3.8 The Rise of Totalitarianismmsheidijones.weebly.com/uploads/3/0/8/0/30800931/3... · Totalitarianism: The belief in a government that takes total, centralized, state control of

3.8 The Rise of

Totalitarianism

Indoctrinate:(in·doc·tri·nate)

To teach someone a belief

thoroughly and systematically

while suppressing independent

thought.

Totalitarianism: The belief in a government

that takes total, centralized,

state control of every aspect

of public and private life.

Usually lead by a dictator.

A Dictator is...A leader or small group of

leaders who rule a country with

absolute power, usually by force.

Why

Totalitarianism? Many democratic governments in

Europe had failed to fix the

economic problems caused by WWI

and the Great Depression. As a

result, many turned to

totalitarianism & dictators for

answers to their problems.

Democracy+

Economic Depression=

Rise of totalitarian

governments

Soviet Union(Joseph Stalin)

Italy(Benito Mussolini)

Germany(Adolf Hitler)

Japan(Emperor Hirohito)

Spain(Francisco Franco)

TRAITS of

Totalitarianism

1. Police Terror

Dictators often used police/military groups

to terrorize citizens; violence was readily

used to force obedience and crush

opposition. Gestapo

(Germany) Cheka

(Soviet Union)Blackshirts

(Italy)

The Great PurgeA campaign of terror

directed at eliminating

anyone who

threatened Stalin’s

power.

Thousands were executed,

and millions more died in

labor camps known as

Gulags.

The Great Purge

2. Complete

ObedienceTotalitarian governments

deny basic liberties, and

demand complete obedience

and personal sacrifice for the

good of the country.

"I do solemnly swear that I, no matter

how I feel, no matter what the

conditions, if there are hurricanes or

whatever, will vote on or before the

12th for Donald J. Trump for

President. Now I know. Don't forget

you all raised your hands. You swore.

Bad things happen if you don't live up

to what you just did.”

Trump asks

backers to

swear their

support

March 5, 2016

Ukrainian farmers

refused Stalin’s attempt

to collectivize farms

throughout the USSR.

Terror Famine

In response, Stalin cut off

rations to the Ukraine and

effectively starved most of

the population to death until

they obeyed.

Terror Famine

3. IndoctrinationEducation is controlled by the totalitarian

state. Schools glorify the leader and teach

children that obedience and loyalty is

required above everything – including

their own families.

Hitler Youth Stalin Youth

Mussolini Youth

Nazi organization

designed to promote

Nazism among children,

and prepare future Nazis.

Hitler Youth

4. Propaganda and

CensorshipPropaganda is spread by the

totalitarian government to

persuade people to believe what

they say. In addition, no

publication, film, art, or music is

allowed to exist without the

permission of the gov’t.

Served as a strongly

influential propaganda film

that demonstrated

Germany’s return to great

power, and promoted Nazi

beliefs.

Triumph Of the Will

5. Religious and Ethnic

PersecutionDictators create “enemies of the

state” to blame for things that go

wrong. Many times, these

“enemies” are members of

religious, ethnic, or minority

groups.

The Nazis chose

Jews, among

many others, as

the enemy of

Germany and

the world.

The Holocaust

Consequently, the Nazis

set out to find a

“solution” to the Jewish

“problem” –

extermination.

The Holocaust