Totalitarianism
Document Type
Dictionary entry
Source Publication
New dictionary of the history of ideas. Vol. 6
Publication Date
1-1-2005
First Page
2342
Last Page
2348
Publisher
Charles Scribner's Sons
Abstract
Totalitarianism is a concept rooted in the horror of modern war, revolution, terror, genocide, and, since 1945, the threat of nuclear annihilation. It is also among the most versatile and contested terms in the political lexicon. At its simplest, the idea suggests that despite Fascist/Nazi “particularism” (the centrality of the nation or the master race) and Bolshevist “universalism” (the aspiration toward a classless, international brotherhood of man), both regimes were basically alike—which, as Carl Friedrich noted early on, is not to claim that they were wholly alike. Extreme in its denial of liberty, totalitarianism conveys a regime type with truly radical ambitions. Its chief objectives are to rule unimpeded by legal restraint, civic pluralism, and party competition, and to refashion human nature itself.
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2005 Gale
Additional Information
ISBN of the source publication: 9780684313832
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Baehr, P. (2005). Totalitarianism. In M. C. Horowitz (Ed.), New dictionary of the history of ideas. Vol. 6 (pp. 2342-2348). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.