Totalitarianismisapoliticalsystemwherethegovernmentholdsabsolutecontroloverallaspectsofpublicandprivatelife.Unlikeauthoritarianregimes,whichmayallowsomesocialoreconomicfreedoms,totalitarianstatesseektodominateeveryfacetofsociety,includingpolitics,economy,culture,andevenpersonalbeliefs.Keyfeaturesincludeasinglerulingpartyorleader,widespreaduseofpropaganda,suppressionofdissent,strictcensorship,andmasssurveillance.Thestateoftenemployssecretpolicetoenforceloyaltyandeliminateopposition.ExamplesoftotalitarianregimesincludeNaziGermanyunderAdolfHitler,theSovietUnionunderJosephStalin,andNorthKoreaundertheKimdynasty.Totalitarianismcontrastswithdemocraticsystems,wherepowerisdistributed,andindividualfreedomsareprotected.Criticsarguethatsuchsystemsleadtooppression,humanrightsabuses,andeconomicinefficiency,whilesupporters(oftenundercoercion)mayclaimitensuresstabilityandunity.
