totalitarianism
UK: ˌtəʊtælɪˈteəriənɪzəm | US: ˌtoʊtælɪˈteriənɪzəm
n. a political system where the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life.
The word "totalitarianism" combines "total" (from Latin totalis, meaning "whole" or "complete") with the suffix "-itarian" (denoting advocacy, as in "authoritarian") and "-ism" (a suffix forming nouns indicating a system or ideology). The term emerged in the early 20th century to describe regimes like fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, emphasizing absolute state control. The morphemes reflect the ideology's core logic: total dominance (total) enforced through a rigid system (-itarian) as a governing principle (-ism).
Totalitarianism suppresses individual freedoms in favor of state control.
The novel depicts a dystopian society ruled by totalitarianism.
Historians debate whether certain regimes qualify as totalitarianism.
Propaganda is a key tool of totalitarianism.
Resistance movements often arise under totalitarianism.