A totalitarian government takes centralized control over all public and private aspects of society. It establishes a secret police force with powers to arrest without warrants or spy on citizens. The economy is state-controlled and censorship/propaganda are used to promote government ideals. Education indoctrinates youth. Dissent is punished to ensure total loyalty to the nation, political party, and leader. After World War I and the Great Depression, dictators like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Tojo gained power in Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, and Japan by promising jobs and national pride while eliminating political opponents through intimidation and propaganda.

1. Totalitarianism
A government takes total,
centralized state control over
every aspect of public and
private life

2. Secret Police/Spies
• Police Force is able to do
anything!!
–arrest without a warrant, spy, listen
in on phone conversations, torture
• Why would the govt. want to have
this type of police force?

3. A Police State

4. Including Secret Police

5. Economy Controlled by the Govt.
• Govt. either completely owns and
controls all businesses
(communism) or there is a large
amount of regulation by the govt.
• What type of economy does not
exist in a totalitarian State?

6. Censorship/Propaganda
• Govt. censors/bans books, music,
movies, artwork, etc. that goes
against the ideas/values of the
govt.
• Why would a totalitarian State use
propaganda?

7. Propaganda

8. Ruthless Dictator
• Government run by one political
party
–Bolsheviks in Soviet Union
–Nazis in Germany
• Political Party run by one strong
leader who is the dictator of the
entire nation.

9. Only One Political Party

10. Education/Indoctrination of the
Youth
• Schools are required to teach kids
that the govt. has all the right
answers.
• Govt. run youth programs developed.
• Why would the govt. want to reach
out to the youth?

11. Total Loyalty of the People to
the Nation, the Party, the
Leader
• If you aren’t loyal, you are punished!!!

12. Nationalism

13. Who are these dictators and where
did they rule?
• Adolf Hitler- Germany
• Benito Mussolini- Italy
• Josef Stalin- Soviet
Union (USSR)
• Hideki Tojo- Japan

14. When and Why?
• After WWI (1920s-1930s), some countries
were severely affected by the outcome…

15. • The Great
Depression
• Germany and Italy
faced high
unemployment, low
self-esteem, and
many were
distrustful of their
government.

16. Italy after WWI
• Italy lost 460,000 soldiers after WWI
• The country was in debt
• Italy was promised land, but never
received it.
• Government was weak
• Rising unemployment

17. Treaty of Versailles!!!
• Germany blamed for
the war
• Germany must pay
$33 billion in war
damages
• The size of
Germany’s army
limited.
• German’s Colonies
go to Britain and
France
• Italy gets no colonies

18. People wanted HELP!
If you wanted to
become a political
leader, How would you
get people to support
you?

19. How did dictators gain support of the
people?

20. • Dictators took
advantage of the
political chaos that
followed WWI

21. Jobs, Power, Respect
• Dictators promised to
deliver everything that
the people wanted
(Jobs, power,
respect)

22. • Dictators used
violence,
intimidation,

23. • and propaganda to
rise to power

24. • Once in
power…eliminate
opposition (Secret
Police)