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World History
Ms. Avar
Point Value:
/5
Totalitarian
Dictator
Notes
KEY
Totalitarian
 A country headed by a DICTATOR (one person)
 One POLITICAL PARTY rules
 Individuals have little power, freedom or rights.
 The government CONTROLS ALL ASPECTS of life including religion, speech, media and art
 No individual privacy or freedom
 Totalitarian dictators came to power after WW I.
 The idea came from TOTAL WAR when all citizens worked for the war effort
 The power is centralized and controlled by the state
1. The Leader
 Dynamic, charismatic leader
– Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler
 “God-like” – invincible
 Cult of personality
– Near worship of a political leader
2. Justification of Power
 The “will of the people”
 Unquestioning, uncritical support of people
 Had to persuade or force people into accepting goals of the leader
3. Terror
 Use of intimidation and terror
 Violence or threat of to ensure obedience
 Those who resist “enemies of the people”
 Eliminate the enemy at any cost
4. Propaganda
 Goal – give people biased or incomplete info to sway them emotionally to accept beliefs or actions of leader
 Mass Media – state controlled
– Newspapers, magazines, books, radio, movies
– Large audience – reinforces ideology
FACIST TOTALITARIAN (Hitler, Mussolini, Franco)
 Extreme Nationalism
 Want to expand and have a big military
 **Protects private property but control production
 Force is used against any opposition
 Fascists hate communists and democracies.
 They only allow one political party
COMMUNIST TOTALITARIAN (Stalin)
 Extreme Nationalism
 Want to expand and have a large military
 **Property is state owned (no private ownership) and production controlled by state
 Any opposition is crushed
 They only allow a one party system
 Feared fascist dictators