The Rise of Totalitarianism in the Early 20th Century

Understanding Totalitarian Characteristics: What are the defining characteristics of totalitarianism?
Psychology of Power: What makes individuals give themselves over to a leader possessed of absolute power?
Persistence of Regimes: Why do totalitarian governments continue to persist in the modern world?
Interwar Context: Examining totalitarianism within the framework of the interwar period (the time between World War I and World War II) and the rise of Joseph Stalin.

Definition of Totalitarianism: A system where the state (government) exerts complete and absolute control over all aspects of public and private life.
Pillars of Control: Totalitarian regimes seek to dominate five primary sectors:
- Religion: Controlling or suppressing religious beliefs and institutions to ensure loyalty to the state alone.
- Economy: Directing all economic activity, production, and resources.
- Education: Indoctrinating the youth through state-mandated curricula and patriotic instruction.
- Family: Interfering in domestic life to ensure the state's interests supersede family bonds.
- Media: Comprehensive censorship and the use of state-controlled propaganda to manage information.

Biographical Context: Examination of Stalin's rise to power, often referred to as studying "Beyond the Mustache."
Stalinism as a Specific Type: Stalinism is recognized as a particular variant of totalitarianism characterized by specific methods of control.
Propaganda and the Stalin Constitution:
- Utilization of pervasive imagery and slogans to glorify the leader.
- A humorous yet dark anecdote regarding the scarcity of goods: When asked, "Where did all the butter go?", the answer given was, "It must have melted in the bright rays of the Stalin Constitution."
- Mention of Semyon Vilensky in relation to the archives and history of this period.
The Great Purges:
- A period of intense political repression and internal terror (discussed in minutes 0-12:55 of the referenced material).
- Conducted to eliminate "enemies of the people" and consolidate Stalin’s absolute authority.
The Secret Police (NKVD):
- Properly known as the АВД/NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs).
- Served as the primary instrument of state terror, enforcement, and surveillance.

Japanese Statism: A specific type of totalitarianism unique to Japan during the interwar period.
Imperial Growth and Annexation:
- Korea: Japan annexed Korea into the Japanese empire starting around 1910, following its status as a protectorate in 1905.
- Manchuria: Japan invaded and annexed this portion of China in 1931.
- WWI Displacement: Japan felt "snubbed" by the Western powers following World War I, despite being an industrial and imperial power.
Expansion Timeline:
- 1905: Occupation of Southern Sakhalin.
- 1932: Established control over Manchuria.
- 1933: Expansion into Jehol and the establishment of the Tangku Truce.
- 1937: Occupation of Peking and the Shantung Peninsula; invasion of Canton.
- 1938-1939: Additional occupations including Hainan.
- 1941: Thailand becomes a Japanese ally.
- 1942: Occupation of Burma, the Philippines (including Manila), and parts of the Dutch East Indies.
Korean Resistance: The Korean response to annexation included a formal Declaration of Independence, marking a significant act of defiance against Japanese rule.

Metaphor of the Melon: Referencing the "carving up" of China by foreign powers, a process that had been occurring since the Opium Wars in the 1840s.
The Versailles Treaty Snub: China was the only country present at the Paris Peace Conference to refuse to sign the Treaty of Versailles. This was due to the treaty awarding Shandong (previously held by Germany) to Japan rather than returning it to China.
Effects of Imperialism: The combination of long-term imperialism and the aftermath of WWI led to deep national anger and systemic instability in China.

The Young Turks: A political reform movement that took control after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, attempting to transform Turkey into a totalitarian state.
Decline and Consequences: The loss in WWI accelerated the decline of the Ottoman Empire, leading to:
- The Armenian Genocide: Occurring in regions that are now modern-day Turkey and Syria.
- The Mandate System: Britain and France exerted significant control over the region’s future.
Establishment of Mandates: The British Mandate of Palestine was established, which eventually split into modern-day Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank.

Categorization of Mandates: Territories were divided into classes based on their perceived readiness for independence:
- Class A Mandates: Greater Lebanon (France), Iraq (Great Britain), Palestine (Great Britain), Syria (France), Transjordan (Great Britain).
- Class B Mandates: British Cameroons (GB), British Togoland (GB), French Cameroon (France), French Togoland (France), Ruanda-Urundi (Belgium), Tanganyka (GB).
- Class C Mandates: Nauru (GB), New Guinea (Australia), Samoa (New Zealand), South Seas (Japan), Southwest Africa (South Africa).
Geopolitical Implications: Critics of the League of Nations referred to these territories as the "Seeds of Future Wars," questioning how mandatory powers could promote world peace while engaging in imperial reallocation.

Warm-up Topic 1: Why did Japan feel “snubbed” after WWI?
Warm-up Topic 2: How did Koreans respond to Japan annexing (incorporating) their country into the Japanese empire?
Warm-up Topic 3: What’s one thing you noticed about Korea’s declaration of independence?
Stalinist Analysis: How did Stalin control each of the five aspects of totalitarianism (Religion, Economy, Education, Family, Media)? Did he emphasize some more than others?
Comparative Study: How was Japanese statism in Korea similar to or different from Stalin’s regime?
Turkish Statism Review: How did the Young Turks attempt to control the people following the 1922 collapse? What were the human and political costs of their transformation efforts?