Totalitarianism: A Reign of Terror
By: Madison Bechtol
Totalitarianism is defined as a form of dictatorship that is not limited by laws or a constitution. The individual in power holds absolute, unquestionable power. Totalitarian rule eliminates all forms of freedom. Individuals no longer have the ability to choose their way of thinking and living. A totalitarian society yearns for complete control of the population and is governed by force. The people have no say in any decisions that are made by the government. Unlike the checks and balances of the United States government, totalitarianism allows one leader or group of leaders to be in complete control of every social and economic affair involving the nation. However, totalitarianism is more than tyranny. Totalitarianism follows an ideology that claims control over every aspect of human life. There is no longer any private part of an individual’s life. The government even has access to one’s relationships with their family. Totalitarianism goes so far as to rid individuals of the freedom of thought. It does not recognize individual human beings. Totalitarianism aims to create a state of social unity.
The novel 1984 was written in England after World War II. During World War II, Germany suffered under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, while Russia was under the control of Joseph Stalin. Nazism and Stalinism are perfect examples of the dystopian society that totalitarian governments can create. Stalinism exemplifies the features of a strong central or totalitarian power. When the higher-level dictators and supreme leader are thought to be incapable, the central power is reinforced with fear to help reestablish their powerful oppression over their people. (Rousso and Golsan 32) Nazism was the other prominent regime during World War II. It strove to increase “military expansion, racial cleansing, and social transformation” (Rousso and Golsan 143). Nazi Germany embodied the characteristics of totalitarianism by attempting to create a unified society with complete control of social and economic behavior. These two powerful regimes left a scar on the world that cannot be forgotten.
After World War II, the effects from the horrific actions of the Nazi Party and Stalin changed Europe forever. Reconstruction involved correcting the economic and social structures along with the art and literature associated with the culture. That meant England went through a noticeable process of transformation. While England tried to recover from the gruesome war, it faced a power struggle with other large, powerful countries. Two new super powers had emerged, the United States of America and the U.S.S.R, which eclipsed the importance that England had in the role of power. England’s reconstruction had a goal of regaining its prior super power status. To eliminate poor living conditions and “increase social mobility between classes” (Brannigan 4), England began to enforce its first labor union and move toward the demolition of social status. Despite these changes, many still feared the rise of totalitarianism. George Orwell was a socialist who had a nightmarish visions of a version of England that was similar to much of the ideology used in Nazi Germany and Stalin Russia.
References:
Brannigan, John. Literature, Culture, and Society in Postwar England, 1945-1965. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2002. Print.
Halberstam, Michael. Totalitarianism and the Modern Conception of Politics. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 1999.eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 Apr. 2014
Rousso, Henry, and Richard Joseph Golsan. Stalinism and Nazism: History and Memory Compared. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Totalitarianism is defined as a form of dictatorship that is not limited by laws or a constitution. The individual in power holds absolute, unquestionable power. Totalitarian rule eliminates all forms of freedom. Individuals no longer have the ability to choose their way of thinking and living. A totalitarian society yearns for complete control of the population and is governed by force. The people have no say in any decisions that are made by the government. Unlike the checks and balances of the United States government, totalitarianism allows one leader or group of leaders to be in complete control of every social and economic affair involving the nation. However, totalitarianism is more than tyranny. Totalitarianism follows an ideology that claims control over every aspect of human life. There is no longer any private part of an individual’s life. The government even has access to one’s relationships with their family. Totalitarianism goes so far as to rid individuals of the freedom of thought. It does not recognize individual human beings. Totalitarianism aims to create a state of social unity.
The novel 1984 was written in England after World War II. During World War II, Germany suffered under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, while Russia was under the control of Joseph Stalin. Nazism and Stalinism are perfect examples of the dystopian society that totalitarian governments can create. Stalinism exemplifies the features of a strong central or totalitarian power. When the higher-level dictators and supreme leader are thought to be incapable, the central power is reinforced with fear to help reestablish their powerful oppression over their people. (Rousso and Golsan 32) Nazism was the other prominent regime during World War II. It strove to increase “military expansion, racial cleansing, and social transformation” (Rousso and Golsan 143). Nazi Germany embodied the characteristics of totalitarianism by attempting to create a unified society with complete control of social and economic behavior. These two powerful regimes left a scar on the world that cannot be forgotten.
After World War II, the effects from the horrific actions of the Nazi Party and Stalin changed Europe forever. Reconstruction involved correcting the economic and social structures along with the art and literature associated with the culture. That meant England went through a noticeable process of transformation. While England tried to recover from the gruesome war, it faced a power struggle with other large, powerful countries. Two new super powers had emerged, the United States of America and the U.S.S.R, which eclipsed the importance that England had in the role of power. England’s reconstruction had a goal of regaining its prior super power status. To eliminate poor living conditions and “increase social mobility between classes” (Brannigan 4), England began to enforce its first labor union and move toward the demolition of social status. Despite these changes, many still feared the rise of totalitarianism. George Orwell was a socialist who had a nightmarish visions of a version of England that was similar to much of the ideology used in Nazi Germany and Stalin Russia.
References:
Brannigan, John. Literature, Culture, and Society in Postwar England, 1945-1965. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2002. Print.
Halberstam, Michael. Totalitarianism and the Modern Conception of Politics. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 1999.eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 Apr. 2014
Rousso, Henry, and Richard Joseph Golsan. Stalinism and Nazism: History and Memory Compared. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 2 Apr. 2014.