totalitarianism

American  

[toh-tal-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm] / toʊˌtæl ɪˈtɛər i əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. the practices and principles of a totalitarian regime.

2. absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution.

3. the character or quality of an autocratic or authoritarian individual, group, or government.

   the totalitarianism of the father.

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totalitarianism Cultural  

1. Domination by a government of all political, social, and economic activities in a nation. Totalitarianism is a phenomenon of the twentieth century: earlier forms of despotism and autocracy lacked the technical capacity to control every aspect of life. The term is applied both to fascist governments (see fascism) and to many forms of communism.

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Other Word Forms

• totalitarianist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of totalitarianism

First recorded in 1920–25; totalitarian + -ism

Compare meaning

How does totalitarianism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• fascism vs. totalitarianism
• totalitarianism vs. dictatorship

Explanation

If the government has complete and absolute power over the people, that's totalitarianism. This is a repressive, unfree type of society. A democracy is a society in which people have a say in their government and elect their leaders. The opposite is totalitarianism: a totalitarian society is usually ruled by a dictator, and there is very little or no freedom. In totalitarianism, the government controls almost every aspect of life. There is no free speech or freedom of the press: certain religions and ideas may be banned. George Orwell's novel 1984 was a brilliant look at a world of totalitarianism.

Example Sentences

Proust, when he writes about antisemitism, makes an important distinction between vice and crime, a distinction quoted at length by Hannah Arendt in "The Origins of Totalitarianism."

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2022

Totalitarianism can also take the form of autocracy, in which power is concentrated in the hands of an individual, through a dictatorship under a single leader.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

It’s called “Surviving Autocracy,” and is her first book since “The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia,” winner of the National Book Award in 2017.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2020

As Hannah Arendt warned in her landmark book "The Origins of Totalitarianism":

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2019

Totalitarianism challenges the highest values prized by Western democracies—reason, freedom, human dignity, and the worth of the individual.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

Related Words

• authoritarianism
• autocracy
• despotism
• tyranny