Totalitarian democracy

Administratively managed democracy
Social control systems

Nature

Totalitarian democracy claims to reduce social and economic inequalities but requires the exerting of extensive control over these areas in order to achieve its aims. The administrative state typically inserts stricter and stricter rules and regulations to control the populace, not at the behest of the government, but rather by and for the interests of the administrative state itself. Political democracy, in the sense of apparent popular participation in decision-making on societal issues, may be arranged by manipulation of voting and election systems.

Background

The concept of totalitarian democracy emerged in the mid-20th century, notably articulated by political theorist Jacob Talmon, as observers recognized regimes that maintained democratic forms while exercising pervasive state control. Its global relevance grew with the rise of states that, despite holding elections and claiming popular sovereignty, systematically suppressed dissent and pluralism. Subsequent scholarship and international monitoring have highlighted its persistence and adaptation, particularly in post-colonial and post-Soviet contexts, prompting ongoing debate about democratic legitimacy.

Incidence

In Turkey in 1983, the military junta manipulated elections and defended its concept of a guided democracy, although it had already behind it several years of rule with mass arrests, detentions and executions of political enemies of the state, and other acts of totalitarian repression.

Claim

American society is being transformed at such a rapid pace, during an unending “state of emergency,” that many Americans are finding it difficult to evaluate the changes and decide which are helpful and which are destructive. To assist in the process, I suggest asking one question: Will this change lead to greater dependence or greater independence? If the former, the change is certainly made in the service of a shift toward totalitarianism. Totalitarianism abhors freedom, lusts for absolute control, and demands compliance. If we fail to identify it and push back against it, we will move from an authoritarian to a totalitarian government, and America as we have always known it will be over, perhaps forever.

By means of ever more effective methods of mind manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms - elections, parliaments, supreme courts, and all the rest - will remain. The underlying substance will be a new kind of totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old days. Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial. Meanwhile the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the shows as they see fit. (Aldous Huxley, Brave New World - Revisited, 1958).

Counter-claim

Totalitarian democracy is not an important problem at all. The concept is largely theoretical and rarely manifests in real-world governance. Modern democracies have robust checks and balances that prevent the rise of totalitarian tendencies. Focusing on this issue distracts from more pressing concerns like economic inequality, climate change, and global health. Worrying about totalitarian democracy is an unnecessary alarmism that diverts attention from genuine, tangible threats to our societies.