Alternative (Non-American) Political Systems of the 20th Century

Alternative (Non-American) Political Systems of the 20th Century

totalitarianism: a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

  • political repression
  • lack of democracy
  • control of economy
  • widespread censorship + surveillance
  • limited freedom of travel

fascism: far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy

  • rose to power due to the exploitation of (real or fabricated) poor social/economic/political conditions

  • capitalize off of these, shift blame + use scapegoats

  • use of extreme nationalism, with ties to racial superiority

  • militarism; extreme use of military to rise to power and assert dominance over other entities

nazism: the political principles of the National Socialist German Workers' Party

  • totalitarianism
  • extreme nationalism
  • appealing to the masses by exploiting issues and using scapegoats (eg Jews)
  • dictatorships
  • atheoretical + anti-intellectual

communism: a political theory advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

  • state ownership
  • focus on the common good
  • austerity → power of the proletariat (working) class against the bourgeoisie (upper/exploitative) class
  • resulted in implementation of single-party political systems
  • implemented through repression + propaganda

\