Rise of Totalitarianism
Totalitarian vs Authoritarian
What is Fascism?
Policies and Ideas of Totalitarian Leaders
Uses of Propaganda to Sway Public Opinion
Influential Literature Page: 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell
Women and LGBT People in Totalitarian Regimes
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fighting Fascism at Home and Abroad
Franklin Roosevelt Fireside Chat 29: On the Fall of Rome, June 5, 1944
PAGE SUMMARY This page defines totalitarianism as a form of government in which a single leader controls all aspects of social, economic, and political life.
It is commonly associated with Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany, and Lenin and Stalin in Russia. Although democracy dominated after World War I, eventually many democratic countries in Europe were taken over by a dictator. This included Italy, Germany, and Russia.
Totalitarian dictators use many tools to stay in power. This includes the use of propaganda, police terror and fear, religious and ethnic persecution, promises of progress and improvements, ideology indoctrination, and cult of personality.
Totalitarianism is different than authoritarianism. Totalitarianism involves the desire to control thought, while authoritarianism involves the desire to control behavior. Salazar’s Portugal, Shah’s Iran, and Pinochet’s Chile are examples of authoritarian governments. (Jenna Boyer, April 2022) |
Focus Question: What is totalitarianism and how did it rise in Europe?
Moloch of Totalitarianism Memorial, St. Petersburg, Russia |
1) Totalitarianism is a form of government where the state in the form of a single leader controls all aspects of social, economic and political life.
Totalitarian government theoretically permits no individual freedom and seeks to subordinate all aspects of the individual's life to the authority of the government.
2) In the years immediately following the WWI (1914-1918), a promising new era of democracy seemed to be unfolding.
3) Between the two World Wars, Britain and France could be regarded as democratic-like states.
Russia (1917-1939), Italy (1922-1939), and Germany (1933-1939) might be regarded as totalitarian states.
Link to handout which provides overview of Totalitarianism and some Totalitarian leaders
Hitler's Mein Kampf is an autobiographical manifesto of the Nazi Party. Here is a PDF of the resource. Here is an explanation of its significance.
Click here to view a collection of primary sources about Italian and German fascism.
Click here for an app called European Fascist Movements developed by the University of Liverpool. It features an interactive map with descriptions of 76 different fascist movements throughout Europe from 1919-1941.
Authoritarian: Desire to control behavior
For an overview of the Portuguese Authoritarian system under the Estado Novo click here.
To see how Portugal's dictatorship used propaganda watch this video.
To watch a speech by Antonio Salazar, the dictator of Portugal from 1932-1968, click here.
Totalitarian: Desire to control thought
Powerpoint on rise of Totalitarianism https://www.slideshare.net/cems7ss/the-rise-of-totalitarianism
During the Cold War, the United States distinguished between undemocratic regimes:
Source: Russia's Gay Demons, Robert Cottrell. The New York Review of Books (December 7, 2017)
Definition:
Examples:
"Map of Hitler's vision for "Greater Germany."
Map of Mussolini's vision for "Greater Italy."
Memorial for WWII bomb victims, Hamburg, Germany.Image by San Andreas
Image includes the words "The dead command us: never again totalitarianism, never again war."
Tools totalitarian leaders used to gain and maintain power:
Image to the right is a 1939 Soviet propaganda poster depicting the Red Army killing an oppressive Polish eagle
For background, see Propaganda 101: What You Need to Know and Why See also, Propaganda: What's the Message? from iCivics.
See Nazi Propaganda from the United States Holocaust Museum.
The Rise of Totalitarianism in Europe from the Core Knowledge Foundation.
Winning Over Hearts and Minds: Analyzing WWII Propaganda Posters.
Use of Propaganda During World War II from NebraskaStudies.org
A video summarizing George Orwell's 1984 and its relation to Totalitarianism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JIKngJnCU
Disney World War II Propaganda Films
The United States created anti-fascist propaganda with Disney during World War II.
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Women's auxiliaries of Hitler's Wehrmacht army in Paris in 1940 |
The Handmaid's Tale
2022-2023 Protests for Women's Rights in Iran
The country of Iran is under an authoritarian regime governed under extremist principles of Shia Islam. This regime has imposed strict limitations on women’s rights, which has sparked large protests in the country and around the world. As a current day example of authoritarianism, these links are included on this page to help students understand what is going on in the world around them, solidify their understanding of these topics, and conceptualize them in their world. Follow these links for videos and articles on the state of Iran and the protests ignited following the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed at the hands of Iran’s so-called morality police in September 2022. Women have been cutting their hair, a sign of beauty that should be hidden as decreed by the Islamic republic, as a symbol of protest.
Additional Sources:
WATCH: Women and girls are still protesting in Iran. Here’s why- PBS NewsHour
Full article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-women-and-girls-are-still-protesting-in-iran-heres-why
Protests in Iran: A turning point?- CBC News
Grief, protest and power: Why Iranian women are cutting their hair- CNN
Image Source: “Why Iranian women are cutting their hair and burning their headscarves in protest”- Today Show
When a Dictator becomes Part of Your Family Luis, resident of the Dominican Republic, tells his family's story of living under totalitarian rule.
An article about an island off the coast of Italy with an often forgotten LGBT history https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22856586
The small African nation of Eritrea is a holdout of totalitarianism. Eritrea's government uses forced labor, does not follow a constitution, and has no legal or even symbolic opposition.
The Double Victory Campaign
Hubert Harrison, pictured here in 1913
The Double V for Victory campaign was a slogan to defeat fascism both at home and abroad.
Works Cited:
[1] Grobman, G (1990). Nazi Fascism and the Modern Totalitarian State. Retrieved March 7, 2007, Web site: http://www.remember.org/guide/Facts.root.nazi.html
[2] Smith, D Benito Mussolini. Retrieved March 7, 2007, Web site: http://www.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_mussolini.html
[3] Poon, HW (1979). Fascist Italy. Retrieved March 7, 2007, Web site: http://www.thecorner.org/hist/total/f-italy.htm
[4] Poon, HW (1979). Nazi Germany. Retrieved March 7, 2007, Web site: http://www.thecorner.org/hist/total/n-german.htm#hitler-president
[5] Adolf Hitler. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from Spartacus Educational Web site: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhitler.htm
[6] Dunder, J Vladimir Lenin Biography. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from Free Info Society Web site: http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=76
[7] (1999). Biography: Joseph Stalin. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from Red Files Web site:
http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/bios/all_bio_joseph_stalin.htm