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Totalitarian

Relating to a political system in which the state holds absolute power and seeks to regulate nearly every aspect of public and private life, often with no meaningful opposition or personal freedoms.

adjective

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Imagine This

Visualize a nation with a single party, where every newspaper, school lesson, and private conversation is monitored, and a central leader dictates all aspects of life—education, art, religion, and personal choices.

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Sounds Like

toh-TAL-uh-TAIR-ee-ən

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Looks Like

Looks like a combination of 'total' and the suffix '-arian', suggesting total control

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Remember This

Totalitarian regimes aim to control both public and private life and typically deploy propaganda, secret police, and censorship. They are more extreme than authoritarian systems, where power is concentrated but not always total over every life domain. Notable historical examples include Nazi Germany and the Stalinist USSR.

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Other Forms

totalitarianismnoun

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Connect With

authoritarianism, dictatorship, autocracy, despotism, tyranny

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Note

Do not confuse with 'authoritarian.' Totalitarianism implies near-total domination of society, including beliefs and private life, whereas authoritarianism may permit some social or economic freedoms but concentrates power in a leader or ruling party. The common noun form is 'totalitarianism'; the adjective is 'totalitarian'.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The totalitarian regime banned independent media and required citizens to praise the leader.
Under a totalitarian system, elections may exist in name only, with all power concentrated in the ruling party.

Synonyms

authoritarianismdictatorshipautocracydespotismtyranny

Antonyms

democracylibertypluralism

Etymology

From French totalitaire, from Medieval Latin totalis ‘whole, entire’ + the suffix -arius; the noun 'totalitarianism' was formed in the early 20th century to describe regimes claiming total control over all aspects of life.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic: Totalitarian = TOTAL + ARIAN. Imagine a ruler named Ari who wants TOTAL control of EVERY AREA. Visualize Ari ruling every area of life to remember the sense of total control.