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<div style="padding-left:40px;">&mdash; [[William Penn]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The marketing of evil: How radicals, elitists, and pseudo-experts sell us corruption disguised as freedom |author=David Kupelian |publisher=WND Books |year=2005 |pages=176 |isbn=978-1-58182-459-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQpXAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>  </div>

<div style="padding-left:40px;">&mdash; [[William Penn]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The marketing of evil: How radicals, elitists, and pseudo-experts sell us corruption disguised as freedom |author=David Kupelian |publisher=WND Books |year=2005 |pages=176 |isbn=978-1-58182-459-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQpXAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>  </div>

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'''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.  

'''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 [[National Socialism|Nazism]]; [[Marxism]] in the case of the Soviet Union; and [[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 characterized 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 programs 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.

Arendt was one of the first to suggest that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were two sides of the same coin rather than opposing philosophies of Right and Left. <ref>''The Origins of Totalitarianism'' by [[Hannah Arendt]] ISBN 0-15-670153-7</ref>

Arendt was one of the first to suggest that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were two sides of the same [[left-wing]] coin rather than opposing philosophies of Right and Left. <ref>''The Origins of Totalitarianism'' by [[Hannah Arendt]] ISBN 0-15-670153-7</ref>

George Orwell said, "{{Orwell rifle}}"

George Orwell said, "{{Orwell rifle}}"

A '''totalitarian state''' is a state in which the government rules all aspects, both public and private, of its citizen's lives.  Examples of totalitarian states in recent history include the [[U.S.S.R.]], [[North Korea]], or [[Saparmurat Niyazov]]'s regime in [[Turkmenistan]].

A '''totalitarian state''' is a state in which the government rules all aspects, both public and private, of its citizen's lives.  Examples of totalitarian states in recent history include the [[Soviet Union|USSR]], Germany under the [[Nazi Party]], China, Iran, [[North Korea]], and [[Saparmurat Niyazov]]'s regime in [[Turkmenistan]].