Wages of Power
Ever wondered what it would be like to live under a totalitarian dictatorship? Ever wondered what benefits would be coming your way and what terrible burdens would be right around the corner if you were to live under a totalitarian dictatorship?
Along with a dictatorship, comes stability of the economy, and the society. Two very good examples of this are both Hitler and Stalin. While Hitler was in power, he had mega boosted Germany’s economy. He had created more jobs for the Germans, and as result, more money was going around. While Stalin was in power, he had also brought Russia stability, and made Russia one of the world powers. As result of all this stability and money, there will be even more room for advancement, such as an increase in educated individuals, and women’s rights, as well as technological advancements. In Germany for example, Hitler had also done the same. It was like a complete renovation of the country. Everything had become so glorious and beautiful, many visitors would be in awe as they gazed at the cities, monuments and ceremonies.
One of the first few signs is limitation of speech and expression. You may notice that people who try to speak against what the dictator proposes are cruelly punished or killed. In a totalitarian dictatorship, no one has a say but the dictator, and the dictator only. Secondly, you may notice censorship and propaganda. Using propaganda allows dictators to control your thought, and censorship to limit your thoughts. These two tricks allow the dictator to stay in total control.
Labor, or otherwise known as concentration, camps. These camps will be created for the people and by the people. In order to get rid of any opponents or extra population in the perspective of the dictator. Dictators will definitely use labor camps in order to be both time efficient and beneficial to the economy. Both Hitler and Stalin used this tool. In these camps people are forced to work, whether it be constructing weapons for war or furniture, these camps force people to work under terrible conditions. For one, they will not receive pay. They will be ripped of their belongings and family members. They will be forced to regulate these camps as well as live in them. The conditions of these camps were vile. They were, as described by Holocaust survivors, "death factories." People would be pushed until they could not push anymore, which would be when they would kill them off using gas chambers. Which again was the most efficient way that Hitler had come up with. These camps killed about 6 million jews in the Holocaust, and around 60 million deaths that were linked to Stalin.
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Of course having a dictatorship is beneficial in tons of ways! For one, decisions are made quite quickly. There will be no need for the dictator to consult with anyone about any new laws or adjustments. This way, the whole country will be more efficient on time.
However, along with the wealth and prosperity a totalitarian dictator may bring to any country, there are some terrifying details that come along with it. Lets begin with the definition of totalitarian, which means that total and absolute power goes to the dictator. Which basically means the dictator has power to do, literally, whatever he or she wants. With this kind of power comes corruption. Here are some signs that corruption has already happened or it's very close by.
Groups of people will be eventually separated from the rest of the population and put in these areas called, Ghettos. Ghettos are a section of a city, especially a
thickly populated inhabited predominantly by members of an ethnic or other minor group.(dictionary reference.com) You may notice these ghettos in the more slum and poor section of the city. |
One could conclude that it's best to stay away from a totalitarian dictatorship in order to have happiness of the people and justice. As one could see, there are very expensive costs to living in a totalitarian dictatorship. If you want to have instant success, you must have some dirty work done before hand. If you want stability, there will be no freedom. If you want freedom of the people, then you will have no stability. The best option for now is obviously a democracy.
Works Cited:
"Holocaust Timeline: The Nazification of Germany." Holocaust Timeline: The Nazification of Germany. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/timeline/nazifica.htm >
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ghetto >
"Dictatorship Is the Best Path to Development." Debatewise. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://debatewise.org/debates/1001-dictatorship-is-the-best-path-to-development/ >
"Holocaust Timeline: The Nazification of Germany." Holocaust Timeline: The Nazification of Germany. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/timeline/nazifica.htm >
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ghetto >
"Dictatorship Is the Best Path to Development." Debatewise. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://debatewise.org/debates/1001-dictatorship-is-the-best-path-to-development/ >