ESSAY

« Essay: " What have Fascism, Nazism and Stalinism in common?" The experience we carry into this promising new century is an experience of the rise and fall of totalitarianism of the 20th century.

It was actually a century when ideologies of nationalism or communism, ideologies of hatred, conjoined with the technology of mass killing, brought about genocides which resulted in unimaginable human suffering.

Three political regimes, which we have to know the dangers, distinguish from the others by a praxis of totalitarianism.

These three are Nazism, Stalinism and Fascism which the respective leaders were Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.

I just would like to emphasize that there's important common elements in these ones.

On the one hand, these are totalitarian States.

The power is passed under control of only one party : the Communist Party in USSR, the National Fascist Party created in 1922 in Italy, the NSDAP created on 30 January 1933 .

The totalitarian States are centralized and unitary.

Indeed, in USSR, behind the fascism and autonomy of façade republic, centralization benefited only the Russian State.

Similarly, the provinces of Italy or Germany don't have any ability to decide or to vote laws.

Moreover, every totalitarian regime was based on a cult of personality.

For example, Stalin was nicknamed the "Little father of the peoples", Hitler "der Führer" and Mussolini the "Duce". On the other hand, the society and the folk were indoctrinated.

Actually, the parties took over worker's leisure : cultural events, sport associations.

And, the supervision of the young people was a priority for totalitarian regime.

Therefore, the authoritarian regimes were characterized by their willingness to "brainwash" any individual. Moreover, the society was subject to the propaganda.

Medias were used to convey misinformation.

Some startling catchphrases were rehearsed tirelessly and glorified the chief.

Meanwhile, army was terrorizing the population.

To frighten enemies and potential revolutionaries, the party carried on a reign of terror.

Thus , the main common points between those three dictatorships are the one-party government with a charismatic chief, the propaganda and the repression.

Those elements are major for the following century and have to be kept in mind by young people because we are not in shelter from another tyrant. Audrey LETHEUX, 1ère S2. »