The Rise of Totalitarian Governments

By definition, a totalitarian government is a centralized government that does not tolerate parties or differing opinion and exercises dictatorial control over all aspects of life. Of course, no one in their right mind would immediately welcome such a government. However, under certain political and economic circumstances, totalitarian parties can slowly but surely gain complete control by using tactics such as propaganda, indoctrination, and censorship.

For totalitarian tactics to be employed successfully, the state must be unstable economically. Economic instability can causes people to become afraid, which in turn causes them to look to someone for help; for answers and bold assurances that they have a plan and that everything will be fine. After World War I, the value of German currency fell, and the government printed more money to pay its debts to other nations. Inflation tore Germany apart until a U.S. banker stepped in and helped it a little. Germany’s economic recovery was going well until the Great Depression hit and sent Germany back into economic uncertainty. It was after this economic rollercoaster that the Nazi party promised Germans that they had a solution and that they would put the nation back into health, peace, and economic stability. Being sick of the economic depression and worried that more crisis would soon arise, many Germans began to support the Nazi party. Czars in Russia similarly lost power to new, totalitarian leaders when the failing economy drove workers into despair and towards revolution. Both of these examples show how economic instability opens doors to totalitarian leaders and causes people to look to extremists for the answers.

In addition to economic instability, political instability must also be present for totalitarian leaders to take over. A weak economy is an important, but a strong government can see through even some of the worst economic storms. Political instability causes people to lose faith and trust in their current government, and to look elsewhere for satisfaction. Major political disappointments can also cause dissatisfaction and political instability. In Italy, citizens were enraged when they fought, died, and lost territory and yet gained nothing out of their involvement in World War I. They became dissatisfied in their losses, and began to question the integrity of their democracy. The desire for a new, strong leader became wide-spread, and so Benito Mussolini stepped up to the plate, offering to rescue Italy through his leadership and creating a new sense of nationalism. Eventually, Mussolini had consolidated a considerable amount of power. Similarly, Hitler used the people’s dissatisfaction in their current government’s inability to handle the economic crises to gain the support of the people. Hitler and Mussolini are great examples of how leaders can exploit and use political instability to gain support.