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'''Totalitarianism''' is a political ethos which dictates the supremacy of the state over the individual freedoms of its citizens. A totalitarian state usually requires a defining ideology with which to justify its appropriation of the levers of power: extreme nationalism was the driving force behind [[Nazism]]; [[Marxism]] in the case of the Soviet Union; and fundamentalist [[Islam]] in the case of a [[theocracy]] such as [[Iran]]. [[China]] offers an interesting example of a totalitarian regime that has abandoned the practical ramifications of its ideology (Marxism), whilst retaining the power structures thus derived.  

'''Totalitarianism''' is a political ideology which dictates the supremacy of the state over the individual freedoms of its citizens. A totalitarian state usually requires a defining ideology with which to justify its appropriation of the levers of power: extreme nationalism was the driving force behind [[Nazism]]; [[Marxism]] in the case of the Soviet Union; and fundamentalist [[Islam]] in the case of a [[theocracy]] such as [[Iran]]. [[China]] offers an interesting example of a totalitarian regime that has abandoned the practical ramifications of its ideology (Marxism), whilst retaining the power structures thus derived.  

Such states are characterised by the extent of their subversion of the rule of law, with the police and judiciary acting as direct instruments of control and providing no meaningful check or balance upon the ruling elite. Media outlets are subordinated to faithful promotion of the defining ideology and, as the state matures, this tends to be reinforced with coordinated programmes of indoctrination within the education system. Dissent is often brutally repressed (see [[torture]]) and extra-judicial killings are common. Other common features include the fostering of a personality cult around the head of state and rampant corruption due to the arbitrary enforcement of laws and statutes.

Such states are characterised by the extent of their subversion of the rule of law, with the police and judiciary acting as direct instruments of control and providing no meaningful check or balance upon the ruling elite. Media outlets are subordinated to faithful promotion of the defining ideology and, as the state matures, this tends to be reinforced with coordinated programmes of indoctrination within the education system. Dissent is often brutally repressed (see [[torture]]) and extra-judicial killings are common. Other common features include the fostering of a personality cult around the head of state and rampant corruption due to the arbitrary enforcement of laws and statutes.