Read the book, page 73-82 more in detail

The Republic is probably the most common form of political regime in the world, although it takes many different forms. Republics are often denoted in the official name of the state, and often include a modifier to convey some sort of philosophical ideal the political regime holds. For example, Guyana is known as a Cooperative Republic, Vietnam is known as a Socialist Republic, Sri Lanka is known as a Democratic Socialist Republic, China is known as a People’s Republic, and North Korea is known as a Democratic People’s Republic. A number of Republics try to show the fact that they are actually made up of smaller, semi-autonomous parts. The United States of America, for example, says very clearly that its political regime is that of a group of united state entities. Both Nigeria and Germany also convey this idea, by calling themselves Federal Republics.

Some political regimes are leftovers from a bygone age. Luxembourg, for example, is officially known as a grand duchy, dating back to a time when it was a part of the Netherlands as a Dutch dominion.

A unique political regime was created as the British Empire began to let go of its holdings in the world, wherein newly formed democracies labeled themselves as Commonwealths. Although completely independent from the United Kingdom, these Commonwealths nonetheless retained the sovereign of England as an honorary head of state, and kept close contact with the United Kingdom.

There are a number of types of political regime that exist more in theory than anywhere in the world. The strict Meritocracy, for example, where leaders are chosen based on their ability to lead, not necessarily through election by a populace, but by some form of standardized testing. Or a Corporatocracy, a popular political regime in science fiction, in which corporations rule their own sovereign states.

Other types of political regime are rare in the modern world, but still exist in pockets. Theocracies, for example, such as the government of Tibet in exile, or of Vatican City, where a religious figure is also granted secular power of the government.

POLITICAL SYSTEMS (REGIMES)

Classifying the various forms of government has been one of the principal concerns of political analysis through ages. This process can be traced back to the 4’th century BCE, when Aristotle made the first recorded attempt to describe political regimes then in existence, using terms such as ‘democracy’, ‘oligarchy’ and ‘tyranny’.

From the 18’th century onwards, governments were increasingly described as monarchies or republics, or autocratic or constitutional regimes.

POLITICAL SYSTEMS (RIGIMES): democratic, authoritarian, totalitarian.

Политический режим

В науке конституционного права- система приемов, методов, форм, способов осуществления политической (включая государственную) власти в обществе. П.р. является функциональной характеристикой власти. Единой типологии П.р. не существует. Чаще всего используются понятия демократического, авторитарного и тоталитарного П.р. Характер П.р. никогда прямо не указывается в конституциях государств (не считая весьма распространенных указаний на демократический характер государства), однако почти всегда самым непосредственным образом отражается на их содержании. (см. Государственный режим).

Totalitarian regimes – share the absence of pluralism but follow an explicit ideology and seek total control to implement their vision of transformed society

As we may see totalitarian regimes share the non-democratic character of authoritarianism, but have additional different features. Totalitarian regimes (or governments) were mobilizing and revolutionary in character, committed to a total transformation of society. Where authoritarian rulers often wish to limit mass popular participation, totalitarian regimes sought to involve the masses in a reconstruction of society and even personality. Whereas authoritarian rule is as old as history itself, totalitarianism was a philosophy of the 20’th century.

2 contrasting forms of totalitarian rule are fascism and communism.

тоталитаризм (политический режим, для которого характерны диктатура, жестко централизованная власть и всеобщий контроль над всеми сторонами общественной и частной жизни членов общества; ассоциируется прежде всего с фашистскими и коммунистическими режимами)

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Totalitarianism is a modern form of authoritarianism. It could not exist without modern systems of mass information, communication and control. The term originated with Mussolini and refers to the totality of state control. A totalitarian regime encompasses all human activity. Hence for the individual a completely private social and cultural life is impossible. Civil society does not exist. The main features of totalitarianism are

1. a regime with clearly defined ambitious goals such as conquering the world and/or revolutionising society;

2. a mobilised society supervised, energised, exhorted and instructed by a single party and its activists;

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Examples from today’s Totalitarianism:

Totalitarianism was perhaps the main political innovation and leitmotif of the twentieth century. At one time there were about twenty such regimes in the world. Today there are only three China, Cuba and North Korea though others may be qualifying because the mobilising single party is a useful instrument for elitist rulers modernising their developing countries. To date, however, two main types of totalitarian regime have existed. Their goals and doctrines differed though they both ruled through the single party, an idea Mussolini borrowed from Lenin, and Hitler, who admired Mussolini, followed suit. But the goals and doctrines of the regimes are so different that Communist and Fascist parties can hardly behave in the same way. The primary party unit or cell of the Communist parties was intended to spread its message amongst the workers in agriculture and industry as part of the objective of establishing socialism. The units of the Fascist party were essentially platoons of a private army intended to secure compliance by discipline. Hence Fascist regimes are programmed to go into battle.

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Communism

“From each, according to his ability, to each according to his need.” This is one of the phrases that crystallize the meaning of communism. It isn’t easy to get an unbiased definition of communism, but one of the better ones describes it as socialism that abolishes private ownership and seeks to create a classless society.

Communism sounds like a good idea. In the purest form of communism, all people hold all land, factories and so on in trust, as it were. In this way, all goods are shared equally by the people. There is no poverty — nor is there an upper class.

Unfortunately, communism in practice tends to be somewhat different, as those who have lived in the 20th century know. Communism as practiced by Lenin, Stalin and Chairman Mao is an entirely different proposition. This kind of communism sets up an authoritarian government, with the best goods and services going to those in government.

It was not uncommon in Soviet Russia for people to vie for government jobs — not because they were such fans of communism, but because they got a larger apartment. Capitalists gripe about corruption, but communist governments are just as rife with it as capitalist systems. Government members tend to rationalize that they deserve the best of everything because they are governing for the people.

Another problem with political communism is that governments tend to focus on “production” as the ultimate goal. Production is usually defined as that which comes from factories and farms. As a result, the arts may suffer under a communist regime. This was certainly true for years in China, when Chairman Mao instituted the “cultural revolution.” Since these governments tend to become insular and paranoid, they also usually form a secret police force to quash any hint of revolution by the people.

Communism would probably function well if humans didn’t have the unfortunate tendency toward greed. Some argue that if everyone had the same, no one would want more. This, of course, has been proven to be a fallacy over and over again. If there are no goals to achieve, and nothing to work toward except a production quota, where is the incentive to excel? Capitalism is not a perfect system either. It just functions better in the face of human greed than other systems do, as it offers the carrot of financial gain for hard work.

NO religion – “religion is opium” – that is the biggest mistake in the communism

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A totalitarian regime is a government which controls every aspect of the life of the people. People living under a totalitarian regime generally also support it, sometimes almost cultishly, thanks to extensive propaganda missions which are designed to promote a positive view of the government. Citizens are also usually afraid to criticize the government, so they may be outspoken supporters to avoid closer scrutiny.

The concept of the totalitarian regime in political theory arose in the 20th century, and although there are a few examples of such governments which predate the 20th century, some of the most distinctive examples, such as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, date to the 1900s. Communist governments such as those of China and North Korea are also sometimes accused of being totalitarian.

Many people note that there are some distinct similarities between totalitarian governments and authoritarian governments. The main feature which separates these two types of governments is that a totalitarian regime encompasses the whole of society, while an authoritarian government is focused solely on governance. While there may be some overlap, in order to be considered totalitarian, government and society must be closely intertwined, as for instance in countries where there is only one political party, and everyone belongs to it.

Several characteristics can be seen in all totalitarian regimes. The first is strict government control of the media, with the media typically being used as a propaganda organ. Cultural, political, and artistic expression among the populace is also usually severely curtailed, as is access to outside news sources. People who criticize the government tend to disappear in a totalitarian regime, and their family members may fall under close scrutiny.

These governments also cultivate a sense of deep devotion to the State, with citizens being encouraged to regard the State as being almost like a parent. People must file applications before changing residences, taking new jobs, or getting married. They may also be expected to serve the state in some capacity, ranging from the military to a labor camp, and the government has control over access to education, reproductive freedoms, health care, and a number of other aspects of life which many people consider personal.

Read Roskin, pages 82-86 more in detail about Totalitarianism:

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