Ideal Citizen in a Totalitarian Government

Ideal Citizen in a Totalitarian Government

Totalitarianism is a system of government that asserts complete control over the activities and the lives of its subjects. This system of government is characterized by the existence of a central authority to whom everyone in the state answers, the prohibition of any form of opposition, absence of democracy, and complete control over every sphere of the state. (Na & Na, 1970) In this essay, I am going to use Nazi Germany as an example of a totalitarian state.

Between 1933 and 1945, Germany was run by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi political party. Under his rule, the country was run in a totalitarian fashion in which the government-controlled all aspects of the lives of its subjects. As soon as Hitler was appointed as the Chancellor of Germany by the state’s president, he gradually eliminated any opposing parties and rivals, thereby consolidating the power of the country. By the time the president of the republic was dead, he had established a firm foundation for his government. He took over the government and became the highest form of law in the country to whom everyone else was expected to answer.

In totalitarian regimes, the government works to ensure that citizens do not have any rights that could be used as a basis for revolution. As expected of a totalitarian regime, Hitler and his government exercised complete control over all aspects of life in the state, from the economy to individual actions and thoughts of the citizens. The government sought to control the ideas and ideologies of its subjects by taking control of the media. It interfered with media content so much to the extent that the press only conveyed the information that the government wanted. Forms of communication only carried heavily censored messages that cast the government in a favorable light.

Generally, all the forms of information that circulated within the state were controlled by the government, which was determined to use the media to brainwash its subjects into thinking the policies that it enacted were working for their benefit. In totalitarian states, the government uses powerful tools of mass influence, such as the media, to corrupt the citizens’ thinking and make them believe the government has their best interests at heart. By exercising control of the press, the government takes away the freedom of speech so that it can feed the minds of citizens with propaganda that is tailored to suit their interests.

Adolf Hitler also organized a secret police sect, which was charged with the responsibility of hunting down people who showed even remote signs of rebellion and sending them to concentration camps where they would be tortured and killed. Hitler’s government got rid of any potential enemy, whether imagined or real, without giving regard to their right to trial. Once the secret police heard even the vaguest of rumors about anyone who questioned the state, they would forcefully arrest them and take them to concentration camps. This is characteristic of totalitarian regimes. In these regimes, the right to trial is not of importance to the government; as soon as the state catches the slightest whiff of opposition, it gets rid of the parties suspected without subjecting them to trial.

In a totalitarian government, an ideal citizen is one that pledges full allegiance to the political authority and does not, at any instance, question it. It is from this ideology that the ideal citizen waives all their fundamental rights and freedoms to fully conform to the policies of the totalitarian government. Another characteristic of a perfect citizen in a tyrannical government is their willingness to readily give up their autonomy and let the government control every facet of their life.

Voter apathy refers to a situation in which people who are eligible to vote in an election are not willing to vote. (Maldonado)

In totalitarian governments, the sole objective of the sovereign is to ensure the longevity of the regime. (Na & Na, 1970)

When elections are carried out in such states, the ruling party usually intimidates voters into voting it back into the government. This, coupled with the fact that most voters often feel like their votes would not make any difference, causes a low voter turnout. When the voter turnout is low at an election, the elected persons do not represent the beliefs and opinions of the population as a whole. This is because the voter population is taken to be representative of the opinions and thoughts of the entire population of a country. This may lead to dissatisfaction among citizens in the future. Voting also allows citizens to account for their own political choices. When a person is declared eligible to vote, they are presented with an opportunity to make those changes they deem necessary in the government. Failure to turn out for voting makes it easy for those people who do not represent the ideals of the masses to get into the government, which could generate dire consequences for them in the future.

References

Totalitarianism and Civilization. (2017). Totalitarianism, Globalization, Colonialism, 1–30. doi: 10.4324/9781315135731-2

Maldonado, M. A. (n.d.). Voter Apathy. Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior. doi: 10.4135/9781412963886.n432

Na, & Na. (1970, January 1). Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions, and Issues 12th edition (9781305629905). Retrieved from https://www.textbooks.com/Understanding-Politics-Ideas-Institutions-and-Issues-12th-Edition/9781305629905/Thomas-M-Magstadt.php.