Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a form of government in which the national government takes control of all aspects of both public and private life. Thus, totalitarianism seeks to erase the line between government and society. It has an ideology, or set of beliefs, that all citizens are expected to approve. It is often led by a dynamic leader and a single political party. Mass communication technology helps a totalitarian government spread its aims and support its policies. Also, surveillance technology makes it possible to keep track of the activities of many people. Finally, violence, such as police terror, discourages those who disagree with the goals of the government.

## Traits of Totalitarianism

 **Dynamic Leader** | •Unites people•Symbolizes government•Encourages popular support through force of will

## Stalin’s Totalitarian Rule

The beginning of the 20th century was a time of turmoil in Russia. After a period of great crisis brought about by the unexperienced rule of Tsar Nicholas II, the country faced a series of revolutions and a civil war that ended with the Bolsheviks in power. In 1922, Vladimir Lenin formed the Soviet Union (USSR) and led a communist regime until his death, in 1924. After Lenin’s death, the leadership of the Communist Party would fall under either one of Lenin’s closest supporters: Leon Trotsky or Joseph Stalin. By strategically using his position inside the party, Stalin managed to withhold power and established a totalitarian state, taking full control of the country and eliminating the opposition.

As the new leader of the party, Stalin seized power over every aspect of life in the Soviet Union. In order to achieve rapid industrial and agricultural development, Stalin set in motion the Five-Year Plans. These consisted of commandeering farms and factories into reaching difficult to attain production goals. This effort was done by forced workers and peasants who would face severe punishments if they did not comply, such as execution or forced labor in camps known as Gulags. Moreover, the state had total domination over mass media. Through the newspapers, radio broadcasts and the arts, Stalin was able to spread pro-communist propaganda in order to indoctrinate people, especially the youth. Though Stalin’s economic plans proved successful, they cost Soviet citizens their freedom.

Organized violence was another method Stalin used to exert control over the country and eliminate threats to his power. While he had used his influence and supporters to undermine Trotsky and retain the leadership of the party, Stalin still feared the loss of power by the hands of his enemies. Thus, he sought to eliminate the opposition through what is now known as the Great Purge. Using his secret police, Stalin targeted anyone who showed disobedience to the communist cause and old members of the party who were likely to still support Trotsky. It is estimated that over twelve million people had been executed –some even removed from photos and archives— by the secret police by the end of the purge in 1939.

While Europe saw an emergence of totalitarian dictators across the continent at the start of the 1900s, Stalin’s regime was one of the most ruthless and gruesome. His reign over the Soviet Union was characterized by a complete control over every aspect of life and work and a relentless persecution against those considered ‘enemies of the state’ by Stalin.

## Key Concepts

* **Police State**:Stalin’s secret police used tanks and armored cars to stop riots. They monitored telephone lines, read mail, and planted informers everywhere. Even children told authorities about disloyal remarks they heard at home. Every family came to fear the knock on the door in the early morning hours, which usually meant the arrest of a family member. The secret police arrested and executed millions of so-called traitors. In 1934, Stalin turned against members of the Communist Party.
* **The Great Purge (1937-1938)**: a campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened Stalin's power.
* **Propaganda and Censorship**: Stalin’s government controlled all newspapers, motion pictures, radio, and other sources of information. Many Soviet writers, composers, and other artists also fell victim to official censorship. Stalin would not tolerate individual creativity that did not conform to the views of the state. Soviet newspapers and radio broadcasts glorified the achievements of communism, Stalin, and his economic programs.
* **Indoctrination**: The government controlled all education from nursery schools through the universities. Schoolchildren learned the virtues of the Communist Party. College professors and students who questioned the Communist Party’s interpretations of history or science risked losing their jobs or faced imprisonment. Party leaders in the Soviet Union lectured workers and peasants on the ideals of communism. They also stressed the importance of sacrifice and hard work to build the Communist state. State-supported youth groups trained future party members.
* **Five-Year Plans**: Set impossibly high quotas to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity. To reach these targets, the government limited production of consumer goods. As a result, people faced severe shortages of housing, food, clothing, and other necessary goods. Although most of the targets of the first Five-Year Plan fell short, the Soviets made substantial gains.
* **Collectives**: In 1928, the government began to seize over 25 million privately owned farms in the USSR. It combined them into large, government-owned farms, called collective farms. Hundreds of families worked on these farms producing food for the state. The government expected that the modern machinery on the collective farms would boost food production and reduce the number of workers. Resistance was especially strong among kulaks, a class of wealthy peasants. The Soviet government decided to eliminate them.