totalitarian characteristics (1 Viewer)

[sea_maiden]

hey guys just need some notes

According to Carl Friedrich adn Zbigniew Brzezinski (they're political scientists), the characteristics of totalitarianism are:
- an elaborate ideology
- a single mass party usually led by a charismatic leader- an official ideology
- total control over the economy
- control over mass communications
- a system of terror and police control
- control over the armed forces of the state

we've talked about these class with reference to germany but i want to get ahead so i need some brief notes on the non highlighted characteristics
thanks

 

[serge]

sorry dont have my notes on the computer... but from the essay i did already off the top of my head you should probably look into these areas.

- total control over the economy 4 year plan
- control over mass communications Propaganda Ministry
- a system of terror and police control Gestapo, SS
- control over the armed forces of the state Hitler makes himself Commander-

in-Chief of the armed forces in 1938

 

[leetom]

Also consider the alternative to totalitarianism, the polycracy. A polycracy is similar to a totalitarian state except that the supreme leader's direct subordinates are working against each other in order to win the favour of the supreme leader who:

a) can either be purposely disengaging himself from government in order to have his staff compete against each other in order to reap the best results <as was the case (at least agreed upon by some) in Nazi Germany> or,

b) is just a lazy dictator who wastes time lavishing attention on 'pet' projects. <Some argue that this was the case in Nazi Germany, Hitler's 'pet' project being hsi fascination with the Reich's architecture and building schemes>,

Difference is, a totalitarian leader actively engages himself in day-to-day government.

 

[Born Dancer]

so it can be argued both ways then? hitler can be seen as running a totalitarian OR polycratic government? should i be leaning towards a particular side in my argument?

 

[rama_v]

so it can be argued both ways then? hitler can be seen as running a totalitarian OR polycratic government? should i be leaning towards a particular side in my argument?

Its totally up to you. I personally would lean towards polycratic but again, its your choice. Just choose a point of view, and argue it throughout your essay, and you will do well

 

[gordo]

its the intentionalist v structuralist debate
both are just as credible

 

[leetom]

its the intentionalist v structuralist debate
both are just as credible

I would argue the polycracy, there is so much evidence to back it. The 'inner circle' (Himmler, Goring, Goebbels, Speer and Bormann) all actively worked against or allied with each other throughout the course of the Reich's existence in the continuingbattle for Hitler's favour.

Examples include the alliance between Speer and Goebbels in their joint push for a total war economy (against Bormann and the Gauleiters, who wanted ot maintain civilian industry).

Another is Himmler, Goebbels and Bormann vs Speer as it appeared looked as though Speer would become Hitler's successor.