Totalitarian politics have been a topic of public discussion and debate in America in the past. In the 1930s and 1940s, news papers and prominent officials and popular media all thought about the possibility of totalitarian politics in America. Elements of totalitarian politics were creeping into the everyday life of Americans -- and those politics were supported by certain elements of the population. I used to assign It Can't Happen Here, which was originally published in 1935. It represents the fears of totalitarian politics that some people had. Famously, one character in the book says something like: "When fascism comes to America, it will be holding a cross and wrapped in the flag." That same book was re-released in 2005 and, similar to the late 1930s, people have once again started to discuss the possibility that American politics are becoming totalitarian [see this, this, this, this, this]. Some people are concerned that totalitarian politics unique to the American situation is creeping into everyday life.
Look over some of the weblinks above. Reflect a moment. Write a bit.
What do you think about this possibility? Is it possible that American politics are becoming totalitarian? If you think there is a possibility, what do you think totalitarian politics would look like? What are some examples you might look out for? Or, if you think that this is just crazy talk and that totalitarian politics are definitely not creeping into American politics, why not? What do you think prevents totalitarian politics from creeping in? Why do you think these other folks are miss-reading the situation in America right now?
I do think American politics are becoming totalitarian because our government is bent on war, secretly spying on its own citizens, and continuing to increase the power and wealth of those who already have it while bringing rest of American down. Totalitarian politics would look similar to the way it is now because so little of the population actually votes for representatives. Those who represent the people in the U.S. government are increasingly representing corporations, the ones that fund their campaigns, rather than the people who vote for them. This leads to the politicians simply passing legislation that benefits themselves and/or the organizations that pay them. Spying, holding captive, and killing Americans without due process would be an example of a totalitarian state because it is a method of controlling the lives of those who do not follow the wishes of the government.
ReplyDeleteTom Jones
PSCI 100.01
Damian Beane
ReplyDeletePSCI 100.01
I agree with Tom in the sense that I believe that our government is becoming totalitarian like. We are spying on our citizens and trying to control every aspect. Our elected officials are nothing more than puppets that are basically bought off by big business. We kill with impunity and no one says anything and if they do they are silenced.
I think that it is entirely possible that American politics are becoming more and more totalitarian. If people paid more attention to their government I think that there would be an unpleasant surprise for them...because I believe that America is well on the way to becoming closer to becoming totalitarian. The issue with Americans realizing their predicament is the fact that the American government is literally "creeping" aspects of totalitarianism into the way that they govern, regulate, and so on. Americans are highly controlled and often don't realize the sneaky ways in which they are being controlled and monitored for obedience. There is a type of conditioning going on within society that only makes the government more powerful and the people of the state more sheepish.
ReplyDeleteCoryn Barger 100:3
I completely agree that Americans do not realized how the government is becoming more and more controlling of their lives. I think it crosses peoples minds but do not care enough to do anything about it. or are to lazy to care because the government just decides everything for us and people are getting use to it.
DeleteRebecca Miller 100:3
Given the amount of power the national government has, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine a world where that power was used in a totalitarian manner. It might be a good idea to be slightly wary of how intrusive and violent the government is. When it comes to what to look for, however, things get tricky. Keeping in mind that “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross,” (Sinclair Lewis) do we start to question the biggest patriots? I think not. While I don’t think we are in immediate danger of a totalitarian take over, that’s exactly the kind of thing someone would say directly before a totalitarian take over, so we should probably keep on our toes.
ReplyDeleteLauren Duckworth
Poli Sci 100.01
We should question everything..especially anyone appearing to be the "perfect" American. Wrapped in a flag, carrying a Bible, wearing a suit and some nice cologne.
DeleteCoryn Barger 100:3
If totalitarian politics are creeping into the United States, its through ways the public would not easily detect it. The United States is a strong believer in nationalism therefor the government would incorporate totalitarian politics in a way that would seem like nationalism. I think ever since 9/11, the government has become more militarized and powerful. I believe they use the sense of nationalism to trick the public into justifying their military actions which have killed so many innocent people in senseless drone attacks. I think as a nation we need to step back from this ideology of "nationalism" and keep an eye on our government and their actions to come.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Madden
Political Sci. 100:03
I completely agree with you. I think that 9/11 served as an excuse for the government to control the lives of citizens even more without being questioned. Everyone was so raw and afraid after it happened that the strengthening of control and monitoring was just accepted...maybe even welcomed a little.
DeleteCoryn Barger 100:3
I think the question of whether or not the United States is becoming totalitarian is up in the air. Like Katherine stated above the government would put totalitarian politics in the government that would make the citizens see it as Nationalism. In the article "Inverted Totalitarian" they talk about how power of the state has changed since the war in Iraq started. Brain washing soldiers into killing innocent people to protect their country and to win the war. When in reality those innocent people aren't the ones they should be focusing on or killing. Also we are no longer a country that's' votes count in the presidential election. Like we talked about in class, the electoral college is the one putting in the votes for us and already know who the winner is going to be. The government doesnt really care what we have to say they are going to do what they want to do. So in my opinion we are becoming more totalitarian, but many Americans do not see that because they are so brain washed by the government and wrapped up into their own little worlds.
ReplyDeleteKim Nicholls PSCI 100:01
I believe America is headed toward a totalitarian government because of the way our current government spies on us and tries to control many aspects of our lives. I do not however believe that our government is enough like a totalitarian government that we would not notice a change if America had one.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Stotler psci 100.01
i agree that many people would not even notice if we had totalitarian government because of how strict society is becoming and how the government is getting involved with everything they are telling us that it is for our safety from terrorists and ourselves. They are making people rely on them more with each generation.
DeleteRebecca Miller PSCI 100:03
I think totalitarian politics are creeping into America. As evident by history, the Federal Government is becoming larger and more controlling over U.S. citizens. While I don’t think this is inherently a bad thing, it can cause problems. The biggest way in which America resembles a totalitarian state is through propaganda. Consolidated media corporations allow a few groups to dictate what views and sentiments Americans are exposed to. Censorship and other regulations on the media further filter its content. The result is the government exposing Americans what it wants them to hear, nationalistic messages and the need for a federal government. I think this is one of the reasons Americans are so proud of their nationality. They are led to believe that America is superior than other countries in terms of freedom, when in reality, there are many other countries that experience as much freedom as the U.S. Although I’m not convinced America will become a totalitarian state any time soon, I believe aspects of totalitarianism can be found in the current system.
ReplyDeleteElijah Spinney
PSCI 100:03
I think it is possible that America could slowly start to slide towards a totalitarian government, but it wont be something obvious, not right out of the gate anyways. It wont be something as obvious as changing the constitution to "the Constitution of the American Empire," like Wolin mentions, it could start in small gradual baby steps so that the American population isn't even conscious to the fact its happening. I think totalitarian politics in America would look much like many of the laws that we have today, but to the extreme. For example, instead of having one president for a maximum of two terms, we have one supreme "ruler." Another smaller scale example could be that there is a nation wide curfew of 9pm and those caught out of their home after the curfew could be subject to fines of jail time. I think our constitution and our system of checks and balances style government help to keep our government from becoming a totalitarian style government, but I do think that we have slowly started to creep in that direction. Looking at our governments control compared to 100 years ago, it could be two different governments.
ReplyDeleteNicole Custead psci 100-03
I agree with few other students who have already posted. I do think totalitarian politics are evident in America. The idea that we as a nation are a democracy is the farthest thing from true. We may be a free country, but we don't live in an actual democracy. Also, as stated multiple other times, a complete totalitarian government wouldn't appear overnight. The process would occur in a long list of steps, that may or may not have already started. Lastly, I think we are headed in that direction, because of the way the government treats "the people." They have secret operations that are classified, which is understandable, but what if it involves the investigation of yourself without your knowledge. The government returns the power and the wealth to the same people, families, communities. You can't make yourself powerful, it has to be given to you, at least in America.
ReplyDeleteStephen Ryan
PSCI 100:01
While many of these ideas sound similar to conspiracy theories, I think that it is entirely possible for the United States government to become totalitarian. The amount of privacy that our citizens willingly give up would make the transition from a “democracy” into a totalitarian regime pretty easy. For example, most people are aware that the government taps phone calls and can see everything that we do online, but no one is fighting super hard to put an end to it. Also, the general consensus is that most people don’t trust our government too much, but again, very few people fight it. It’s those types of passive behaviors that make a society easy to control. Because of that, I don’t think it’s outlandish to believe the government could turn into a totalitarian system.
ReplyDeleteLorna Morton
PSCI 100:03
I totally agree with you when you say that we are all too passive with everything thats already happened and thats gonna be the exact downfall to us. We are letting them control us to much already without saying a word or trying to find some justification behind it so it will be no problem at all for our government to become totalitarian. We are making it to easy for them just like you said
DeleteBrooke Sowers PSCI 100:03
I can see America heading in the direction of Totalitarianism. Current practices support such a claim. The use of drones to target and kill dangerous people, while is arguably doing the world a great justice, has the potential to get worse. Much more worrying is part big businesses and special interest groups play in electing officials. Campaigns are effectively funded only by major corporations which in turn causes candidates to represent these companies instead of the average man. The exclusion of 3rd party candidates from debates prevents other voices from being heard by the majority of the people. These trends point towards something similar to an oligarchy. Right now I do believe that the government doesn't mean as much harm, they genuinely believe in helping the people. The problem is their policies are setting things up in a way that someone who has goals that may not be so good could end up with a lot of power to do harm.
ReplyDeleteJaysen Bruno
PSCI 100:01
America is definitely headed towards totalitarianism. With each rule and restriction being put in place, the more the government has control over us as citizens. Spying on people is not what a free nation would do, whether a person seems like a threat or not. Each of or rights have been restricted in some way. Whether it be freedom of speech to freedom of the press. I honestly believe that the more control the government has, the faster our country will fall into totalitarianism. Many of the things the government is trying to push upon it's citizens are harmful to the economy and our well being. The government seems to have taken the "take care of it before it happens" motto but that isn't freedom. That is fear. Fear of what the masses are capable of.
ReplyDeleteThe government is definitely headed toward totalitarian politics. Like we don't even vote for our our own president, the government controls that too!! They spy on us and regulate practically everything through taxes. Getting through an airport is near impossible these day. The government is growing closer and closer to controlling every aspect of our lives
ReplyDeleteI think it is a definite possibility that America is headed in a totalitarian direction. I believe that our government has slowly started to make this more obvious in a few ways. Big corporations have been working with government agencies to monitor our phone calls and emails. By doing this, they indirectly take away or right to privacy. We have also been stripped of our right to vote essentially. The Electoral college has turned voting into nothing more than an opinion poll. Many people may want to turn their backs on these issues and pretend that they aren't happening or that the problems will magically go away, but the fact is if nothing is done now, it will be irreversible in the end.
ReplyDeleteJess Schoonover
PSCI 100.01
It is quite obvious that the United States has slowly but surely been turning into a totalitarian government, if it isn't already. When looking at the big picture, the US might be the most controlled country in the world. Most Americans today are scared shitless of doing anything around an officer or person on duty. We cant even play on our phones during an airplane ride. We as Americans have had to live in the Big Brother police state. There are many different signs that show how totalitarian America is becoming. A new bill being pushed by John McCain will allow the U.S. military to round up large numbers of Americans and detain them indefinitely without a trial if they pose a threat or if they have potential intelligence value or for any other reason the President of the US considers appropiate. We have become exactly what we hate most. Look at thisistheendoftheworldasweknowit.com/archives/20-signs-that-the-united-states-is-rapidly-becoming-a-totalitarian-big-brother-police-state
ReplyDeleteI think our government has definitely been leaning towards becoming totalitarian. It's scary to think about how many things the government could have control over that we still might be blind to. The government has access to us as citizens in more ways than they should already, and now that they've started the use of drones and such methods of surveillance, I don't see them releasing us from their grip any time in the near future, if at all. The government has to be careful of how they represent themselves to the people, out of fear of rebellion. Although this is 2015, it is not unheard of for people to try and protest against the government, locally and federally, and in some situations, people have gotten hurt or killed due to the severity of these protests. Although the government may want to become totalitarian, they have to be careful of the aftermath and the consequences this may bring about.
ReplyDeleteI believe the America is headed towards a totalitarian state of government. The people who want the world to be controlled this way are slowly creeping into the offices but just keeping their actual thoughts to them selves. If we ever become a totalitarian country there would be many riots and protests about the ideas and the country would go into a state of chaos.
ReplyDeleteMichael Solomonik PSI 101-01
I think that it is very likely that America could become totalitarian. As some others have said, I also think that totalitarianism would hit America in a more subtle way. An example of this would be the government rallying up support for things they want to accomplish by using bible quotes, waving the flag and shouting something like "We are one/America!" or using the military to show that America has strength to do things together. There are probably so many things that the government does behind the backs of citizens to slowly gain more power over the country, such as listening into phone calls, reading texts and emails and more. I wouldn't say that America is close to being a totalitarian country, but I'm sure it could easily become one.
ReplyDeleteSummer Varso PSCI 100:01
The way America currently spends money on their military and with the current level of control that the federal government has America could easily fall into a totalitarian society. For someone to step their way into the position would be difficult, though with America facing problems similar to those faced the in Depression era it could be possible. Assuming someone did pronounce themselves as the sole leader of America, they would be at quite an advantage. The power of the federal government prevents citizens from defending themselves against it for they possess the largest military in the world and have better surveillance of their own citizens than many other countries of the world. The level of control the set the government by has even now as a democracy is frightening, so while it may be hard to imagine America becoming a totalitarian state, the possibility is there.
ReplyDeleteKennedy Cook PSCI 100:03
I agree that America could become totalitarian because like someone else said above, if the government makes it seem like it is just the patriotic christian thing to do, Americans could end up following anything that the person in power may say or want to do. I believe that the government does many things behind citizen's backs because they are distracted by petty things going on in media. Media is very powerful also and could be used to push towards totalitarianism if wanted. People care so much about what is going on in the media and in celebrities's lives that they could become blind to what may really be being done and slip into totalitarianism easily.
ReplyDeleteChevelle Whichard 100:01
I think it's always a possibility anywhere for politics to become totalitarian. Just like we discussed in class, I think it will be very hard for us to identify a totalitarian government in America, because it will be trying its hardest to blend into our society- i.e. wearing the flag and bald eagle. I think the more lazy a society is, the easier it will be for a totalitarian government to creep in. We must question and research everything for ourselves. We can't just believe that these elected officials are doing everything WE need in OUR best interest and in no way are thinking only for THEMselves.
ReplyDeleteMitch Woolley PSCI 100.01
I don't think much is impossible in the world of politics. While America is currently a "democracy", we are still a very young country and looking at other countries in the world, most have gone through several often failed political systems. I think it would be difficult for America to become totalitarian, but not impossible.
ReplyDeleteSeveral people have brought up very good points about how America is inching towards totalitarianism - such as spying on everyone's calls, emails, texts, etc. Although surveilling isn't quite the same as refusing simple communication or blocking websites such as Facebook, which is what you see in present day China and North Korea, but I guess you could call it a stepping stone. But with the way military spending has been increasing, I could easily see America becoming a military state. We are more obsessed with keeping our guns over our free speech, after all.
Emily Brown PSCI 100:01
America is one of the most dominant countries in the world, everyone looks to us with fear… even the citizens. I think today America is definitely leaning leaning to a more totalitarian rule down the road. Even though the government would never come right out and say it because we have those “freedoms”. It would not shock me if america was under totalitarian rule in a century or two.
ReplyDeleteI agree with other students, I also think totalitarian politics are creeping into America. The government spies on the U.S. citizens without their knowledge and are monitoring their every move. They can tap into our communication devices, read our text messages and emails. Citizens don’t have the right to privacy anymore. Before you know it the government will control every aspect of our lives. The more control the government has over the citizens the more I think they lean towards Totalitarianism.
ReplyDeleteAustin Showe
PSCI 100:01
Yes it is slowly moving towards a totalitarian government. The country has been on a track to it since its creation but predominantly has moved closer in the 20th century. In a time when we were experiencing many wars things were being limited and rights have been taken away. The way it will completely take over is if we have a smooth talking leader who inspires and and causes great patriotism in every citizen. The more the government controls and limits rights the closer we will to be completely overwhelmed. The framers put in place many of the amendments of the Bill of rights to make sure that we had rights guarenteed. They believed if the people wanted to overthrow the government they shoud be allowed to take action, but in the 1940 the government implemented the Smith Act that said they couldnt overthrow the government. Its scary to think of the things that could happen in this nations future. - Kody Hinzman PSCI 101:01
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that the U.S. government is becoming more and more totalitarian and most of us aren't even realizing it or trying to stop it. Ever since 9/11 happened our "democratic" government has been inching its way toward becoming totalitarian and its making citizens see it as Nationalism so we don't think to much into it. The government doesnt care about us as individuals, they are going to do what they want and they all know we as citizens are too passive to do anything about it. I mean we all know that the government is listening in on our phone calls, reading our emails, and checking our internet activity and all of us are just allowing it to happen without fighting it at all. We also all know that our votes to picking who becomes president don't really count, the electoral college already knows who they will pick to win even though they claim our opinions "matter". They have also started using drones and other methods of surveillance to spy on us and its only going to continue to get worse. They already have their grip on us and we havent even budged and the grip is only going to get tighter. The government won't change dramatically fast though, they will slowly ease into it to try to get it past us. We as citizens are being way too passive and ignoring the problems so before we know it we all could be living under the control of a totalitarian government and by the time we realize how bad it is it will be too late for us to do anything. I believe "Big Brother" will definitely be upon us sooner than we think.
ReplyDeleteBrooke Sowers
PSCI 100:03
I think that the possibility of America to be a totalitarian politics was and is always there but it was not implemented to an extend that we see totalitarians today such as in North Korea. We give so much of our rights already to the government, such as privacy in our own home, which is a big thing but now we are learning that our phone calls are being recorded out emails, and even from webcams. We are always being watched and I think its just a matter of how much are we willing to give until we give it all up in the name of security. Which is quiet ironic if we think about it. Some totalitarian ways are what we talked about in class such as the way we think when we see the american flag rising up and having students saying the pledge of allegiance every morning in school. Little things like that, that could turn into something bigger. The things we should look out for the most is how our ideas and thoughts are influences by government. Once the government can control that , then it's pretty much giving the government the right to control you. It's kind of hard to say what the prevention of totalitarian should be because it happens slowing, steadily overtime and by the time we realize it could be too late. Unless we are constantly on the look out for clues.
ReplyDeleteKimi Khiangte
PSCI 100:01
America becoming a totalitarian government is possible and we might be on that path because the population has grown immensely and that it is hard to control such population and to even try to keep everyone happy, i think that the government might see that it would be easier if a small group of people decide for the masses. the reason that i think we are on that path is because it is an illusion that we decide the president we do not, it use to be that way when the population was not as big but it is very big so the government had to come up with a way to decide, and that way is the electoral college, not the citizens being involved. the government created an illusion that we are.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Miller 100:3
After reading the hyperlinked articles and taking in account the testimonies of all the writers, I personally do not believe totalitarianism is not creeping into American politics. Though I have recently discovered that citizen do not directly elect the President of the United States, the highest level of political office in the country, I still firmly argue that we live in a democratic nation. The people of this United States are allowed to voice their opinion against the ruling government, which is not a liberty allowed or tolerated in a totalitarian government as I have observed. So long as we continue to protest and exercise the political power we are born with, America will always be a Democratic Republic.
ReplyDeletePSCI 100:01
DeleteIt is very possible that American society will convert to totalitarianism. Our government is already expressing characteristics of a totalitarian government. For example, the U.S. government continues to spy on its own citizens, harp on the notion of military power and war, and continues to increase the wealth and power of the wealthy. If the government does convert to totalitarianism, it wont be a drastic change. The government will try to incorporate totalitarian politics in a way that the population will not easily detect it and seem more reasonable. In contrast to converting to a totalitarian government, U.S. citizens have the power to rule out the notion of converting a totalitarian government by continuing to protest and voice their opinions.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't think that America would ever fully convert to a totalitarian state, it isn't hard to see the various ways totalitarianism creeps into our government and every day life. The constant and excessive spying the government does on its own citizens, the fact that most of the country's money is owned by a small number of individuals and corporations, and the government's focus on war (particularly offensive force) are signs that make one think of a totalitarian government. You could also compare the ignorant populace of a fascist country to the majority of Americans who don't know (or don't care to know) the truth about their own government, blindly accepting the facade put up by our leaders. However, because a totalitarian government requires a dictator, I don't think America would ever be able to fully convert to totalitarianism.
ReplyDeletePandora Affemann
PSCI 100:03