Ethno-Totalitarianism | 8values ​​Interpretation of ideological ideology in political tests

Deeply interpret the complex and dangerous political ideology of "national totalitarianism", understand its combination with extreme nationalism and totalitarian rule, explore its core characteristics, historical manifestations, violations of human rights and the differences from related concepts, and help you fully understand this political phenomenon that poses a severe challenge to human civilization.

8values ​​political test-Political tendency test-Political position test-Ideological test results: What is national totalitarianism (Ethno-Totalitarianism)?

In the 8 values ​​of political stance tendency ideological test , "Ethno-Totalitarianism" is a political ideology and dominance model that combines the core characteristics of extreme nationalism and totalitarianism . It is not an independent ideological classification, but a combination of two dangerous political logics. Its essence is to strengthen the exclusiveness of national identity, build a comprehensive control over society, economy, culture and even personal life, and ultimately achieve a monopoly of specific ethnic groups over state power and suppress all heterogeneous forces. This concept caused catastrophic consequences in the history of the 20th century and is still one of the important causes of global national conflicts and human rights crises.

The core composition of national totalitarianism: the combination of extreme nationalism and totalitarian rule

The essence of national totalitarianism lies in taking "national" as the basis for legitimacy of totalitarian rule, and at the same time, using totalitarian means to promote extreme national goals, the two support each other and are inseparable.

Extreme nationalism: The foundation of ideology

Extreme nationalism is the ideological foundation of national totalitarianism. It is different from normal nationalism that "maintains national culture and strives for national equality" and has strong exclusivity, superiority and expansion .

  • National superiority theory : claims that a specific ethnic group (usually the ethnic group to which the ruling group belongs) has "natural superiority" in culture, blood, history, or "civilization level" and is "the core/single master of the country", while other ethnic groups (whether ethnic minorities, immigrants or "heterogeneous cultural groups") are defined as "outsiders", "lower groups" or even "threats". This idea regards ethnic minorities as a "social gap", and their long history, cultural contributions and unique existence can be completely ignored and denied.
  • Ethnic exclusiveness : regard "national purity" as the key to the existence of the country, exclude all "non-national" culture, language, religion or identity identity, and even restrict the education, employment, and residence rights of different ethnic groups through laws and policies. In extreme cases, it will trigger mass persecutions such as “ethnic cleansing.”
  • Absolute national goals : put "national interests" (such as territorial expansion, national "unification", and elimination of "national traitors") above everything else, including human rights, the rule of law, international rules, and even achieve goals through war and violence.
  • Revengeism and victimization narrative : It often preaches that the nation has suffered injustice and humiliation in history and needs to "revenge" or "revival" through a powerful regime.
  • Fictional external threats and internal enemies : By creating a "sense of national crisis", blame the internal problems of the nation on external or "internal enemies" (such as ethnic minorities, left-wing people, etc.) to gather people's support for the regime, while finding excuses for suppressing dissent.

Related Readings: Definition and Types of Nationalism

Totalitarian rule: a means of total control

Totalitarianism is the way of national totalitarianism to achieve rule. It is different from "authoritarianism" that only controls political power and reserves a certain space for social life, and pursues absolute domination of all areas of society .

  • Power monopoly and individual/group dictatorship : State power is highly concentrated in a single leader, political party or national elite group, and there is no real opposition party, independent judicial or decentralized checks and balances. The ruling group regards itself as the "national spokesperson" and equates its own will with the "national will".
  • Ideological indoctrination and ideological control : By monopolizing media, education, and cultural institutions, we will forcibly implement core ideas such as "national superiority theory" and "national crisis theory" to suppress any doubts or dissent. For example, historical research of non-nationals is prohibited, channels for dissemination of different voices are blocked, and even binding the people into a community of "national-government" through "brainwashing propaganda".
  • Social infiltration and surveillance : Establish a strict surveillance system (such as secret police and neighborhood whistleblower system) to penetrate into private fields such as family, work, and social networking. Individuals are required to be absolutely loyal to the "national regime". Any "disloyal" behavior (such as the use of different ethnic languages ​​and the preservation of different cultural customs) may be regarded as "betrayal of the nation" and punished.
  • Comprehensive control of economy and resources : the state (or ruling group) directly controls core economic resources (land, industry, energy), and allocates resources according to "national identity" - the ethnic group enjoys priority employment and welfare preference, while the heterogeneous groups are excluded from the resource allocation system, forming an "ethnic stratification" economic structure.
  • Violence and Reign of Terror : Suppress dissent through violent machines such as secret police and labor camps. Hannah Arendt pointed out that the totalitarian reign of terror is not only a means to suppress the opposition, but also the essence of its rule, aiming to control and intimidate human beings from within, and even completely destroy human nature. This "total terror" accelerates the course of historical or natural movement by eliminating human individual consciousness and spontaneity.
  • Monopoly Media and Propaganda : Control public opinion and shape citizens’ beliefs through extensive publicity and strict censorship.
  • Leader worship : Usually, it creates the image of a "strongman" leader, regards it as a symbol and savior of the nation or country, and requires absolute loyalty and obedience to the people.

Related Readings: Detailed Characteristics and Evolution of Totalitarianism

Identify the key characteristics of national totalitarianism

The dominant model of national totalitarianism usually has the following identifiable characteristics, which reinforce each other to form a closed-loop control system.

  1. "Ethnic identity" becomes the only legal tag : national laws or policies regard "ethnic ownership" as the core standard for dividing civil rights. For example, only members of the nation can hold public office, join the army, and participate in political decision-making; members of the nation cannot obtain complete citizenship even if they are born in their own country.
  2. The dual narrative of "external threat" and "internal enemy" : the regime has long exaggerated that "the nation faces external siege" (such as "suppressing the development of its own nation") and "there are traitors within" (such as those of the nation who support national equality and groups who cooperate with foreign ethnic groups), gather people's support for the regime by creating a "sense of crisis", and at the same time finds excuses for suppressing dissent.
  3. "Monopoly reconstruction" of culture and history : forcibly modify historical narratives, shape the nation as "the only creator of history", and downplay or discredit the historical contributions of foreign nations. At the same time, we must promote the language, religion and customs of our nation and ban the cultural expression of foreign nations.
  4. The "nationalization" of the violent machine : The core positions of the military, police and judicial system are monopolized by members of the nation. The primary task of the violent machine is to "maintain the stability of the national regime" rather than protecting the rights of all citizens. Protests or resistance against aliens are often brutal suppression and are not subject to law.
  5. Closedness and external isolation : The regime tends to close national borders and restrict foreign exchanges. On the one hand, it prevents the infiltration of "heterogeneous ideas" from outside, and on the other hand, it avoids the international community paying attention to the national oppression within it, and maintains the closedness of the "national community".

Historical cases and modern manifestations of national totalitarianism

National totalitarianism was the most extreme in the 20th century, causing great disasters to the world.

Typical case analysis in history

  • Nazi Germany (1933-1945) : With the "Aryan National Superiority Theory" as the core, Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, etc. were defined as "inferior nations", and apartheid and forced sterilization were promoted through the totalitarian system, which eventually led to the "Holocaust". The Nazi Party led by Hitler regarded the Germanic nation as a "premium nation", invaded Eastern Europe in the name of "survival space" theory, achieved the so-called "national rejuvenation" through totalitarian rule, ethnic cleansing and external expansion, and established a typical national totalitarian regime.
  • Japanese Militarism (1930-1945) : With the slogans of "Yamato National Superiority Theory" and "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity", external expansion is defined as "national mission", and through the totalitarian system, it controls public opinion and enlists, promotes "daily chemical education" in the occupied areas, suppresses local ethnic culture, and commits a large number of war crimes.
  • Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) : In the name of "purifying the Khmer nation", it forced the urban population and eliminated intellectuals, resulting in about 2 million deaths.
  • The Myanmar Military Government (1962-2011) : Based on military and Buddhist nationalism, it suppresses ethnic minorities through violent suppression, such as the systematic persecution of minorities such as the Rohingya, and suppresses their social reproductive capabilities to consolidate the power to dominate the nation.
  • Serbian radical nationalist regime in the 1990s : During the disintegration of Yugoslavia, in the name of "maintaining Serbian national unity", the Bosnian Muslims and Croats were promoted, and national hatred was incited through media propaganda, while suppressing domestic opposition voices.
  • Taliban (Afghanistan) : Adopt Sunni Islamic extremism and Pashtunvali culture, impose it on society as religious laws, exclude ethnic minorities and non-Taliban members from the government, and widely violate women's rights.

Related Readings: Fascism and Militarism

Potential manifestations and risk warnings in modern society

With the changes in globalization and ethnic conflicts, the manifestations of modern national totalitarianism have become more concealed, usually appearing under the names of "protecting national interests", "opposing foreign immigration", and "maintaining cultural traditions".

  • Some European far-right parties : advocate "xenophobic immigration" and "restore national purity", trying to restrict the citizenship of immigrants through legislation, while attacking media and intellectuals who support multiculturalism.
  • Rulers of some multi-ethnic countries : strengthen the power of the subject nations by amending the constitution, suppress the demands of ethnic minorities' autonomy, and even use state machines to monitor the cultural activities of ethnic minorities.
  • Populism and anti-globalization wave : using populism, xenophobia and anti-globalization sentiment to incite nationalism and thus promote centralized rule.
  • Challenges in the development of the Internet and technology : There is an irreconcilable conflict between the closed nature of national totalitarianism and the free flow of information required for technological innovation. In the open Internet and technology field, national totalitarian attempts are doomed to fail.

The harm of national totalitarianism: a far-reaching impact on the country and human civilization

The harm of national totalitarianism is multi-level and devastating. It not only destroys the social structure of a specific country, but also threatens regional stability and common values ​​of mankind.

  • Human rights disaster : discrimination, persecution and even massacre of foreign nations directly tramples on the basic human rights of "created equality" and causes large-scale humanitarian crises (such as refugee waves and genocide). It deprives the targeted group of basic human rights, including the right to life, freedom from persecution, and the right to live in their ancestral homeland.
  • Social division : By strengthening ethnic confrontation, breaking society into a confrontation between "their own nation" and "different nations", destroying the trust foundation of multi-ethnic society. Even if the regime changes, national hatred may continue for a long time.
  • Civilization regression : the suppression of cultural diversity (destroying foreign cultures and prohibiting freedom of thought) leads to the singularization and rigidity of civilization, which violates the development logic of "diversity and symbiosis" of human civilization.
  • Regional and global turmoil : Expansion or confrontation in order to achieve "national goals" is likely to trigger border conflicts, regional wars, and even spread the crisis to the world like World War II, destroying the international order.
  • Economic deformity and talent loss : resources are concentrated in military or ethnic "purification" projects, leading to decline in people's livelihood and economic overdrawal; persecuting minorities or dissidents destroys social vitality and hinders technological progress for a long time.
  • International isolation : xenophobic policies trigger sanctions, leaving the country in an internationally isolated position.
  • Irregular conflict : There is an irreconcilable conflict between the needs of ethnic minorities and the demands of national totalitarians.

Analysis of national totalitarianism and related concepts

In order to understand its essence more accurately, it is necessary to distinguish between "national totalitarianism" and confusing concepts.

  • Differences from extreme nationalism :
    • National totalitarianism : Combining extreme nationalism and totalitarianism, pursuing "national exclusivity + comprehensive control", has the dual extremes of exclusivity and control.
    • Extreme nationalism : Only emphasizing national superiority and exclusivity may not necessarily have totalitarian means of control. Some far-right parties may only stay at the ideological level and do not hold state power.
  • Differences from totalitarianism (general concept) :
    • National totalitarianism : On the basis of totalitarianism, elements of national or racial exclusivity are added, and the identity of a specific ethnic group is advocated as the core of political legitimacy. It regards the state as a "tool of the nation."
    • Totalitarianism : It is a form of government that emphasizes the state's overall control over all areas of society, and its ideology may not necessarily be centered on the nation. Hannah Arendt believes that totalitarianism is a completely new form of government that not only seeks political power, but also tries to control and intimidate human beings from within, completely abolish freedom, and even eliminate general human nature, which is essentially different from traditional tyranny, autocracy and dictatorship.
  • Differences from authoritarianism :
    • National totalitarianism : absolute domination of all areas of society (political, economic, cultural, ideological, private life).
    • Authoritarianism : mainly focuses on the monopoly of political power , but retains a certain space for social life (such as cultural, economic, and private life), and does not necessarily emphasize national exclusivity. Totalitarianism is the extreme form of authoritarianism.
  • Differences from fascism :
    • National totalitarianism : It focuses more on the political monopoly of national identity, and may not rely on external aggression (such as the Myanmar military government), and its core ideology is extreme nationalism.
    • Fascism : Traditional fascism is centered on "state/party" (such as Italian fascism emphasizes "state supremacy"), and emphasizes militarism, racism and external expansion. Fascism usually transfers internal contradictions through war.

China's position on national totalitarianism

China clearly opposes all forms of national oppression and extreme nationalism. The Chinese Constitution clearly stipulates that "all ethnic groups are equal", prohibits ethnic discrimination and oppression, and protects the language, religion and cultural rights of ethnic minorities. At the same time, China is committed to building a community of the Chinese nation, by promoting the integration and symbiosis of all ethnic groups, as well as vigilance and crackdown on acts that politicize national issues and incite national hatred, terrorism and separatism.

Conclusion: Beware of the revival of national totalitarianism

National totalitarianism takes advantage of human deep demand for group belonging and honor, distorts it into an exclusive, hatred ideology, and uses all the power of a modern state to force this ideology, which eventually leads to domestic oppression and wars of foreign aggression. Hannah Arendt stressed that the destruction of totalitarianism is a turning point in the current world, and it provides us with a new opportunity to realize a common world, a "human creation" suitable for all mankind to live in. Therefore, identifying its characteristics and being alert to its rise is an important prerequisite for maintaining the stability of modern society and the common values ​​of mankind.

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