Meaning and Features of Totalitarianism

What is Totalitarianism?

Totalitarianism is an advanced form of authoritarian government in which all aspects of the lives of the citizens are controlled by the state. Political power is vested in the ruler. Only the ruler determines what is lawful and he is the law.

Features of Totalitarianism:

(i) The leader is supreme. Whatever the ruler does cannot be questioned.

(ii) There is an existence of a one-party system and the leader controls the government.

(iii) The opposition and party criticisms are forbidden.

(iv) The government controls the mass media.

(v) The government makes use of coercion, secret police, spying, and mass propaganda to achieve its purpose.

(vi) The economy is centrally plannedA centrally planned economy or command economy, is an economic system where the government has complete control over the production and distribution of goods and services. The government decides what to... More and controlled by the state.

(vii) The government is tyrannical and dictatorial.

(viii) The leader exercises all the powers of government; executiveThe executive, also referred to as the executive branch or executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law and has overall responsibility... More, legislativeThe legislative branch of government is responsible for making laws within a country. Legislatures are made up of people called legislators who, in democracies, are elected by the country’s population More, and judiciaryThe judicial branch of government refers to a country’s court system. Judiciaries are responsible for interpreting and applying a country’s laws in particular cases, and can also be invested with the... More.

(ix) The ideologies of the leader become the ideology of the state.