What Is Totalitarianism?

Question

What is totalitarianism, and why does it represent a qualitatively new form of government in human history? The question arises because totalitarianism seems to break with the entire tradition of Western political thought, creating a form of domination unlike anything that came before.

Quick Answer

Totalitarianism is a system of government that aims at total domination. Unlike traditional tyranny, which seeks to control political behavior, totalitarianism seeks to control every dimension of human existence — thought, feeling, belief, and even the capacity for spontaneous action. The two paradigmatic examples are Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism argues that these regimes represent a new political form, not merely an intensification of old forms. Totalitarianism is made possible by the breakdown of traditional social structures, the rise of mass society, and the development of ideologies that claim to explain all of reality. It uses ideology and terror to destroy the public sphere and isolate individuals, rendering them incapable of political action.

Historical Wisdom

Arendt traces the origins of totalitarianism to the breakdown of the nation-state system, the rise of imperialism, and the development of anti-Semitism as a political ideology. The key features of totalitarian movements include: the leader principle, the cult of the leader, the use of propaganda, the organization of the masses, and the systematic use of terror. The concentration camps are the central institution of totalitarianism: they are the laboratory in which the regime tests its capacity to dominate human beings entirely.

Totalitarianism differs from authoritarianism. Authoritarian regimes seek to control political behavior while leaving some space for private life. Totalitarian regimes seek to eliminate the distinction between public and private entirely. Authoritarian regimes are often content with passive obedience. Totalitarian regimes demand active, enthusiastic participation in the regime's goals.

Philosophical Perspectives

Contemporary debates about totalitarianism focus on several questions. Is totalitarianism a distinct political form or a pathological extreme of familiar forms? Is the concept of totalitarianism still useful for understanding contemporary political systems? Some theorists argue that the concept is too broad and that it obscures important differences between Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. Others argue that the concept is essential for understanding the distinctive dangers of modern political systems that combine ideology, technology, and mass mobilization.

Lessons From Thinkers

From Arendt: totalitarianism is a novel form of government that aims at total domination. From Arendt: the concentration camp is the central institution of totalitarianism. From Arendt: totalitarianism destroys the public sphere and the capacity for political action. From the post-totalitarian tradition: the concept of totalitarianism is essential for understanding the distinctive dangers of modern political systems. From all of them: the defense of democratic institutions, human rights, and the rule of law requires constant vigilance against totalitarian tendencies.

Practical Application

The concept of totalitarianism remains relevant to the analysis of contemporary political systems. Concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions, the rise of surveillance states, the manipulation of information, and the concentration of power have led to renewed interest in Arendt's analysis. Understanding the conditions that made totalitarianism possible in the twentieth century is essential to preventing its recurrence in the twenty-first.