Examples of authoritarian regimes, according to some scholars, include the pro-Western military dictatorships that existed in Latin America and elsewhere in the second half of the 20th century. Totalitarian vs. Authoritarian Governments. Totalitarianism is typically distinguished from dictatorship, autocracy, or tyranny by its goals of replacing all existing political institutions with new ones and elimination of all legal, social, and political traditions. The personal economic incentives of capitalism are thus rendered impossible. which characteristic of totalitarianism is illustrated in this photo? All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Nazi Germany (193345) and the Soviet Union during the Stalin era (192453) were the first examples of decentralized or popular totalitarianism, in which the state achieved overwhelming popular support for its leadership. Radical socialists became more prevalent in Italian politics, and the new Italian fascists under Benito Mussolini rose in reaction. Members of the Italian youth fascist organisation, the Balilla. In January 1925, Mussolini chose to enter the Italian Chamber of Deputies and challenged his opponents to remove him from power. In 1964, Juan Jos Linz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Political Science at Yale University, described the four most recognizable characteristics of authoritarian states as: Limited political freedom with strict government controls imposed on political institutions and groups like legislatures, political parties, and interest groups Quiz, Central European Revolutions of 1848: History, Causes & Effects However, he illegally assumed more power than was granted under German law. Thus understood, Fascism is totalitarian Through propaganda and intimidation, Mussolini built a nationalistic fervor, convincing all loyal Italians to abandon their individualism and willingly die for their leader and the Italian state. State relinquishes control of armed forces to military leaders, State censors newspapers and other forms of media, Create your account to access this entire worksheet, A Premium account gives you access to all lesson, practice exams, quizzes & worksheets, Western Civilization II Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans. totalitarianism: | Infoplease As pluralism and individualism diminish, most of the people embrace the totalitarian states ideology. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. True or false:Mussolini had a realistic view of his popularity. Characteristics of Totalitarianism Flashcards | Quizlet Unit 1 Totalitarianism Flashcards | Quizlet The USSR is more correctly classified as a socialist republic. If you answered yes, please check out our other explanation of the 20th century's interwar period, including the Weimar Republic and Appeasement! This obsession spawns an ideology that explains everything in terms of the goal, rationalizing all obstacles that may arise and all forces that may contend with the state. After he came to power in 1929, Stalin declared war on the Soviets he considered tainted by their connections to the political movements that had come before him. Updates? Be sure that you understand the definition of "concentration camp" and "gulag" before you begin writing the essay. Another famed example of a totalitarian regime is the leadership of the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin. This is, however, a mistake. Police operations within a totalitarian state often appear similar to those within a police state, but one important difference distinguishes them. https://www.britannica.com/question/What-are-examples-of-totalitarian-rule. The government controls nearly all aspects of the economy, politics, culture, and society. Quiz, Totalitarianism: Definition, Characteristics & Examples More recent examples of totalitarian states include Iraq under Saddam Hussein and North Korea under Kim Jong-un. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. What are examples of totalitarian rule? | Britannica This essay will look at just how totalitarian Stalin's Russia was. What was built in the center of the Aztec cities for religious and political ceremonies? What is the myth called that states that Jewish people caused Germany to lose the war? Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. Old religious and social ties are supplanted by artificial ties to the state and its ideology. She has a Master's degree in History. During the ensuing Great Terror in 1937 and 1938, millions of innocent Soviet citizens were either arrested and executed or sent to labor camps. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Applying the Fourteenth Amendment is at the discretion of the board. In 1966, Chairman Mao declared the Chinese Cultural Revolution, 10 years of class warfare marked by the destruction of countless cultural artifacts and the rise of Maos adoring cult of personality. Despite his nearly God-like popularity, Maos Cultural Revolution resulted in the deaths of thousands to millions of people. Both representations illustrate the different ways totalitarian leaders can showcase their authority. Learn more about the world with our collection of regional and country maps. The remaining fascist governments of the Iberian peninsula gradually reformed and were gone by the end of the 1970s. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In a police state, the police operate according to known and consistent procedures. Totalitarianism is often distinguished from dictatorship, despotism, or tyranny by its supplanting of all political institutions with new ones and its sweeping away of all legal, social, and political traditions. They were unsuccessful, and many were quickly stopped. Remember that a good essay always has a strong thesis statement. Whatever might further the goal is supported; whatever might foil the goal is rejected. Fascists seek to instill a superiority complex and feelings of fear among the citizens against perceived enemies of the race or the nation. Definition and Examples, What Is Theocracy? US Supreme Court Totalitarian governments control all mass media, including art and literature. Subsequently, the decline in Soviet centralization after Stalin, research into Nazism revealing significant inefficiency and improvisation, and the Soviet collapse may have reduced the utility of the concept to that of an ideal or abstract type. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. Notable examples of totalitarian states include Italy under Benito Mussolini (192243), the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin (192453), Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler (193345), the Peoples Republic of China under the influence of Mao Zedong (194976), and North Korea under the Kim dynasty (1948 ). Scapegoating and poverty. Totalitarianism is often characterized by highly restrictive laws that affect many aspects of the lives of the citizens of the state. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. What did Hitler want to be that he failed at as a young adult? Both totalitarianism and authoritarianism depend on quashing all forms of individual freedom. Totalitarianism: Definition & Characteristics | StudySmarter Quiz, Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels: The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels: The Communist Manifesto Though he continued to appoint officials outside his party for a time, following several assassination attempts in 1926, he banned all other political parties, making Italy a one-party totalitarian fascist state. In Ancient China, the Qin Dynasty (221207 BCE) was ruled by the philosophy of Legalism, under which political activity was virtually prohibited, all literature was destroyed, and those who opposed or questioned Legalism were executed. Write an essay of at least three to five paragraphs that analyzes the photos of Hitler and Stalin presented in this lesson. What was a pretend race of people who were the original Germans with blond hair and blue eyes? Secret killings and often genocide of so-called inferior hostile races are common under fascist regimes. Individual thought is discouraged and publicly ridiculed as a potential threat to the goals of the state ideology. ThoughtCo. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Some Italians were unsatisfied that a large amount of territory promised to them by the Allies during negotiations to enter the war was not granted to them by the Paris Peace Conference. Citizens are made to be aware that they are under constant surveillance. Totalitarianism is often characterized by highly restrictive laws that affect many aspects of the lives of the citizens of the state. Let's contrast these complex definitions before moving on: Totalitarianism: A system of government in which all aspects of society, including culture, religion, economy, and the military, are controlled by the state and the state alone. In 1936, Mussolini agreed to join Nazi Germany as one of the Axis Powers of World War II. The General Characteristics of Totalitarian Dictatorship What is media created by the government to make citizens behave a certain way? Definition and Examples, The Differences Between Communism and Socialism, What Is Civil Service? Through genocide and mass murder, Hitlers totalitarian regime strove to turn Germany into a racially pure military superpower. ThoughtCo. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Rather than trying to allay that fear, totalitarian rulers encourage it and use it to ensure the peoples cooperation. Totalitarianism: Definition, Characteristics & Examples censorship. This allows a totalitarian state the widest latitude of action of any form of government. Updates? Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. In both, those in authority have a monopoly on the use of the nation's military power and on certain forms of mass communication; and the suppression of dissent, especially during times of crisis, often occurs in democracies as well. Totalitarianism vs. Authoritarianism vs. Fascism, "China Enshrines 'Xi Jinping Thought,' Elevating Leader to Mao-Like Status.". General Iroh/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. Lesley has taught American and World History at the university level for the past seven years. The entire population is urged to stand behind the fascist leaders to either protect the superior identity of the population or to defeat the enemy as perceived by the leaders and their followers. Definition and Examples, What Is Communism? The two countries did not communicate their plans for military campaigns, this led to confusion and required damage control. In the Soviet Union, people were literally written out of the history books by using photo manipulation techniques. According to most authorities, North Korea and the East African state of Eritrea are the worlds only two nations recognized as still having totalitarian forms of government. Quiz, The French Revolution of 1848: History, Causes & Events 185 BCE), the Qin dynasty of China (221207 BCE), and the reign of Zulu chief Shaka (c. 181628). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Need a reference? However, the political process, as well as all individual freedom, is controlled by the government without any constitutional accountability. Totalitarianism Characteristics & Facts | What is a Totalitarian? With the initial successes of the military campaigns of 1939-41, his plan was expanded into a vision of a hemispheric order that would embrace all of Europe, western Asia, and Africa and eventually the entire world. The National Fascist Party of Italy (PNF - Partito Nazionale Fascista in Italian) was officially formed in 1921, and many fascists favored forcibly taking power from the government. General characteristics of totalitarianism. "Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, and Fascism." As early as 430 BCE, a system of rule resembling totalitarianism was applied in the ancient Grecian state of Sparta. Once you are finished, you should be able to: Create a poster that shows the definition of totalitarianism and also features the common characteristics of it. What award did Hitler receive while in the military? Thus, the correct answer is option C. Totalitarianism is a type of government and a political system that forbids all opposition parties, criminalizes individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and imposes an extreme, if not total, degree of control and regulation over public and private life. 3 - Romanian fascist dictator Ion Antonescu (left) with Nazi foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (right), in Munich June 1941. Totalitarianism is very different from Democracy. The government itself is riddled with the duplicity of roles and functions, creating a hopelessly complex bureaucracy creating a false impression of a non-existent separation of powersthe antithesis of totalitarian regimes. This website helped me pass! This lesson covers the following objectives: 14 chapters | Longley, Robert. Fascism History, Ideology & Examples | What is Fascism? "What Is Totalitarianism? Reparations caused the Mark to lose value. You will receive your score and answers at the end. 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READ: Communism in the Soviet Union (article) | Khan Academy Fascism is a political ideology and totalitarianism is a style of governing. When none of them did, he emerged as a dictator, gaining the title of Head of the Government. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company. It is often characterized by highly restrictive laws that affect many aspects of the lives of the citizens of the state. According to Russian history expert and author Richard Pipes, Fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini once summarized the basis of totalitarianism as, Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.. Qing Dynasty Overview & Fall | Qing, the Last Chinese Dynasty, Communism in China | History, Leaders & the CCP, What is Communism? A charismatic leader can use these longings to his advantage, gaining power by promising to lift the nation out of crisis and achieve new heights. Because pursuit of the goal is the foundation for the totalitarian state, achievement of the goal can never be acknowledged. Often regarded as the most extreme form of authoritarianism, totalitarianism is generally identified by dictatorial centralized rule dedicated to controlling all public and private aspects of individual life, to the benefit of the state, through coercion, intimidation, and repression. Quiz & Worksheet - Characteristics of Totalitarianism, A government that holds total control over the citizens of its nation, A government that allows basic freedoms to its citizens, A government that allowed private ownership of business, A government that allows citizens to play a role in the development of laws, Totalitarianism: Definition, Characteristics & Examples, Western Civilization II Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans Course Practice, Liberalism, Radicalism, and Republicanism in the 1800s . The German constitution of the Weimar Republic was never abrogated under Hitler, but an enabling act passed by the Reichstag in 1933 permitted him to amend the constitution at will, in effect nullifying it. Its 100% free. All resources are directed toward its attainment, regardless of the cost. General characteristics of totalitarianism, https://www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism, The Basics of Philosophy - Totalitarianism, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Totalitarianism, totalitarianism - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Across Italy, fascist agitators known as blackshirts intimidated socialists and other political opponents. Notable examples of totalitarian states include Italy under Benito Mussolini (192243), the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin (192453), Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler (193345), the Peoples Republic of China under the influence of Mao Zedong (194976), and North Korea under the Kim dynasty (1948 ). ThoughtCo, Dec. 5, 2022, thoughtco.com/totalitarianism-authoritarianism-fascism-4147699.