Totalitaarsetes

Totalitaarsetes refers to the concept of totalitarianism in Lithuanian. Totalitarianism is a form of government and political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life. It is regarded as an extreme form of authoritarianism. In a totalitarian state, the government seeks to control almost every aspect of public and private life. This includes the economy, education, art, science, personal relationships, and the moral development of its citizens.

The term "totalitarian" was first used in the 1920s by Italian fascists, notably Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile, to describe their ideology. However, it gained wider currency and application in the context of analyzing regimes like Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Key characteristics of totalitarian regimes often include a pervasive ideology that explains everything, a single mass party usually led by a dictator, a system of terroristic police control, a monopoly on mass communications, a system of armed combat, and a centrally controlled economy.

Unlike authoritarian regimes, which may allow some degree of private life or economic freedom as long as political power is not challenged, totalitarian systems aim to fundamentally transform society and human nature itself according to their ideological blueprint. The concept of totalitarianism has been subject to debate among scholars, with some arguing that it is a useful analytical tool for understanding certain historical regimes, while others criticize its limitations or potential for oversimplification. Nevertheless, it remains an important concept in political science and history for describing states that exert absolute control over their populations.