Totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt, in her book, "Origins of Totalitarianism," attributes the formation of a mass society in Europe in the first decades of the 20th century to "grassroots eruptions" from a number of collective groups. These were the Mob, the masses, the tribes and the starving multitude - all "mobilized for action" and powerful (Arendt 1973).
The first of these groups, the Mob, Arendt perceives to have proceeded from the anti-Semitic riots that flared during the Dreyfus events in France. This Mob, according to her, was recruited from all classes of society, the "residue" or the "refuse of all classes" that accumulated from those left behind by the economic cycles of capitalism. They were displaced by the class structure and resented ordered society, and quickly mobilized for violence by instigators. Arendt distinguishes the Mob from the People in that the Mob was outside the class structure and always attuned to public-spirited action,…...
mlaBibliography
Arnedt, Hannah. (1973) The Origins of Totalitarianism. Paperback, new edition. Harvest Books
He also says that he wants to be more on his own, "not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in the social body" (90).
Later, he tells her that he wants to "know what passion is... I want to feel something strongly" (94). The only way that Lenina can respond is by telling him that when the "individual feels, the community reels" (94). His feelings and inclinations that there must be something better is a testament that humanity is born with the notion to be free. Keith May maintains, "The chief illusion which Brave New orld shatters has less to do with an unthinking faith in scientific progress than with the assumption that truth, beauty, and happiness are reconcilable goods on the plane of ordinary, unregenerate human activity'" (May qtd. In Hochman). Hochman adds that the only way to deal with the nasty little ideas…...
mlaWorks Cited
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper and Row Publishers. 1960.
Hochman, Jhan. "An overview of Brave New World." GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed March 24, 2008. www.infotrac.galegroup.com
Hochman, Jhan. "An Overview of Brave New World." Exploring Novels. 1998. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed March 24, 2008. www.infotrac.galegroup.com
McGiveron, Rafeeq. "Huxley's Brave New World." EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed March 24, 2008. www.searchepnet.com
Despite the high costs the Four Modernizations implied, China succeeded to enter "into the milieu of international bank loans, joint ventures, and whole panoply of once-abhorred capitalist economic practices."
As it might be inferred from above, this task was not an easy one, and China's officials had first of all to convince the rather-conservative part of the population of the necessity of these reforms and of the continuity of the Four Modernizations program. Similarly to the case of other communist movements, the changes had to come from above, so the unity among the mentalities needed firstly to e achieved at the top-level and only afterwards should the belief in newness be spread among the population.
Deng's attempt in this perspective seem to have succeeded, or at least this was the common feeling in the 1980s, when improvements in both rural and urban life became obvious, and the replacements of new methods…...
mlaBibliography
China - History, Briefly stated, at http://www.sitara.com/china/history.html
Exploring Chinese History: Culture, Philosophy, Maoism, at http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/02cul/c04s07.html#Introduction
Cultural Revolution, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution
Great Leap Forward, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
Summary of the Chapter "The Potent Wizard" from "The Origins of Totalitarianism" by Hannah Arendt
This chapter revolves around Benjamin Disraeli, who is portrayed as a very ambitious politician and was characterized by luck and fortune. He did not know the feeling of déclassé, and thus, he expressed his being a Jew through every aspect possible. He rose through the political ladder in London despite his family being not born in England. He had an excellent and deep understanding of society, as demonstrated in his saying, 'What is a crime among the multitude is only a vice among the few' (p.89), which could be used as an indication of the rise of the Mafia and Mob of the 19th century.
Another factor contributing to his success was his ability to 'absolute sincerity and unreserved' (p.90). He was born an Englishman, and England admired his Jewish history because Jews who had settled in…...
mlaReference
Arendt, H. (1951). The origins of totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company. Pp. xv - 477.
Comparison of Totalitarianism and the United States GovernmentIntroductionTotalitarianism is a form of government that stands in stark contrast to the democratic principles upon which the United States was founded. This paper will delve into the fundamental doctrines of totalitarianism, its differences from the U.S. government, its relation to John Locke's Social Contract Theory, and the nations that practice it.Totalitarianism: Definition and Fundamental DoctrinesTotalitarianism is a political system where the state acknowledges no boundaries to its authority, striving to govern every facet of both public and private existence. At its core, totalitarianism is characterized by the centralization of absolute power, typically vested in a singular authority or a limited group. This regime is notorious for its suppression of any opposition, often through force or intimidation. Furthermore, the state exerts control over a vast array of life's dimensions, encompassing the economy, education, and even the personal beliefs and values of its citizens.…...
Authoritarianism vs. Democratic Leadership: Why People Choose
Because politics is a social expression, it is natural for philosophers and political scientists to examine the sociology of a group of people regarding their choices of leaders whom they choose to support. In terms of choosing to support a democratic or non-democratic leader, the Frankfurt School of philosophers (Arendt, Adorno, Fromm, Nevitt et al.) show that society can be manipulated into choosing as the powerful elite, who control the media and the manner in which the public masses think, prefer them to choose. In other words, there is an art of deception and manipulation exercised by the purveyors of mass media. On the other hand, there is also a willingness on the part of the public to ascribe to the views of a demagogue, who projects himself vividly, with force, conviction and articulation. Such a leader can attract masses to supporting a vision,…...
The Totalitarian Soviet Ideal and The Circus In Grigori Aleksandrov’s (1936) Soviet film The Circus, an American white woman named Marion Dixon is chased out of the racist South after giving birth to a black baby. She escapes by train and is protected by a German, who becomes her manager, as she is a dancer. Their act takes them to the Soviet Union, where her act is incorporated into the circus there. She becomes beloved of the people for her performances and in turn falls in love with a Soviet engineer. This raises the ire of her manager, who tries to blackmail her to leave the Soviet Union. However, the Soviets are not put off by her son, who is of mixed ethnicity. The film indicates that Russians themselves are of mixed ethnicity and for that reason they are very accepting of the bi-racial child. The film ends with Marion’s “dark…...
Holocaust Politics
Totalitarianism's Controversial Notions
The human social animal's capacity for collective tyranny and violence in Hannah Arendt's seminal work
Since the publication of her 1951 work on The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt has received much criticism as a philosopher and an historian for her theory of the human, historical development of notions of society or what Arendt terms 'the social.' From the social organizations of the salon, which were loose and diffuse, and based on ideological alliances, human beings evolved in their organization, she suggests, to alliances upon material interests in the forms of classes. But the nationalist and imperialist movements of the 19th century perverted these previous mental and material social alliances in history, to create the manifestation of 'the masses' that enabled totalitarianism to take hold in Germany, Russia, and other areas of the world.
Critical to Arendt's conception of totalitarianism is her notion of the political phenomenon as a…...
mlaWorks Cited
Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Harcourt and Brace, 1951.
Arendt, Hannah. The Human Condition. U of Chicago Press, 1998. Originally Published 1958.
The Communist Manifesto
The central aspect of the Manifesto of the communist party is how to effectively handle the ever increasing rift between the contending classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The development of the bourgeoisie at the expense of the proletariat has highly been exacerbated by the industrialization and trade development over the years, the various revolutions in the modes of production and of exchange. The bourgeoisie has played the bigger role in the revolutions that have shaped the system to its favor, turning the physicians, the lawyers, the priest, the poet, the man of science into its paid wage laborers. Bourgeoisie has also torn away the noble family veil and has reduced family relations into mere money relations.
There is a big difference between the way the bourgeoisie view labor wage and that of the proletariat. The bourgeoisie see it as a means to increase accumulated labor, yet the proletariat…...
It is necessary to control the workers and make them dependent on the government. The policy also makes it possible for the government to direct all its resources on a single project -- typically the major "goal" of a regime such as war.
Complete government control on weapons, although not an exclusive characteristic of totalitarian governments precludes the chances of successful uprisings.
Case Studies: Specific Examples of Totalitarian egimes
The Soviet Communist regime under Joseph Stalin, the fascist regime under Mussolini in Italy and Nazi regime led by Adolf Hitler are typical examples of totalitarian regimes.
Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin: As observed earlier, it is debatable whether Karl Marx had clearly envisaged the formation of totalitarian governments by the application of his Communist theory. However, the first country to adopt Communism, i.e., the Soviet Union soon degenerated into the worst type of totalitarian government imaginable under Joseph Stalin who ruled the country…...
mlaReferences
Arendt, Hannah. (1966). The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=23477515
Blum, G.P. (1998). The Rise of Fascism in Europe (R. M. Miller, Ed.). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Characteristics of Totalitarianism." (n.d.) From: Totalitarian Dictatorship and Autocracy, by Carl Friedrick and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Retrieved on November 5, 2004 at http://plato.newarka.edu/~labbey/ap_total_charac.html
Kreis, Steven. (2004) "The Age of Totalitarianism: Stalin and Hitler." Lectures on Twentieth Century Europe: The History Guide. Retrieved on November 5, 2004 at http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture10.html
Part 1: Analytical SummaryIn \\\"The Origins of Totalitarianism,\\\" Hannah Arendt examines the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th century and the various factors that contributed to its emergence. In Chapters 10 and 11, Arendt discusses the concept of a \\\"classless society\\\" and the role of the \\\"totalitarian movement\\\" in the rise of totalitarianism.In Chapter 10, \\\"A Classless Society,\\\" Arendt argues that the emergence of a classless society was a crucial factor in the rise of totalitarianism. She notes that traditional social hierarchies and class structures were disrupted by the forces of industrialization, urbanization, and modernization, leading to the erosion of traditional values and the emergence of new forms of social and political organization. Arendt contends that in a classless society, individuals are more likely to feel disconnected from their social and political communities, leading to a sense of alienation and powerlessness. This sense of alienation can make individuals vulnerable to…...
mlaReferencesArendt, H. (1973). The origins of totalitarianism. Harvest/HBJ.
Whatever happened you vanished, and neither you nor your actions were ever heard of again" (Orwell, 1949, p.168).
Capitalism
Principles of mass production are very clear in the novels. Huxley for instance, applied the idea of mass production in human reproduction, since the people has abandoned the natural method of reproduction. Mass production as the conventional feature of capitalism and Huxley's novel reinforces such. He talked about the requirement of the World State about constant consumption, which is considered as foundation of its stability. Huxley apparently criticizes the commercial dependence of the world towards goods. Conditioning centers teaches people to consume. Orwell similarly provides criticism to capitalism as well: "The centuries of capitalism were held to have produced nothing of any value." The Proles are the symbols of the capitalist system as they constitute the working class who work in assembly lines.
Destruction of the concept of family
oth novels dispose the concept…...
mlaBibliography
Bessa, Maria de Fatima (2007). Individuation in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Island: Jungian and Post-Jungian Perspectives. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
Beniger, James K. (1986) the Control Revolution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 61.
Greenberg, Martin H., Joseph D. Olander and Eric S. Robbon. No Place Else: Expectations in Utopian and Dystopian Fiction. Southern Illinois: University Press, 1983. 29-97.
Grieder, Peter. "In Defense of Totalitarianism Theory as a Tool of Historical Scholarship" Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions 8.314 (September 2007) Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Grace Van Dyke Bird Library, Bakersfield, CA. 15 November 2008 ( http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct-true&db=aph&an=27009808&site=ehost-live .
Recent Trends in Restrictions on Freedoms by a Totalitarian State
Two and a half centuries ago, the Founding Fathers of the United States forged what has become regarded as a “living document” with the U.S. Constitution that has managed to weather numerous conflicts, including a civil war, two world wars and dozens of regional clashes over the years. This foundation in liberty is being threatened by some politicians today to the point of making the United States a totalitarian state, including most especially the current occupant of the Oval Office. For example, in their article, “Three warning signs of ideological totalitarianism” (September 8, 2020), Sharansky and Troy make the point that more than 3 decades after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, “embers of the kind of totalitarian thinking that spawned the Communist Revolution are inflaming Western debate — and inciting Americans” (para. 2).
In truth, not all Americans are being…...
mlaReferences
Sharansky, N. & Troy, G. (2020, September 8). Three warning signs of ideological totalitarianism. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/three-warning-signs-ideological-totalitarianism-opinion-1529824 .
A McDonald's hamburger in the United tates and in the United Kingdom for example is to be sold within the same price range when the exchange rate is calculated. McDonald's has had a large amount of success in its global expansion. The reasons for this comprise a number of factors, one of which is the perceived value to the purchaser. In all countries where McDonald's is sold, the customer perceives the value of food purchased for a certain price as economically viable. The food is of the same quality and portion size globally. This kind of stability is valued by the customer.
Possible short-term problems for McDonald's relate to the daily changes in foreign exchange rates. It is hardly practicable to change prices on a daily basis. Customers have come to expect stability from the company, especially in terms of price, which makes maintaining PPP a challenge. This problem is…...
mlaSources
Antweiler, Werner (2006). Purchasing Power Parity. University of British Columbia. http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/PPP.html
Chapman, Alan (2005-2006). Change management. http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm
Mrak, Mojimir. (2000). Globalization: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Countries in Transition. Vienna: United Nations Industrial Development Organization. http://www.unido.org/userfiles/PuffK/mrak.pdf
Nishimura, Yoshiaki. (2001, March) Economic Policy for Transition to Market Economy - Overview. Economic and Social Research Institute. http://www.esri.go.jp/en/tie/russia/russia1-e.pdf
Terror, Imperialism, And Totalitarianism
Imperialism is defined in the abstract, quite often, as the ideology of 'carrying the white man's burden,' in other words, of carrying the white cultural burden of civilization to the native or darker peoples of the world. But in practice, imperialism often has a less lofty goal and terror rather than teaching is the method used to enforce imperialism's 'laws' and values of social and political control. In the past, such as in French-controlled Algiers, depicted in the 1965 film directed by Pontecorvo "The Battle of Algiers," imperialism is often enforced through a series of dominating policies or military actions by a stronger European nation. One country seeks to exert its control over another country or territory, often to gain an economic or political advantage in a particular region.
In the film, the Algerian people fight long and hard to wrest control over their own territory once again.…...
mlaWorks Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. 1958.
"Battle of Algiers." Directed by Pontecorvo. 1965.
Camus, Alberto. "Caligula." 1936.
"The Great Dictator." Directed by Charlie Chaplin. 1940.
Captivating Titles for an Essay on Adolf Hitler
1. The Enigma of Adolf Hitler: Unraveling the Mind of a Dictator
This title piques curiosity by presenting Hitler as an enigma, inviting the reader to delve into the complexities of his psyche.
2. The Ascent of Evil: Hitler's Path to Power
This title emphasizes the gradual rise of Hitler, highlighting the series of events and decisions that led to his dictatorship.
3. The Shadow of Totalitarianism: Hitler's Impact on Germany and Europe
This title explores the consequences of Hitler's rule, examining its devastating impact on Germany and the broader European landscape.
4. The Holocaust: Hitler's....
Research-Based Essay Books
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
"In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick
"Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America" by Beth Macy
These books provide in-depth, well-researched accounts of historical events, scientific discoveries, and societal issues. They rely on extensive interviews, archival research, and scientific data to support their arguments and conclusions.
Persuasive Essay Books
"How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
"The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg
These books aim to persuade readers....
Evolution of Political Titles and Its Impact on Contemporary History
Throughout history, political titles have played a crucial role in shaping the exercise of power and the evolution of societies. From ancient monarchs to modern leaders, the titles attributed to political figures have carried immense symbolic and practical significance.
Ancient Monarchies:
In ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Mesopotamia, rulers bore titles that reflected their divine authority and earthly power. Pharaohs in Egypt were considered gods on earth, while Mesopotamian kings were often referred to as "shepherds of the people." These titles reinforced the absolute authority of the monarch and maintained social order....
I. Introduction
II. Body
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now