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Rise and fall of communism in the soviet union
Rise and fall of communism in the soviet union
Summary of hannah arendt the human condition
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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...
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...929 and Germany in 1933. In short, Arendt’s goal in writing this book was searching for the intellectual roots of the movement that had displaced her and so many others from her native Germany, and many more in other totalitarian regimes such as the one of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. In the book, Arendt also deals with other, more broad themes that are present in her political writings throughout her life. Some of these themes are the inquiry into the conditions of the possibility for a humane and democratic public life, the historical, social and economic forces that had come to threaten it, and the conflictual relationship between private interests and the public good. “The Origins of Totalitarianism” was published in 1951 and is divided into three sections: “Antisemitism”, “Imperialism” and “Totalitarianism”; the last two parts were revised in the 1958
1. In her book “Total Domination”, Hannah Arendt strongly believed that Totalitarianism is trying to achieve the idea of Total domination. She studied and analyzed how totalitarianism had always falls into the idea of total domination in which she explained how total domination works in her point of view and her own description of Totalitarian. Her purpose is to show how the leaders treated humans lesser than animals in a way of how they torture people with their cruelty. She seems to have a great ideas of her comparison that gives justice to really make me believe that totalitarian has the same idea of total dominion.
Gottfried, Ted, and Stephen Alcorn. Nazi Germany: The Face of Tyranny. Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First Century, 2000. Print.
Totalitarian rulers often control the thoughts and beliefs of people as well. The citizens of the community are forbidden to question or explore things that are unknown to other citizens. By doing this, the government emphasizes that they know everything and have ...
In the Summer of 1787, fifty-five delegates representing 12 out of the 13 states in Philadelphia to fix the Articles of Confederation. They met in philadelphia because the Articles of Confederation was too weak. Shay’s rebellion was the end of the Articles of Confederation bringing down the whole network calling for a change of government. They did this to prevent a tyrant or tyranny. A tyrant/tyranny is when someone or a group abuses their power. The Constitution guarded against tyranny through Federalism, Separation of powers, Checks and Balances, and The Great Compromise.
Gesink, Indira. "Fascism, Nazism and Road to WWII." World Civilizations II. Baldwin Wallace University. Marting Hall, Berea. 3 April 2014. Class lecture.
After the World War I, Germany, Italy and Japan were majorly affected by and resented the inequality of the Treaty of Versailles. These “have-not” countries were under the rule of repressive dictatorship, which in turn sought to redress the issues caused by the World War I. In Germany, Adolf Hitler, a one-time Germany’s chancellor who rose to power during the 1920s and early 1930s at a time of when political, social, and economic upheavals rose continuously. He came to light as a prominent leader of the Nazi Party, as he seized his massive power by spreading Red Scare, or the fear of Communism (Sanford, p. 126). Under the reign of Hitler, Red Scare was the major issue used to obtain power and supporters, as Hitler’s self-interest in his own rule and expanding German territories trumped the fundamental human rights.
The Extent to Which Germany was Transformed into a Totalitarian State Between 1933-1945 World War one had a massive effect on Germany. The monarch collapsed, which led to the establishment of a democratic system which also collapsed and the polycratic government of the Nazi party who Changed the effects of the treaty of Versailles, and the course of history sending it deep into another World War. This essay will talk about, Hitler's polycratic and totalitarian leadership as the Fuhrer, and his powerful control over a nation. The definition of 'Totalitarian' will often contain the following characteristics. - The state is led by a dominating and often ruthless individual presiding over a single political party or group, with no opposition groups allowed.
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.
Hannah Arendt (born 1906) was a prominent political philosopher of her time. Born in Germany and ultimately landing in New York after making a lengthy stop in Paris, she surrounded herself with other intellectuals, those working to expand their minds and question norms. Arendt extensively studied Nazi regimes and specifically addresses the political superiority and hierarchy within them in her last popular work, The Life of the Mind. Arendt evolves her discussion by identifying three ways by which people contemplate: thinking, willing, and judging. Moving forward we will focus on thinking and judging, and the connection between the two.
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”.
Howe, Irving, and George Orwell. 1984 Revisited Totalitarianism in Our Century. New York: Harper & Row, 1983.
She feels that moderns like Nietzsche mock the integrity of the working class and paint sacred institutions like government and religious orders to be forces that are cited against rather than in service to the masses. According to Arendt, self-preservation which is a cornerstone of Nietzsche’s political philosophy, has nothing to do with totalitarian movements or the motivations behind such political movements. In Arendt’s view totalitarian movements come to be because disenfranchised masses want order and protection that they believe the government has an obligation to provide. When the masses are in a state of desperation people will take the word of any leader whose movement promises stability and economic security much like Hitler did for the German people. While Hitler was a corrupt dictator he delivered on his promise of economic prosperity to the German
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.
Love is the foundation and the weakness of a totalitarian regime. For a stable totalitarian society, love between two individuals is eliminated because only a relationship between the person and the party and a love for its leader can exist. The totalitarian society depicted throughout the Orwell’s novel 1984 has created a concept of an Orwellian society. Stalin’s Soviet state can be considered Orwellian because it draws close parallels to the imaginary world of Oceania in 1984. During the twentieth century, Soviet Russia lived under Stalin’s brutal and oppressive governments, which was necessary for Stalin to retain power.
Historians are often divided into categories in regard to dealing with Nazi Germany foreign policy and its relation to Hitler: 'intentionalist', and 'structuralist'. The intentionalist interpretation focuses on Hitler's own steerage of Nazi foreign policy in accordance with a clear, concise 'programme' planned long in advance. The 'structuralist' approach puts forth the idea that Hitler seized opportunities as they came, radicalizing the foreign policies of the Nazi regime in response. Structuralists reject the idea of a specific Hitlerian ideological 'programme', and instead argue for an emphasis on expansion no clear aims or objectives, and radicalized with the dynamism of the Nazi movement. With Nazi ideology and circumstances in Germany after World War I influencing Nazi foreign policy, the general goals this foreign policy prescribed to included revision of Versailles, the attainment of Lebensraum, or 'living space', and German racial domination. These foreign policy goals are seen through an examination of the actions the Nazi government took in response to events as they happened while in power, and also through Hitler's own ideology expressed in his writings such as Mein Kempf. This synthesis of ideology and social structure in Germany as the determinants of foreign policy therefore can be most appropriately approached by attributing Nazi foreign policy to a combination as both 'intentionalist' and 'structuralist' aims. Nazi foreign policy radicalized with their successes and was affected by Hitler pragmatically seizing opportunities to increase Nazi power, but also was based on early a consistent ideological programme espoused by Hitler from early on.