Paper Sample: Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism, and Warning Signs Against Fascism in Modern Society

Differences Between Authoritarian and Totalitarian Leadership

Democracy means that people in a country have the freedom to decide on various issues affecting them. In a democratic nation, the power over the government lies with the citizens. The fate of the country in a democratic country depends on the will of the majority. The exact opposite of democratic leadership is the totalitarian and authoritarian types of governance. The totalitarian and authoritarian types of governance are characterized by a small group of individuals or single individuals leading the nations. (Linz & Linz 2000) shows both the authoritarian and the totalitarian regimes resemble a dictatorship regime. Although both of the two types of governance involve the rules of the minority, there exist numerous differences among them. This section seeks to explain the difference between the totalitarian and the authoritarian regimes.

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Firstly, authoritarian governance is characterized by the presence of a single power holder, either a small group of individuals referred to as a junta or a single person who is a dictator. The power is an authoritarian regime that belongs to one political entity. (Sondrol 1991) shows that authoritarianism pays more attention to the government instead to society. On the other hand, (Levitsk & Way 2002) show that totalitarianism is similar to authoritarianism but in a more extreme manner. Apart from the governance, (Linz & Linz 2000) shows that a totalitarian regime dictates the people’s economic and social activities.

Moreover, there are more disparities between the authoritarian and the totalitarian regimes. However, (Levitsk & Way 2002) show that there is a need to have a deep meaning of the two types of leadership to understand the differences between them. in the case of a totalitarian regime, there is people in power (the dictators) who have charisma over the people. (Linz & Linz 2000) shows that people in totalitarian leadership are attracted to the prophetic leadership of their leader. The attraction makes the citizens do what the dictator orders them to do. Examples of notable totalitarian leaders include Adolf Hitler of Germany, Joseph Stalin of the USSR, and Benito Mussolini of Italy. According to (Levitsk & Way 2002), in a totalitarian regime, “there is a source of connection between the entire nation and its ruler.” A totalitarian leader shares some ideologies with the citizens, making them earn citizen's support. Getting citizen's support makes a totalitarian leader appear like a theological tyrant.

On the other hand, (Sondrol 1991) shows that authoritarian leaders are usually driven by control, and they typically focus on the status quo. According to (Levitsk & Way 2002), some of the notable authoritarians are Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Ferdinand Marcos, and Idi Amin of Uganda. The authoritarian leaders focus on their interests, making them appear like power-hungry individuals. According to (Levitsk & Way 2002), authoritarian leaders impose their rule through loyalty and fear. Authoritarian leaders gain loyalty by rewarding the few individuals who support their leadership. (Linz & Linz 2000) shows that in authoritarian leadership, the power is centralized and concentrated on a single authority. The authoritarian leaders achieve their goals by using mass organizations and political parties to compel the citizens to follow the government's demands.

The Conflation of Stalinism and Communism

There has been confusion over what communism and Stalinism entail. Some people believe that communism and Stalinism mean the same thing, and they sometimes use the words interchangeably. However, the two terms refer to entirely different things, and their confusion can negatively impact on the understanding of different ideologies.

(Donahue 2018) describes communism as a radicalized version of socialism since its primary goal is the maintenance of but differs from socialism by abolishing private property. Besides, (Fischer 2017) shows that communists have a worldwide vision that seeks to spread their ideology forcefully. On the other hand, Stalinism is not an ideology on its own but an application of an application of communism in its respective nations. (Morgan 2016) shows that the primary aim of Stalinism is creating a centralized economy, the developing of a strong military, the achievement of Orwellian control of people's behaviour, and the creation of iniquitous intelligence agencies.

Main Features of the Nazi Regime

The Nazi regime, usually associated with Adolf Hitler, was characterized by four main features. Firstly, the Nazi regime was totalitarian. According to (Medawar & Pyke 2001), the state under the Nazi regime was all-inclusive. The state abolished the freedom of speech, and all channels of information like the press, cinemas, theatres, schools, universities, and the radio were under full government control. The Nazi regime disbanded all the political parties and the trade unions (Medawar & Pyke 2001). Moreover, (Rosenthal 2010) shows that the Nazi regime controlled and supervised the social, and cultural life of the citizens. Concerning economic life, (Medawar & Pyke 2001) shows that the Nazi regime empowered the minister of finance to carry out any activity that he deemed beneficial to the state.

Secondly, the Nazi regime was a one-party state. The authority legally recognized only one party-The National Socialist Party. The law under the regime declared the NSP as 'the bearer of the idea of German state'. The party had considerable powers like the right to select the juries, appoint councilors, investigate public records, and select the school boards. Therefore, Nazi Germany was a party-state.

Thirdly, under the Nazi regime, the state was founded on the “leader principle”. (Diamond 1989) shows that under the regime, German politics relied on a belief that all citizen was directly responsible to Hitler. The regime provided that the leaders were always right, and their actions were above criticism or scrutiny. There was no democracy as the power lay on a single leader. The leaders were the law, and citizens were forced to obey the leader, or they would be thrown in the concentration camps.

According to (Rosenthal 2010), another critical element of the Nazi regime is that it was a "folk state". The Nazis believed that the Nordic race was superior to other races in history. The Nazis believed that the nation had to maintain its notable record in terms of unity, achievements, and racial purity, moreover, (Medawar & Pyke 2001), shows that the Nazi regime had no place for the “inferior races” such as the Jews. Apart from depriving Jews of their property, the Nazi regime prosecuted millions of Jews based on a belief that they were an inferior race which compromised the nation's racial purity.

Warning Signs of Fascism

(Warburg 2010) shows that Fascism is a complicated ideology that is mostly associated with the Italian and German regimes that came into power after the Second World War. Most studies have connected Fascism with the promotion of nationalism and authoritarian leadership. Although various nations have either had Fascism or some of its elements. (Rountree & Pilisuk 2010) shows that the notable fascists include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, and Juan Peron of Germany, Italy, Spain, and Argentina respectively.

According to (Giroux 2018), the core element of Fascism is that it aims at making the nation larger, stronger, more successful, and influential. Due to the fascist primary aim of increasing the countries' strength, they usually nationalize the country's assets, making Fascism resemble Marxism.

According to (Medawar & Pyke 2001), fascism relies more on feelings rather than philosophical ideas. The understanding of the feelings that form the foundation of fascism is crucial in assessing the warning signs against the rebirth of fascism. (Giroux 2018) outlined several feelings that mobile passions for fascist regimes. Some of these feelings include the importance of the supporting group. In this case, the group that supports the government feels more powerful than the maintenance of either universal or individual rights. Another feeling that enhances the development of fascist regimes is the strong sense of community and brotherhood. Moreover, the extreme support of natural leaders led to the development of the fascist powers.

(Medawar & Pyke 2001) shows that Fascism greatly declined after the Second World War. However, due to the rise of populism in the United States and Europe in the 2000s, there has been concern over the return of Fascism. The circumstances have triggered people to establish the warning science on the return of Fascism. There are various warning signs against the modern Fascism. Some of the critical signs that raise concern over the rebirth of Fascism include the supremacy of the military, the power, and the increasing nationalism. Other signs include fraudulent elections, rampant corruption and cronyism, protection of corporate power, disdain for art and intellectuals, and the intertwined government and religion.

References

Diamond, L. (1989). Beyond authoritarianism and totalitarianism: strategies for democratization. Washington Quarterly, 12(1), 141-163.

Donahue, G. (2018). Review of Fascism: A Warning. American Diplomacy, 1-3.

Fischer, R. (2017). Stalin and German Communism: A Study in the Origins of the State Party. Routledge.

Giroux, H. A. (2018). American nightmare: Facing the Challenge of Fascism. City Lights Books.

Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2002). Elections without democracy: The rise of competitive authoritarianism. Journal of democracy, 13(2), 51-65.

Linz, J. J., & Linz, J. J. (2000). Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Medawar, J. S., & Pyke, D. (2001). Hitler's gift: the true story of the scientists expelled by the Nazi regime. Arcade Publishing.

Morgan, K. (2016). International communism and the cult of the individual: leaders, tribunes and martyrs under Lenin and Stalin. Springer.

Penzin, A. (2016). Stalin Beyond Stalin: A Paradoxical Hypothesis of Communism by Alexandre Kojève and Boris Groys.

Rosenthal, G. (Ed.). (2010). The Holocaust in three generations: Families of victims and perpetrators of the Nazi regime. Barbara Budrich.

Rountree, J. A., & Pilisuk, M. (2010). Divine Politics and Warning Signs of Fascism. Peace Review, 22(2), 192-198.

Sondrol, P. C. (1991). Totalitarian and authoritarian dictators: A comparison of Fidel Castro and Alfredo Stroessner. Journal of Latin American Studies, 23(3), 599-620.

Warburg, G. (2010). Six Years of Hitler (RLE Responding to Fascism): The Jews Under the Nazi Regime. Routledge.