This is a list of totalitarian regimes. There are regimes that have been commonly referred to as "totalitarian", or the concept of totalitarianism has been applied to them, for which there is wide consensus among scholars to be called as such. Totalitarian regimes are usually distinguished from authoritarian regimes in the sense that totalitarianism represents an extreme version of authoritarianism. Authoritarianism primarily differs from totalitarianism in that social and economic institutions exist that are not under governmental control.[1]
Note: Because of differing opinions about the definition of totalitarianism, and the variable nature of each regime, this article first states in prose the various opinions given by sources, even when those opinions might conflict or be at angles to each other. It is followed by a convenience table of basic facts, but the table is limited by its binary nature and can not always accurately reflect the complex and nuanced nature of the sources, which are more fully described in the prose section. |
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According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the early Soviet Union was a "modern example" of a totalitarian state. Britannica says it was "the first examples of decentralized or popular totalitarianism, in which the state achieved overwhelming popular support for its leadership". This contrasted with earlier totalitarian states that were imposed on the people. Totalitarianism in Russia began with the founding of the Soviet Union under Lenin, after the October Revolution of 1917. According to Britannica, "every aspect of the Soviet Union's political, economic, cultural, and intellectual life came to be regulated by the Communist Party in a strict and regimented fashion that would tolerate no opposition". According to Peter Rutland (1993), with the death of Stalin, "This was still an oppressive regime, but not a totalitarian one." This view is echoed by Igor Krupnik (1995), "The era of 'social engineering' in the Soviet Union ended with the death of Stalin in 1953 or soon after; and that was the close of the totalitarian regime itself." According to Klaus von Beyme (2014), "The Soviet Union after the death of Stalin moved from totalitarianism to authoritarian rule."
The following is a list of puppet states of various outside states (mostly Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union), which are considered to be totalitarian.
Turkmenistan
Japanese puppet state