I found Totalitarianism one of the most interesting subjects that i have learnt about so far in the HCJ course, this form of government and control has been seen throughout history and as displayed in our seminar, could be easily replicated again. The book and film 1964 intrigued me, and me think what it would be like to live in a society like this, we all say that we wouldn't conform to this type of society and rule, but would we have any choice?
Totalitarianism: A political system where the government believe everything is possible and try to regulate every aspect of public and private life where it recognises no limits to its authority. The media, freedom of speech and private life is all controlled with widespread fear. Two examples of this movement are Stalin-ism and Nazi Germany.
The author of 'The origins of totalitarianism' Hannah Arendt born in 1906, believed that in this form of government anything is possible. The aim of it is total power and domination which can't come without destruction to humanity. Our individuality makes us hard to control and therefore with totalitarianism this is one of the first things that is controlled, in the seminar we looked at the ways in which totalitarianism is formed using the university campus as an example, and we decided that first to go would be allowing people to be individual or in groups. Any groups would be stopped and everyone would be in the same lectures at the same times every day meaning that usual groups of friends could not meet meaning that the power of the people would be limited. They would also be made to wear the same clothes or uniforms to stop any freedom or originality.
Next, you would be told to think how the leaders want you to think and therefore would not be allowed any communication with the normal world or with each other. In totalitarianism loneliness and isolation are created so that people are on their own and not communicating and rising up against the rule, leading to their domination. If people cant arrange a rebellion it cannot happen. Education and language is also reduced so that people only know what they are told to know and can only say what they are told to say. With this every new person born is no longer an 'empty mind' or a 'new begging' they are controlled by the leaders.
Next a group of people are targeted and labeled as the enemy. The Nazi's labeled the Jews as the enemy and consequently made them stateless and easier to control. They have not done anything wrong according to normal society but this is what separates totalitarianism from other forms or government, it does not pick out individual people who have done things wrong as this would ruin its effect. It makes people fear the rule as they are not quite sure what the enemy is and therefore they are always suspicious and always attempting not to be the enemy. Also but not specifically labeling the enemy the ruler can then switch and change who the enemy is, to suit him. A great example of Stalin was given in the seminar of him killing two rows of his supporters because someone sneezed.
The ideology of totalitarianism is to eliminate our capacity to think for ourselves and just do as we are told despite knowing that it is wrong or that you do not want to be involved in it. The rule decides who is the enemy but also who is the executioner but through fear the executioners do not question what they are being told otherwise they are the enemy. Eichmann, the Nazi in charge of the transportation and murder of millions of Jews in World War 2 is an example of someone who did not think about what they were doing but instead, went along with the rule and killed millions of innocent people while believing that he was innocent himself and only following his governments orders citing Kant as his defense, however Kant does not agree with blind obedience. Another example is the Stanley Milgram experiment which displayed peoples blind obedience to rule, despite the consequences it may have.
Controlling the media means that the party can tell the people what to think and it cannot be contradicted, while having only one party means that there is no competition or any political influence telling the people that they are being controlled or manipulated.
Finally totalitarian rule either follow historical or natural law, Nazi Germany as an example followed natural law of the teleological theory of progression and Darwin's theory of evolution by suggesting that inferior species and inferior parts of the human race will be eliminated and therefore to speed up this progress it is right to murder and destroy these races to speed of humanity's progression as it will happen eventually anyway. Stalin however followed natural law of Marx's theory of communism, believing that everyone is equal and must have the same despite who they are, leaving everyone in poverty.
Totalitarianism has no need for positive law; common and statutory law as no legitimacy is needed to imprison anyone, it is done because you are the enemy. Having legitimacy in killing or harming people who not be a totalitarian regime. People do not need to be guilty to be the enemy.
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