is run by a single mass party through which the people are mobilized to muster energy and support.
Stalin was determined to go ahead with this radicalism through economic and social change. His totalitarian leadership however was far from perfect, it was in fact a political system that was defectively flawed. The main issue was the lack of control the administration and party h...