ABSTRACT
Ideology and movement/party are central parts of totalitarianism. But when most people think about totalitarianism, the first things that come to their minds are totalitarian governments, be they historical regimes or fictional representations of totalitarianism as dystopian futures. In such novels, however, the authors see totalitarian government in its solid, well-established form. The trade unionist in Russia might think the Bolsheviks are a bit “out there,” but generally on the “Right Side of History;” the German nationalist might find Nazi racialism rather odd, but that it “more or less” leans in the correct direction. These people – as well as many observers in other countries – tend to believe that the responsibilities of governance will “calm down” the totalitarian leaders and make them more “reasonable.” As a regime, totalitarianism attempts to control, or at least influence, every element of human interaction.
