Totalitarianism refers to a political system in which the ruling government has complete authority over the society it is ruling. It is kind of political system that has been viewed to be very undemocratic, just like an authoritarian government. A totalitarian government always seeks to have control over all the aspects of the society and demands active participation from the citizens.

Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia and Maoist China are the three chief totalitarian states in the previous century(Magstadt, 138). However, they have all gone through almost similar stages. A violent revolution is the first stage. The most important elements of this stage include ideology, leadership, propaganda, organization and violence. The second stage involves consolidation of power by the ruling government. The totalitarian ruler at this point eliminates anyone that is perceived to oppose him or her. The third stage focuses on transforming the society in its entirety. For example in Nazi Germany, Hitler brought about the ideology of “racial purification”. This eventually led to the Holocaust and World War II(Magstadt, 138).

Totalitarianism has brought about suffering to the affected people and has also caused loss of life. Rough estimates have shown that totalitarian activities have affected millions of lives both directly and indirectly. Some have suffered permanent psychological effects due to the discrimination experienced.

Given the fact that totalitarian experiments have caused staggering losses in the past, it is not a guarantee that they will not emerge in the future. It might emerge in a different guise but still have all the elements of a totalitarian state. For example, in Afghanistan, the Taliban used a political ideology based on Islam. The regime was totalitarian in every aspect.

Works Cited

Magstadt M. Thomas. Understanding Politics; Ideas, Institutions and issues. Wadsworth   Cengage Learning (2013). 115-138