The Creation of a State That Was Both Enormous and Monolithic

Modern Europe Spring Semester Heubeck Totalitarianism

 The creation of a state that was both enormous and monolithic  State controls all aspects of life (courts, taxes, business, culture, media, religion, education, public welfare)  Totalitarian state rejected liberal democracy and parliamentarian government  Promoted an organic theory of society that was a living organism within each person was but a single cell (Palmer 796)  Individual life and ideas were supplied by the state therefore; reason was anathema to the ideas of the totalitarian state.  Art and science was distinct to the specific society  All Enlightened ideas of reason, natural law, natural right disappeared  Propaganda became a major department of the state. Ideas and opinions were manipulated and sculpted to fit the state’s desire  The idea of truth disappeared; reason was stymied and forbidden  Racism was utilized to promote and “define the nation in a tribal sense” (Palmer 797)  Anti-Semitism was most vicious form of racism, although the Nazis target other non- Aryan races.  Attempted to mitigate the effects of class differences by claiming all members of the state should come together to fight a common opponent  Leaders looked beyond their borders to place blame on troubles  Violence was used as tool to “promote” the agenda and convert opponents. Executions, assassinations, internal terror and general chaos was utilized to bring totalitarian leaders to power  Promoted a set of ethics that was violent and neopagan. (Palmer 799)  Leaders established youth groups that played on “ juvenile idealism” (Palmer 799)

Benito Mussolini  “March on Rome” 1922 brings Mussolini to power  Established the Black Shirts to enforce ideas  1924- Murdered his socialist opponent Matteoti

Adolf Hitler  WWI veteran  Anti-Semite  1920- joins the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis)  1923-Beer Hall Putsch  Five Year prison term- writes Mein Kampf  1924- Becomes head of Nazis  1930-helps increase Nazi membership in Reichstag from 12 to 107  1932-Nazi membership in Reichstag increases to 230 seats  1932-Hiter loses the presidency to Paul von Hindenburg  1933- Hitler named Chancellor by Hindenburg  1933- Reichstag building burned down, government moved to Nazi Party headquarter  1933- Erased unfavorable election results and takes power

Palmer R.R. and Joel Colton. A History of the Modern World. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002