Difference between revisions of "Totalitarianism"
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<div style="padding-left:40px;">— [[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;">— [[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 | + | '''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 | + | 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 [[ | + | 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]]. |
Revision as of 14:57, January 23, 2016
| God vs. tyrants |
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| "Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants." |
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 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 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 left-wing coin rather than opposing philosophies of Right and Left. [2]
George Orwell said, "The totalitarian states can do great things, but there is one thing they cannot do: they cannot give the factory-worker a rifle and tell him to take it home and keep it in his bedroom. That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage, is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there.[3]"
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 USSR, Germany under the Nazi Party, China, Iran, North Korea, and Saparmurat Niyazov's regime in Turkmenistan.
See Also
- Gleichschaltung
- Liberal totalitarianism
- Political spectrum
- Big government Welfare state leads to Nanny state, leads to Police state
External links
- Nazi Fascism and the Modern Totalitarian State - explains difference between left and right wing.
References
- ↑ David Kupelian (2005). The marketing of evil: How radicals, elitists, and pseudo-experts sell us corruption disguised as freedom. WND Books, 176. ISBN 978-1-58182-459-9.
- ↑ The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt ISBN 0-15-670153-7
- ↑ http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:qb8wLQlmMQEJ:www.gunfacts.info/pdfs/gun-facts/4.0/GunFacts4-0-Screen.pdf+Jamaica+gun+control+government+banned+private+handgun+ownership,+gun+crime+shot+up+(due+to+the+pressure+from+drug+smugglers+and+o&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&lr=lang_en&client=firefox-a Gun Facts