4.1 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.

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)

5 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 Obedience

Totalitarian governments

deny basic liberties, and

demand complete obedience

and personal sacrifice for the

good of the country.

“Unable to conceal

her misery as she

dutifully salutes the

triumphant Hitler,

[she] is the tragedy

of the silent

millions who have

been ‘won over’ to

Hitlerism by the

everlasting use of

ruthless force”.

"Overcome By Emotion — Three Sudetenlanders, one overcome with

emotion as she raises her arm in a Nazi salute, pay homage as the

Wehrmacht enters the border town of Cheb, October 1938."

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 Censorship

Propaganda 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

Persecution

Dictators 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

Exit Slip

In your own words:

1. What is totalitarianism?

2. Why was there a rise in totalitarianism after

WWI?

3. Describe a totalitarian government.