Totalitarianism in the Eyes of Hannah Arendt

Totalitarianism is a phenomenon that surely even the most ardent defenders of modernity cannot be proud of. Totalitarian regimes are responsible for the millions of victims and ruined lives trampled on by this monstrous and dehumanising mechanism in which human individuals are reduced to mere parts in a gear. It would be a great mistake, however, to believe that totalitarianism is a relic of the past, and as such, that dealing with it is merely a historical exercise. Sociology and political theory, which constitute my field of interest, are, in my view (grounded in the committed and critical tradition of the social sciences),sciences that not only shape knowledge of society, but also sciences that draw attention to social risks and contribute to the protection of human rights. Hannah Arendt, through whose approach I conceptualize totalitarianism, provides in her extensive essay a comprehensive multidisciplinary analysis of totalitarian regimes of the past – namely Nazism and Stalinism. What are the constitutive elements of totalitarian regimes?, what repressive propaganda and indoctrination methods did these regimes employ?, And what role did ideology play in their actions? I will offer at least partial answers to these and other questions in my paper.