Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century Sample Essay
Totalitarianism is citizens’ political freedom. Besides, it means comprehensive supremacy of a society by dictatorial leaders and obligatory beliefs. Totalitarianism is characterized by the presence of a philosophy that addresses all facets of life and outlines means to attain an objective. The uncertain peace of Europe lay on the balance of the triple alliance of Germany, Austria Hungary, and Russia. When Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia to avenge the death of the Sarajevo’s, Russia came to the aid of Serbia. As a result, the length of a treaty upon which the peace of Europe relied upon unravelled. Germany came to the aid of Austria Hungary, France supported Russia while Great Britain aligned herself with France. The above alliances led to the eruption of world war one the first armed conflict among nations that commanded the energies of their subjects as well as the products and resources of industrial technology. Besides, this was the first war which involved civilians. World war one in return led to the eruption of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 which triggered the rise of Soviet Russia and the spread of Communism. It also led to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany and the Fascist totalitarianism.Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century Sample Essay
The Nazi Dictatorship under Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. Upon rising to power Hitler’s first objective was to achieve total control of Germany through the establishment of personal dictatorship with the help of an inferno. To gain control of Germany, Hitler also eradicated opposition leadership by detaining communists and social democrats (Harris 813). Besides, Hitler obtained a decree from president von Hindenburg to suspend the bill of rights. He also forced the Enabling Act for the Protection of People and the Law which gave him the powers to prepare laws for the issuance of Reich Cabinet without consideration of the Reichstag. In 1934 during the night of the Long Knives, Hitler eliminated his remaining political opponents in an orgy of savagery and murder and became both the president as well as Chancellor of Germany.
The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin rose to power and took control of the Communist Party in 1924 after the death of Lenin and gained full control of the nation in the late 1920s. On rising to power he launched a series of five-year plans intended to transform the Soviet Union into a manufacturing giant. His development projects mainly focused on the administration’s regulation of the economy and involved the government taking control of agricultural farms. Whenever farmers refused to hand over the farms, they were expatriated. The forced handover of agricultural land led to a massive famine in the country which resulted in the death of millions of people. Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century Sample Essay
Joseph Stalin ruled through a totalitarian grip through which he was able to eliminate any individual who tried to oppose him and his ideologies. Stalin increased the authorities of the secret police and encouraged citizens to spy each other and had millions of people killed or sent to forced labour camps (Zhukov and Taliban 18). Stalin also formed the Great Purge which comprised a sequence of operations mainly intended to distinct the communist party, the military and other parts of Soviet society from those he found a risk to his leadership. Stalin also built a cult of personality around himself in the Soviet Union. Towns were named after him and history books were redrafted to give him a more prominent role in the insurgency. He also made his name become part of the national anthem and controlled the media of the Soviet Union.
Distinctive Characteristics of Totalitarianism.
There exist substantial features of totalitarianism. In a totalitarian state, the leader is highly valued and is seen as reliable. The masses praise the leader and often believe that the leader or the party is always right to encourage devotion, commitment, and submission (Magstadt 303). This is achieved through engaging in massive projects of social engineering intended to transform society according to an all-embracing ideology in an attempt to gain more supporters. As a result, the leaders are highly valued as their ideologies seem to take society to the next level in terms of development. As a result, people are always willing to do what the leader instructs them to do even if it means killing.
Totalitarianism relies upon propaganda as an instrument to rally the people. For instance, in 1935 Germany under Adolf Hitler passed Nuremberg Laws which denied individuals of Jewish origin German citizenship and restricted them from espousing or having relationships with people of German origin. Jewish people were also not allowed to take part in the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 and were also denied political rights. To further their propaganda, Hitler and his party sought to advance the cultural dominance of Nazism by burning books (Borowski 11). Besides, in the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin also used propaganda to advance his rule in the country. For instance, he placed himself among other communist visionaries such as Carl Marx. This propaganda presented him as the natural successor to previous communist leaders.
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In a totalitarian state, the general wellbeing is placed above personal interests and pursue the policy of autocracy directed at financial adequacy. Both capitalism and socialism are rejected because they divide the people into conflicting groups. For instance, in the Communist Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin took control of individual agricultural farms in an attempt to control the economy. Those who refused to hand over their farms were killed while the rest were taken to detention centers. Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century Sample Essay
Like a religion, totalitarian gives its alienated and isolated followers a sense of belonging which makes the people lose themselves in the comforting embrace of the mass movement. As a result, the people end up engaging in genocidal actions thus killing a large number of people who are regarded as the enemy of the state or the race.
Consequences of Totalitarianism in Germany and the Soviet Union
Hitler’s and Stalin’s pact had significant effects on their populations and that of the neighbouring countries. The scorched earth policy which Stalin adopted led to massive destruction of lives and property (Pajo 183). Stalin would direct a scorched earth protective policy that aimed at extinguishing all the provisions and infrastructure that would be of benefit to the enemy. In the process, many people lost their lives and especially soldiers leaving behind unattended families.
Totalitarianism also led to economic deterioration not only in the Soviet Union and Germany but also in the neighbouring States. The violence which was experienced during the Hitler-Stalin Pact disrupted the economic activities of the people. Many businesses were destroyed while others faced closure due to a lack of funds. Besides, the conflicts scared investors from these countries.
European nations and especially the Baltic nations also suffered from the Hitler-Stalin Pact and the consequence are still felt today. The physical effects are still visible in the environment and especially due to the lagging economic development in the areas. Due to the genocide activities which occurred in these countries, it has become very hard for the people to form a democratic society and political culture (Pajo 184). As a result, the countries still experience political upheavals due to mistrust between the people leading to slow economic growth and especially in a country such as Latvia (Pajo 183). Also, people suffered from psychological and moral consequences. The acts of genocide which took place left the people traumatized and some have never recovered from the horrors they experienced during the war period. As a result of the horrors, they experience nightmares, flashbacks, and feelings of isolation, irritability, and guilt.Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century Sample Essay
In conclusion, totalitarianism is citizens’ political freedom. Besides, it means comprehensive supremacy of a society by dictatorial leaders and obligatory beliefs. Totalitarianism is characterized by the presence of a philosophy that addresses all facets of life and outlines means to attain an objective. There exist substantial features of totalitarianism. In a totalitarian state, the leader is highly valued and is seen as reliable. The masses praise the leader and often believe that the leader or the party is always right. Besides, totalitarianism relies upon propaganda as an instrument to rally the people. For instance, to further their propaganda, Hitler and his party sought to advance the cultural dominance of Nazism by burning books. Also, in a totalitarian state, the general wellbeing is placed above personal interests and pursue the policy of autocracy directed at financial adequacy. Hitler’s and Stalin’s pact had significant effects on their populations and that of the neighbouring countries. The scorched earth policy which Stalin adopted led to massive destruction of lives and property. Besides, European nations and especially the Baltic nations also suffered from the Hitler-Stalin Pact and the consequence are still felt today. The physical effects are still visible in the environment and especially due to the lagging economic development in the areas.
Works Cited
Borowski, Andrzej. “Totalitarianism in sociological research.” World Scientif News (2017): 1-22.
Harris, Whitney R. “Twentieth Century Totalitarianism: Germany and Russia.” Washington University Law Review (1987): 805-822.
Magstadt, Thomas M. “Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions, and Issues.” Cengage Learning, 2016 (2016): 1-608.
Pajo, Matilda. “Consequences of the Totalitarian past on the Albanian Post- Communist Society.” European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (2016): 182-185.
Zhukov, Yuri M and Roya Talibova. “Stalin’s Terror and the Long-Term Political Effects of Mass Repression.” Department of Political Science University of Michigan (2017): 1-37. Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century Sample Essay
