Ideal Citizen in a Totalitarian Government

Aristotle defined tyranny as an illegitimate form of government by one individual that tightly controlled every part of life and government. Adolf Hitler is the most notorious tyrant. Using a totalitarian society from the past or present, discuss how the state and its leader attempt to impede citizens from exercising their rights. In your discussion, explain some components of an “ideal citizen,” consequences of voter apathy, and ways the state controls the citizen.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 

I find that the assignments for this week are, for different reasons, a little problematic. I have devised the following “work arounds” for you.

II. The essay. The essay focuses on the question “totalitarianism,” and asks you to write about a “totalitarian” regime. The problem with that is that Totalitarianism Theory, which appeared just after World War II and was very popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, has been SEVERELY criticized since the late ’60s and has been rejected by the majority of political scientists and historians today. Totalitarianism Theory did enjoy a minor comeback in the early 2000s; but most political scientists and historians see it as a discredited and/or severely weak theory. There are many reasons why Totalitarianism Theory is held in low esteem today, and I will go into it in the next Web-Ex and post links about it here; but, one the big criticisms of Totalitarism Theory is that it doesn’t satisfactorily explain just what “totalitarism” is and what governments embody it. With a couple of noteworthy exceptions, there is very little agreement as who is and isn’t “totalitarian.” And for every one author saying that this or that regime is “totalitarian,” you find another saying that it isn’t. Here, too, I have a work around for you: Focus on Fascism/Nazism, and on Mussolini/Hitler. There’s no doubt in anyone’s minds that those were brutal, dictatorial regimes. Moreover, I will post “mini-lectures” on Fascism and Nazism on the discussion board. READ THEM FIRST. Feel free to use them and cite them. I will also post resources about Fascism/Nazism as well. USE THEM. They will make your work and research so much easier, and we avoid the problem of arguing back and forth who is or isn’t “totalitarian;” or even the value or lack thereof of Totalitarism Theory itself. 

If you have any questions about any of this, please contact me.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 1.5-2 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)
Grading

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