ABSTRACT
Unlike revolutionary terrors, which are extemporised regimes arising out of post-revolutionary chaos, totalitarian regimes have the out-ward appearance of being established and legitimate. The reality is concealed by secrecy. The unearthing of the true nature of the Nazi regime after the end of the Second World War, the spread of communism in Eastern Europe and growing understanding of the nature of the Soviet Union under Stalin led to theorising about totalitarianism as a new type of government. This form was not simply new but intrinsically modern, a purely twentieth century phenomenon, and common to both right wing and left wing extremes.
