The Signs of Totalitarianism

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In her book The Origins of Totalitarianism, German-American political theorist Hannah Arendt documented the rise of the Nazis within Germany and the Stalinists within the Soviet Union. Her analysis included identifying the preconditions that make the rise of totalitarianism possible. It is as helpful today as when she wrote it. 

For example, the breakdown of traditional social institutions, such as family, community, and churches, precedes totalitarian control. The void left when people are rootless and disconnected from one another is often filled by bad ideas and authoritarian leaders that promise to fix everything.  

Today, radical individualism is confused as the “American way of life” and is accelerated both by the collapse of these essential institutions and the siloing effect of digital technology. So, the idealized rugged, American individualism has devolved into what is more accurately called Expressive Individualism, in which our identity is determined in active rejection of outside influences.  

In this view, autonomy is confused with dignity, in a rejection of the inherent relational realities of God’s design. Smartphones and social media provide the daily liturgies by which to define ourselves but cannot fill the void of connection that so many have. As a result, we have become a nation of activists, in which people attach to an online cause or social contagion. Such conformity is what is required for totalitarianism.    

A second prerequisite of totalitarianism is the spread of ideology, often through propaganda. To be clear, an ideology that offers an all-encompassing vision of the world, demands absolute loyalty, and is presented by fearful propaganda rather than reasoned argument and evidence. This is a way to both raise alarm and provide a sense of security. It is even more effective when a particular individual or movement can be portrayed as the only true defender of an ideology. Of course, economic crises such as hyper-inflation and unemployment, and social crises, manufactured or real, fuel distrust in government and create a climate that makes these ideologies plausible.  

That same kind of destabilizing propaganda comes in many forms today. Though some of the claims have merit, and many of our political institutions are significantly weakened, totalitarianism threatens to fill the void left by public distrust. 

Another characteristic of pre-totalitarian states is the steady erosion of personal freedoms, often in the name of public safety. Ideas that do not conform are censored. Mass surveillance is sold as a necessary evil but is then used to identify and punish dissent. Emergency powers are invoked as temporary but rarely are. 

These characteristics are far more evident in Britain and the European Union than here, but we have certainly seen government entities working with tech companies to police thought and increase surveillance. Incidentally, fascism is, by definition, an alliance between government and industry with the government holding the upper hand. 

Another characteristic of pre-totalitarian societies is scapegoating, whether of the Jews in Nazi Germany or the Kulaks in the Soviet Union. Scapegoating channels social and economic frustration toward a common enemy, props up an ideology by identifying villains, and, when the totalitarian government comes to power, provides a ready excuse for its failures. The most obvious examples today are the villainization of white Christian males, the hatred of all in an opposing political party, and the resurgence of anti-Semitism on both the Right and the Left.  

This does not necessarily mean that American totalitarianism is inevitable. However, we ought not think we are somehow immune, either. Even the freest and most successful civilizations in history are vulnerable to decline and revolution. The path to renewal is to resist the allure of ideology, propaganda, and scapegoating, and to instead recommit to truth. That will require courage to say what is true and to live what is true, despite the social cost.  

This is what the new film Truth Rising is all about. In it, Os Guinness identifies the ideas that built the West, the great risk we face by abandoning these ideas, and the call to counter false ideology with truth. Watch the film at TruthRising.com.

Image credit: ©GettyImages/Sviatlana Lazarenka

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.