NON-DEMOCRATIC

Authoritarian Totalitarian

Leaders chosen byan elite whose political authorityrests on the use orthreat of force

Decision making iscarried out by a smallgroup who may notexercise power in the interest of the majority

Use of FIPSDecisive leader-ship, political stability, social order, rapid mobil-ization of resources

Gov’t Groups ProcessGoals

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Machiavelli Machiavelli

““The Lion & the Fox”The Lion & the Fox”

Thomas CarlyleThomas Carlyle

““Great Man” TheoryGreat Man” Theory

NietzscheNietzsche““Superman”Superman”

DICTATORSHIPS APPEAL TO CERTAIN KINDS OF PEOPLE IN CERTAIN KINDS OF SITUATIONS

Adorno: parent-child relationship/ dependent on othersfor strength/ see the world as black and white.Fromm:alienation of the individual in the post-industrial society

Lipsett:Class base: Communism - lower classes Fascism - upper classes

Definitions:DICTATORSHIP: absolute rule by one

person or by a small elite (authoritarian government).

TYPES: Aristocracy: Ruled by a privileged class. Plutocracy: Ruled by rich. Autocracy: Ruled by ONE person, a monarch

without restrictions Oligarchy: Ruled by A FEW PEOPLE, a clan or

clique (Junta, if ruled by military). plutocracy Theocracy: Ruled by people who claim a

divine right to rule.

Examples of each ( 20th cent): Aristocracy (minority tyranny)

South Africa (under apartheid) Autocracy (absolute monarchy)

Brunei, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Suharto (Indon.) Oligarchy

Nicaragua (Samoza), Haiti (Duvalier) Junta (military dictatorship)

Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Chile (Pinochet) Theocracy

Iran (Ayatollah Khomeini) Taliban (Afghanistan)

TOTALITARIANISM: a dictatorship that controls ALL aspects of a society. A product of the 20th century. Accomplished by mass media. Government control via F.I.P.S. Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union,

Mao’s China, Castro’s Cuba

Features:

FFORCE/USE OF TERROR

IINDOCTRINATION/PARTICIPATION

PPROPAGANDA

SSCAPISMAlso:

centralization of power subservience of judiciary to executive

EL

J

CANADA

EL

JU.S.A.

E LJ

DICTATORSHIP

Force & Terror

Most expedient way to control a population and maintain power.

Zero toleration of dissent.Nazi’s SA storm troopers, SS, Gestapo.Italy’s Black Shirts (squadristi).Stalin’s secret police (NKVD), Cheka,

Gulag, KGB (1954)All used agents and informants informally.

Indoctrination & Forced Participation

An education system to teach the values of the party.

Target on youth: Hitler’s Germany:

Jungvolk (10-14)Hitler Youth (boys) League of German Girls

Soviet Union:Little Octobrists (7-10)Young Pioneers (10-14)Komsomol (15-28)

Forced participation:

Gives semblance of participation in, and approval of the political process. Parades and celebrations. Elections:

Party chooses all the candidates;No real choices on ballots; orNo secret ballot.

Shows world that leader has widespread support.

Propaganda

Language is the vehicle of thought.Enhance image of leadership, and

party.Show greatness of state and people.Examples:

Nazi Germany:Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Public

Enlightenment)People’s Observer (Nazi Party paper)

Soviet Union:Pravda (“Truth”) paper of Communist Party

Scapism (Directing popular discontent)

Alleviates responsibility of party/gov’t for any problems.

Assists in limiting accountability.Possible enemies:

Nazi Germany:Jews; Socialists (responsible for betraying

Germany at the end of WWI)Dissent from: Student groups (White Rose),

Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses

Soviet Union:Reactionary Elements (White Russians);

capitalists; The West.Dissent from:

• Intellectuals: – Aleksandr Solzenitsyn, One Day in the Life of

Ivan Denisovich;– Andrei Sakharov, inventor of the soviet H-

bomb.• Samizdat publication of dissident views.

Critique of Non-democratic Governments

Lack of legitimacyInefficient and bureaucratic

Patronage; Unchecked corruption

Littledictators

Widespread apathy and cynicismPower struggles over succession

Leads to violent changes in government changes

Elitism Favoritism of certain groups in society;

leads to revolts.

COMMUNISM (Marxism/Leninism):

a.k.a.“Revolutionary Socialism”Has it ever been achieved?Ideal of Society:

Based on human capacity for interdependence, solidarity, and cooperativeness.

Abolishment of injustice Achievement of equality for all.

Affirmations: Humanism, rationality, and progress Dignity of work Internationalism and pacifism

Rejections: Violations of human rights:despotism,

militarism, imperialism, fascism, racism, torture.

Custom based societies Capitalism, liberal individualism, inequality.

Revolutionary organizations and tactics: Political activity in the workplace; trade

unions, strikes. Military or economic challenge to authority.

State structures and official policies: Identification of state with interest of working

classes through medium of political party. Removal of old institutions and laws redolent

of privilege. State direction of economy in the interest of

equal distribution of wealth and opportunity.

Historical Blind Spots of COMMUNISM

International movement or National movement.

Not always applicable to non-European and pre-modern societies.

Highly militaristic.Bureaucratic.Totalitarian: elite run state.

Communism In Russia

The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)

Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)

Communist Manifesto Das Kapital Marx’s sidekick: Friedrich Engels

(1820 - 1895)Objective: an economic/political

system that would meet ppl. basic needs…guaranteed.

Lenin (1874-1924)

Altered Marxism:Could skip certain stages, i.e. capitalism (in

Russia’s case)Vanguard needed to protect revolution, i.e.

an elite, rather than proletariat.

USSR’s political system

General Secretary of Communist Party #1.

Government is dominated by communist party (CPSU); therefore…

Soviet Leaders

Lenin 1917-24

Joseph Stalin 1922-53

Nikita Khrushchev 1953-64

Leonid Brezhnev 1964-82

Yuri Andropov 1982-84

Konstantin Chernenko 1984-85

Mikhail Gorbachev 1985-1991

Glasnost (openness) Political focus

Perestroika (restructuring) Economic focus

FASCISM

Ideal of society: All people can

experience life heroically as part of a strong dynamic community.

Affirmations: Possibility of a new order. Power invested in a natural elite with a

born leader.Rejections:

Decadent forces: liberalism - it saps a nation of its energy.

Egoistic individualism.

Cosmopolitanism, cultural and racial mixing. Humanitarian concerns with equality and

harmony. Democracy.

Revolutionary organizations and tactics: Paramilitary and youth organizations. Assertion of a strong leader. Overt violence against perceived opponents and

enemies.

Esthetic of power symbolizing regeneration.

Arno BreckerNazi sculptor1942

Roland HugonPropaganda posterVichy France, 1942

Joop! Giorgio Armani magazine ads

Franco, Spanish Dictator, circa 1935

State structures and official policies: Identification of party with state. Aggressive militarism. Abolition of class conflict by assertion of unity

of interest in the glorification of the state.Historical Blind Spots of FASCISM:

Impossibility of integrating all aspects of society into fascist vision.

Maintenance of momentum once all enemies have been defeated.

Replacement of charismatic leader.

Why German Democracy Failed (The Weimar Gov’t)Proportional representation

0.5% gets a seat;therefore 2.6% in 1928 gave legitimacy to Nazis

Weak governments 20 coalition gov’ts from 1919-33; avg. 8

months; made of 3 or 4 partiesPolitical polarization

due to failure of mainstream parties 1932 Nazi (R) Communists (L) win

majority of seats

Disunity of the left Communists refused to form a coalition

against Nazis w/ Social Democrat Communists were anti-German

democraticHostility to parliamentary democracy

seen by some Germans as a foreign political system imposed on them by victorious Allies (Treaty of Versailles)

Great Depression six million out of work in Jan., 1932

Liberal Demo. Vs. Com. & Fasc.

Representative assembly and responsible executive.

Two or more party system Free elections at regular

intervals Independent judiciary Freedom of opinion and

speech Freedom of association

One party Totalitarian state.

Rule by elite party or dictatorship.

No elections, if so no choice

Judicial decisions conform to party ideology.

Censorship and limited freedom of opinion and speech.

Limited freedom of association; surveillance by secret police.

Communism Vs. Fascism

Rule by proletariat Represent interest of

working class Aims at:

Intensifying class structure

Working class revolution

Classless society International movement Concerned with

betterment of individual

Rule in interest of the STATE

Represents interest of middle class and economic elite.

Aims at: Eliminating class

conflict, BUT maintaining class structure

National movement. The interest of the state

comes before those of the individual.

Nationalization of economy

Public ownership of the means of production

State planning Can have a cult leader.

Private ownership of the means of production

State control of workers and economy.

Cult of leader, Fuhrer and Il Duce.