Compared to Stalinist Russia, to what extent is the U.S Totalitarian?
To be totalitarian means to have a dictatorial and centralized government that requires complete subservience to the state. This was the case in Russia under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. Stalin was a dictator that took power a while after Lenin died. Stalin came to a communist Russia and completely changed Russia to his image. Joseph Stalin launched Russia into a complete, full speed ahead revolution, making Russia completely totalitarian; Stalin had started mass production of food, but at what cost? He leads people to starvation and unnecessary executions to show strength and no weakness. He also had complete control of censorship and propaganda, religion/ethnicity, police force, and education/indoctrination; he decided everything. And in a way, the United States also does this, maybe not intentionally, but it's happening.
Under Stalin's rule, there was complete indoctrination. Indoctrination is the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. The government-controlled education from as early as nursery schools to universities. Under Stalin, young children learned of the greatness of the communist party. If anyone, such as professors or students, questioned the Communist Party's interpretations of history and/or science risked losing their jobs or facing imprisonment. Leaders in the Party from the Soviet Union lectured peasants and workers about the greatness and importance of sacrifice and hard work for the state's well-being. In a way, not very big though, the United States does this, in education there are set standards for students to be able to do, and have set subjects and lessons for teachers to teach students, and if a student cannot do so, will be punished with the off chance of being held back a grade level or graduation. Totalitarianism states rely on indoctrination-instruction in the government's beliefs-to mold people's minds. The quote connects to how children are being taught under what prejudice, therefore controlling education.
The police state is a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities. In Russia, Stalin built and forged a police state to help maintain his power. Stalin implemented tactics such as secret police. This police force was supplied with tanks and armored cars to stop riots. They monitored phone calls, planted informers everywhere, and even read mail. One of Stalin's acts was so horrible and cruel that it even got a name. In 1934, Joseph Stalin turned against the Communist Party. In 1937, Stalin commenced the Great Purge. The Great Purge was a campaign of terror directed to target and eliminate anyone who threatened Stalin's power. Thousands of Bolsheviks that aided in the staging of the revolution stood trial. These people were either executed or sent to labor camps for crimes against the Soviet State. By the time the Great Pu...
