Factors That Led to the Emergence of Totalitarian Regime - Essay Example

DICTATORSHIP AND DEMOCRACY Name: Course: Instructor’s name: Institution: City: Date: Introduction In regard to dictatorship and democracy, these two terms are differently used to describe the form of government. In a dictatorship, the form of government applied has the political authority controlled by an individual and also the rulers in most occasions obtain power by force (Tonge, 2014, p.45). In a dictatorship, the power is usually concentrated by the dictator, and they have the supreme authority to control everything by their will without the people's voice. Democracy form of government, on the other hand, can be described by having the rulers in power through an election which is fairly done (Tonge, 2014, p.45). In a democratic state, the power belongs to the people and elected leaders where equality and freedom are exercised not as in the dictatorship. A totalitarian regime is a form of dictatorship where one party rules people. The ruling party has the power to prevent any other party from developing any opposition. On this ruling, the people's freedom is controlled and therefore their opinions are highly dispersed. Concerning totalitarian regime, its emergence in many countries and particular Nazi Germany or the Stalinist Soviet Union was due to many factors including social, economic and political. The ruling party gains the power through a strategy of convincing the population about how ineffective the current government was. After obtaining power by the new ruling party, a totalitarian regime is developed so as no other union or political parties will question or oppose the type of ruling. In the totalitarian regime, featuring Nazi Germany, it's illegal to oppose the ruling party, freedom of speech is regulated, and the authoritative government controls both private and public life by using propagandas (Pauley, 2015, p.64-67). The emergence of the totalitarian regime, therefore, had some factors behind in support for the party to rule. In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler who is featured as the dictator and a ruler who used dictatorship to effectively protect his power and position had to introduce the totalitarian regime. On the other hand, in the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin had to effectively use the totalitarian regime to keep off his rival from interruption of his ruling from 1927-1953 (Pauley, 2015, p.64-67). Factors that led to emergence of totalitarian regime Regarding the two states which are Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, the emergence of the totalitarian regime was facilitated by the various factors comprising of political as the primary factor, social and economic factors (Pauley, 2015, p.112-167). Social factors that affect the individual's lifestyle can contribute to support for a particular ruling. The social factors include religion, family wealth, education and common status, and education. On the economic factors, we have things that lead change of living standards which include costs and prices of goods, wage rate and exchange rates. Political factors being the key element contributing to totalitarian regime involves the background propagandas that convince the population of the good outcomes about the leader (Grieder, 2007). Political factors are concerned with creating the strongest ideas to the entire community about how effective the leadership will help them. Political factors According to political perspectives and theories, political factors contribute the highest support for a totalitarian regime (Pauley, 2015, p.112-167). In the totalitarian regime, the ruling party has all its concentration towards maintaining the security of the party and its style of ruling from the enemies. Regarding the political theories, political differences exist even in the simplest and minor issues among the political leaders. Featuring Nazi Germany and its political parties there before the emergence of the totalitarian regime, the state had some unions and parties that clicked in the case of any political differences. The existence of these parties was due to the democratic type of government. During the ruling of Weimar Republic, there existed multiparty and unions that had freedom of speech and the power to oppose any difference with the ruling party. After the rise of Hitler in 1929, the following political changes occurred that led to the establishment of the totalitarian regime. One of the political changes was the elimination of coalition government (O'kane, 2004, p.130-148) .According to the political strategies, a coalition government has powers distributed among the members of the coalition. In so doing the leader has no authority to concentrate all the powers for their benefit. Dispersion of other political parties was the very significant step in enabling the emergence of a totalitarian regime (O'KANE, 2004, p.130-148). In Nazi Germany, after the collapses of the Weimar Republic, all multiparty were abolished and the only party left legal was the national socialist of Germany Workers Party (NSGWP). On the other hand, the Soviet Union also banned all political parties, and independent trade unions declared illegal (DULLIN, & VEASEY, 2008, p.132). By so doing, Joseph Stalin established the most central form of ruling that had no threats from the opposition. Still featuring Nazi Germany, another political factor that led to the emergence of the totalitarian regime was the control of the army. In Nazi, Hitler formed a secret police to overlook the incoming differences among the enemies (O'kane, 2004, p.130-148). The army is part of the state's population that supports the ruling government. According to political theories, the army is the government arm most important in controlling the present type of ruling. In the Nazi Germany ruling, when Hitler became the head of states, he controlled the army in favour of his ruling. This was a political strategy to have a centralized government in the state. Another political aspect that contributed to the emergence of the totalitarian regime in Germany was the type of ruling which involved assassination of enemies. The assassination was experienced in Nazi where the SA leaders were shot dead. From a political perspective, there are no leaders from any opposition side can attempt to face the ruling party if assassination will directly face them. According to political theories, dictatorship is the key factor to control the people's ideas in best favour of the ruling party. Concerning political factors, dictatorship contributed to the emergence of the totalitarian regime in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Refiguring both states the type of leadership was dictatorial where centralized authority made it easier for the development of totalitarian regime. Economic factors The economic factors that faced the population in Nazi and the Soviet Union were costs and prices of goods fluctuation, wages rates, and interest rates (Goodwin, 1982, p.152-156). Featuring Nazi Germany, the economic status of the country was very poor with a very big burden of unemployment. The highly populated state of Germany faced a high state of unemployment which paved a way for the emergence of the totalitarian regime through the establishment of plans to reduce unemployment. Another aspect of economic factors was the price fixing and labour control of the employers in the state. According to political perspective and theories, the difference in living standards among people has the greatest effect on the political stability of a state. Refiguring Nazi Germany, the rate of unemployment when solved with the creation of employment, the people have nothing more to oppose the ruling party. Meeting the needs of people is the only political strategy that is needed to capture the ideas from the enemies (Dullin, & Veasey, 2008, p.134). Also, the state's population suffering under poverty was easily converted to stick to the rules and policies of the government. On the other hand, the Soviet Union, the economic aspects feature in the ruling era of Joseph Stalin was increasing in the production of goods, increased wages and giving of incentives to the producers to create motivation in the industries and agriculture. From the political ideas used by Stalin, some the state's population had something to benefit from the new plans. All in all the emergence of the totalitarian regime is a revolution that has the background strength and support from the majority population. In the Soviet Union the political strategy to half the wages of the highly paid personnel and developing production of goods fished the majority of the state's population to support the ruling party. The economic factors, therefore, contributed to the emergence of the totalitarian regime through practical solutions of the economic aspects (Goodwin, 1982, p.152-156). The economic status of various states significantly affects the support of a ruling party from the population. Featuring Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin succeeded in establishing the totalitarian regime through solutions of economic crisis. Concerning the economic crisis in Soviet Union, wages and goods production was an issue to address by the ruling party (Goodwin, 1982, p.152-156). Stalin's political strategy of solving the economic crisis gave him the strength substantially to hold the heart of his followers and the establishment of a totalitarian regime. From the theory of socialism, many minor issues pull down the solidly founded ideas concerning political strategies. It is from the above step of solving the economic crisis by Stalin that contributed to a successful emergence of a totalitarian regime. Economic factors, therefore, go hand in hand with the political strategies and therefore their implementation is a way of developing the strong background of a central ruling. It is also difficult for one to control a state's population facing the economic crisis despite the use of dictatorship. Social factors The emergence of the totalitarian regime in Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union was greatly affected by social factors faced by the communities in the two states. Unity is the most important social aspect that is facilitated by people's lifestyle. One of the most featured social factors towards contributing to the emergence of the totalitarian regime is economic status (Goodwin, 1982, p.152-156). Refiguring Nazi Germany, the economic status was very poor with the high percentage of the population unemployed. The state of unemployment faced across the state, therefore, provided the social connections among the affected individuals. Solutions of unemployment in the Nazi state created a positive social relationship thus giving the ruling leader support and in this case Hitler. Also, the economic status of a particular state defines the kind of unity among the people. People with low economic status belong to one basket and those with high economic status in the other. Economic status, therefore, can divide people and thus collapsing the unity of a country (GOODWIN, 1982, p.152-156). The break of community differences through the creation of jobs by industrialization strongly created the liberal doctrine of the individuals who could have joined the opposition. The family and wealth are the aspects of social factors that affect the liberal doctrine of particular groups of people. Especially the richest class of people will not impact the ruling party through developing of ideas to be implemented by the ruling party. According to the ruling party in Nazi Germany, the strategy of solving the unemployment crisis paved a way for the development of totalitarian regime because employment created the unpoliticized mass of people. Also in the Soviet Union, the establishment of industries and the new economic policies created the unpoliticized mass. According to political theories, politicized masses are highly featured when it comes to issues calling for attention from the regime (Gill, 1995, p.211-321). Once a regime encounters these masses, the leaders are a risk of losing their positions. In both states, the unpoliticized masses created through the solution to economic crisis contributed to the emergence of the totalitarian regime. Ethnicity is another social factor that contributed to the totalitarian regime in Nazi Germany (O'kane, 2004, p.130-148). In Nazi, there existed two ethnic groups which were Jews and Aryans. The Aryans were the native communities in Nazi Germany. From the ruling party, there were declarations made to prevent intermarriages between the two communities. Hitler as the head of states wanted to eliminate the Jews so as to create a unified community for easier control. For the Aryans, the Jews were denied jobs and relocations from their residence. All these actions that favoured the Aryans made it possible for the emergence of the totalitarian regime since another unpoliticized group was created which cut across almost the whole population (O'kane, 2004, p.130-148). he ruling party, therefore, unified the Aryans and blinded them of any upcoming issues concerning the type of leadership. Politicized masses that are created through social groups are the obstacles to most of the political parties. Elimination of these groups through the social factors, therefore, contributed to a totalitarian regime. Conclusion The totalitarian regime, in the two featured states which are Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union happened through the contribution from the political, social and economic factors. Concerning both countries, the existed standard practice in the political arena where the anti-government are being killed mercilessly (O'kane, 2004, p.130-148). This dictatorship forms the rulers was the political factor that pushed the leaders to establish the totalitarian regime strongly. The arrest of antagonists and killing was the only political strategy that contributed to the emergence of a totalitarian regime. On the economic factors, we see both states having industrialization and labour force that is established to have a huge production of resources. The captives were enrolled to the industries, to serve as the workers and improve the economic status of the country. Again the high output production from industrialization served as the source of food to support the army in both states. Labour camps for the antagonist were another social factor that created fear about questioning the government. Even after the Second World War the decline in production due to destruction was mass arrest did not weaken the emergence of the totalitarian regime (Sebag Montefiore, 2004, p.233).. The decline of resources was observed, but the small economic state did not affect the army since they were prioritized. The social factors that contributed to the emergence of the totalitarian regime were the dispersion of unions and movements where people were limited to make comments and raise any alarm concerning the ruling party. The social limitation paved the most significant path for the establishment of the totalitarian regime. References Dullin, S., & Veasey, R., 2008, Men of Influence Stalin's Diplomats in Europe, 1930-1939. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. Gill, A., 1995, An honourable defeat: the fight against national socialism in Germany, 1933-45. London, Mandarin. Goodwin, B., 1982, Using political ideas. Chichester [Sussex], Wiley Grieder, P., 2007, In Defence of Totalitarianism Theory as a Tool of Historical Scholarship. Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions. 8, 563-589. O'kane, R. H. T., 2004, Paths to democracy: revolution and totalitarianism. London, Routledge. Pauley, B. F., 2015, Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini: totalitarianism in the twentieth century. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10891181. Sebag Montefiore, S., 2004, Stalin: the court of the red tsar. New York, Knopf Tonge, S., 2014, Case studies: dictatorship and democracy, 1920-1945. Read More