totalitarianism
Other forms: totalitarianisms
If the government has complete and absolute power over the people, that's totalitarianism. This is a repressive, unfree type of society.
A democracy is a society in which people have a say in their government and elect their leaders. The opposite is totalitarianism: a totalitarian society is usually ruled by a dictator, and there is very little or no freedom. In totalitarianism, the government controls almost every aspect of life. There is no free speech or freedom of the press: certain religions and ideas may be banned. George Orwell's novel 1984 was a brilliant look at a world of totalitarianism.
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a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)synonyms: Caesarism, Stalinism, absolutism, authoritarianism, despotism, dictatorship, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, tyrannytypes:police statea country that maintains repressive control over the people by means of police (especially secret police)
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the principle of complete and unrestricted power in governmentsynonyms: absolutism, totalismtype of:ideology, political orientation, political theoryan orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation
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Vocabulary lists containing totalitarianism
Learn this list of political and philosophical terms that end in the suffix -ism.
You'll be a vocabulary tsar once you review these words related to Russia. In addition to learning about the climate, biomes, and natural resources of Russia, you'll explore Russian history from the Russian Empire to communism and the Cold War.