2. NON-DEMOCRATIC
Authoritarian Totalitarian
Gov’t Groups Process
Goals
Decision making is Decisive leader-
Leaders chosen by
carried out by a small Use of FIPS ship, political
an elite whose
group who may not stability, social
political authority
exercise power in the order, rapid mobil-
rests on the use or
interest of the majority ization of resources
threat of force
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
6. DICTATORSHIPS APPEAL TO CERTAIN KINDS OF
PEOPLE IN CERTAIN KINDS OF SITUATIONS
Adorno: parent-child relationship/ dependent on others
for strength/ see the world as black and white.
Fromm:alienation of the individual in
the post-industrial society
Lipsett:Class base: Communism - lower classes
Fascism - upper classes
7. Definitions:
DICTATORSHIP: absolute rule by one
person or by a small elite (authoritarian
government).
TYPES:
Aristocracy: Ruled by a privileged class.
Plutocracy: Ruled by rich.
Autocracy: Ruled by ONE person, a monarch
without restrictions
Oligarchy: Ruled by A FEW PEOPLE, a clan or
clique (Junta, if ruled by military). plutocracy
Theocracy: Ruled by people who claim a divine
right to rule.
8. Examples of each ( 20th
cent):
Aristocracy (minority tyranny)
South Africa (under apartheid)
Autocracy (absolute monarchy)
Brunei, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Suharto (Indon.)
Oligarchy
Nicaragua (Samoza), Haiti (Duvalier)
Junta (military dictatorship)
Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Chile (Pinochet)
Theocracy
Iran (Ayatollah Khomeini) Taliban (Afghanistan)
9. TOTALITARIANISM: a dictatorship that
controls ALL aspects of a society.
A product of the 20th century.
Accomplished by mass media.
Government control via F.I.P.S.
Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union,
Mao’s China, Castro’s Cuba
10. Features:
F ORCE/USE OF TERROR
I NDOCTRINATION/PARTICIPATIO
N
P ROPAGANDA
S CAPISM
Also:
centralization of power
13. Force & Terror
Most expedient way to control a
population and maintain power.
Zero toleration of dissent.
Nazi’s SA storm troopers, SS, Gestapo.
Italy’s Black Shirts (squadristi).
Stalin’s secret police (NKVD), Cheka,
Gulag, KGB (1954)
All used agents and informants informally.
14.
15.
16. Indoctrination & Forced
Participation
An education system to teach the values
of the party.
Target on youth:
Hitler’s Germany:
Jungvolk (10-14)
Hitler Youth (boys) League of German Girls
Soviet Union:
Little Octobrists (7-10)
Young Pioneers (10-14)
Komsomol (15-28)
17. Forced participation:
Gives semblance of participation in, and
approval of the political process.
Parades and celebrations.
Elections:
Party chooses all the candidates;
No real choices on ballots; or
No secret ballot.
Shows world that leader has widespread
support.
18. Propaganda
Language is the vehicle of thought.
Enhance image of leadership, and party.
Show greatness of state and people.
Examples:
Nazi Germany:
Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Public
Enlightenment)
People’s Observer (Nazi Party paper)
19. Soviet Union:
Pravda (“Truth”) paper of Communist Party
20.
21.
22. Scapism (Directing popular
discontent)
Alleviates responsibility of party/gov’t for
any problems.
Assists in limiting accountability.
Possible enemies:
Nazi Germany:
Jews; Socialists (responsible for betraying
Germany at the end of WWI)
Dissent from: Student groups (White Rose),
Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses
23. Soviet Union:
Reactionary Elements (White Russians);
capitalists; The West.
Dissent from:
• Intellectuals:
– Aleksandr Solzenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan
Denisovich;
– Andrei Sakharov, inventor of the soviet H-bomb.
• Samizdat publication of dissident views.
25. Widespread apathy and cynicism
Power struggles over succession
Leads to violent changes in government
changes
Elitism
Favoritism of certain groups in society; leads
to revolts.
26.
27. COMMUNISM
(Marxism/Leninism):
a.k.a.“Revolutionary Socialism”
Has it ever been achieved?
Ideal of Society:
Based on human capacity for
interdependence, solidarity, and
cooperativeness.
Abolishment of injustice
Achievement of equality for all.
28.
29. Affirmations:
Humanism, rationality, and progress
Dignity of work
Internationalism and pacifism
Rejections:
Violations of human rights:despotism,
militarism, imperialism, fascism, racism,
torture.
Custom based societies
Capitalism, liberal individualism, inequality.
30. Revolutionary organizations and
tactics:
Political activity in the workplace; trade
unions, strikes.
Military or economic challenge to authority.
State structures and official
policies:
Identification of state with interest of working
classes through medium of political party.
Removal of old institutions and laws redolent
of privilege.
State direction of economy in the interest of
equal distribution of wealth and opportunity.
31. Historical Blind Spots of
COMMUNISM
International movement or National
movement.
Not always applicable to non-European
and pre-modern societies.
Highly militaristic.
Bureaucratic.
Totalitarian: elite run state.
33. Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)
Communist Manifesto
Das Kapital
Marx’s sidekick: Friedrich Engels (1820 -
1895)
Objective: an economic/political system
that would meet ppl. basic needs…
guaranteed.
34. Lenin (1874-1924)
Altered Marxism:
Could skip certain stages, i.e. capitalism (in
Russia’s case)
Vanguard needed to protect revolution, i.e. an
elite, rather than proletariat.
35. USSR’s political system
General Secretary of Communist Party
#1.
Government is dominated by communist
party (CPSU); therefore…
46. FASCISM
Ideal of society:
All people can
experience life
heroically as part
of a strong
dynamic
community.
47. Affirmations:
Possibility of a new order.
Power invested in a natural elite with a born
leader.
Rejections:
Decadent forces: liberalism - it saps a nation
of its energy.
Egoistic individualism.
48. Cosmopolitanism, cultural and racial mixing.
Humanitarian concerns with equality and
harmony.
Democracy.
Revolutionary organizations and
tactics:
Paramilitary and youth organizations.
Assertion of a strong leader.
Overt violence against perceived opponents
and enemies.
54. State structures and official
policies:
Identification of party with state.
Aggressive militarism.
Abolition of class conflict by assertion of unity
of interest in the glorification of the state.
Historical Blind Spots of FASCISM:
Impossibility of integrating all aspects of
society into fascist vision.
55. Maintenance of momentum once all enemies
have been defeated.
Replacement of charismatic leader.
56. Why German Democracy
Failed (The Weimar Gov’t)
Proportional representation
0.5% gets a seat;therefore 2.6% in 1928 gave
legitimacy to Nazis
Weak governments
20 coalition gov’ts from 1919-33; avg. 8
months; made of 3 or 4 parties
Political polarization
due to failure of mainstream parties
1932 Nazi (R) Communists (L) win majority of
seats
57. Disunity of the left
Communists refused to form a coalition
against Nazis w/ Social Democrat
Communists were anti-German democratic
Hostility to parliamentary democracy
seen by some Germans as a foreign political
system imposed on them by victorious Allies
(Treaty of Versailles)
Great Depression
six million out of work in Jan., 1932
58. Liberal Demo. Vs. Com. & Fasc.
Representative assembly One party Totalitarian state.
and responsible executive. Rule by elite party or
Two or more party system dictatorship.
Free elections at regular No elections, if so no choice
intervals Judicial decisions conform
Independent judiciary to party ideology.
Freedom of opinion and Censorship and limited
speech freedom of opinion and
Freedom of association speech.
Limited freedom of
association; surveillance by
secret police.
59. Communism Vs. Fascism
Rule in interest of the
Rule by proletariat
STATE
Represent interest of
Represents interest of
working class
middle class and
Aims at: economic elite.
Intensifying class Aims at:
structure
Eliminating class
Working class conflict, BUT
revolution maintaining class
Classless society structure
International movement National movement.
Concerned with The interest of the state
betterment of individual comes before those of the
individual.
60. Nationalization of Private ownership of the
economy means of production
Public ownership of the State control of workers
means of production and economy.
State planning Cult of leader, Fuhrer and
Can have a cult leader. Il Duce.
