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The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in the 1930s as Totalitarian States

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The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in the 1930s as Totalitarian States

A totalitarian state usually refers to a country in which the central government has total control over almost all aspects of people's life. Main features include an infallible leader, one-party rule, elitism, strict party discipline, purges against enemies and political dissidents, planned economy, strong armaments, indoctrination, encouragement of nationalism, an official doctrine that everybody has to believe, and absolute obedience of individuals to the State, etc. In the 1930s, to a large extent, the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin and Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler could be deemed totalitarian states.

The rise of …show more content…

However, Hitler came to power constitutionally; his Nazis Party had got almost 50% of the Reichstag seats, and he was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg. Unlike Hitler, Stalin did not create his own regime. He became Lenin's successor in 1927 after the three-year power struggle with Trotsky.

Both Hitler and Stalin were dictators and infallible leaders of their countries. As for Hitler, absolute power was achieved by merging Presidency and Chancellorship and inheriting the position of Commander-in-Chief after Hindenburg's death in 1934. Hitler became the Führer and Reichskazler. The abolition of all other parties, the Reichstag and state parliaments, and finally the suspension of the Weimar Constitution helped vest all power in Hitler. Totalitarianism contains purges and reign of terror. On June 30, 1934, he launched the "Night of the Long Knives" to eliminate the populist wing of the SA whom the German army disgusted. At least 100 SA men like Rohm and leading Catholics were slaughtered. He then promised conscription and full-scale rearmament. The Reichswehr vowed him absolute obedience. Like Hitler, the first threat to Stalin came from within the party itself. Stalin consolidated his own dictatorial power by removing old Bolsheviks. About 8 million people were arrested, tried and sentenced to concentration camps or

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