Description
Discussion Questions:
1. In light of the evidence and interpretations presented about the nature of totalitarianism, how would you explain its appeal or relative success in the 20th century? In what ways would Italian Fascism, German Nazism, and Russian Communism be distinguished here?
2. Considering some of the theories and practices of totalitarianism governments during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, would you conclude that totalitarianism almost inevitably leads to violence and war, or rather that it happens to involve violence and war because of particular circumstances of the times? In this respect, should Fascism be distinguished from Communism? Why or why not?
3. In what ways do Italian Fascism and German Nazism differ in theory and practice from liberal democracy? In what ways does Russian Communism differ from both?