totalitarianism









totalitarianism


noun

  1. the practices and principles of a totalitarian regime.
  2. absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution.
  3. the character or quality of an autocratic or authoritarian individual, group, or government: the totalitarianism of the father.
n.

1926, first recorded in reference to Italian fascism, from totalitarian + -ism.

Domination by a government of all political, social, and economic activities in a nation. Totalitarianism is a phenomenon of the twentieth century: earlier forms of despotism and autocracy lacked the technical capacity to control every aspect of life. The term is applied both to fascist governments (see fascism) and to many forms of communism.

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