Alternative (Non-American) Political Systems of the 20th Century

totalitarianism: a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

• political repression

• lack of democracy

• control of economy

• widespread censorship + surveillance

• limited freedom of travel

fascism: far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy

• rose to power due to the exploitation of (real or fabricated) poor social/economic/political conditions

• capitalize off of these, shift blame + use scapegoats

• use of extreme nationalism, with ties to racial superiority

• militarism; extreme use of military to rise to power and assert dominance over other entities

nazism: the political principles of the National Socialist German Workers' Party

• totalitarianism

• extreme nationalism

• appealing to the masses by exploiting issues and using scapegoats (eg Jews)

• dictatorships

• atheoretical + anti-intellectual

communism: a political theory advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

• state ownership

• focus on the common good

• austerity → power of the proletariat (working) class against the bourgeoisie (upper/exploitative) class

• resulted in implementation of single-party political systems

• implemented through repression + propaganda