Difference Between Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Fascism

Difference Between Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Fascism Totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism are all forms of government. And defining different forms of government isnt as easy as it might seem.   The governments of all nations have an official form as designated in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. However, a nation’s own description of its form of government can often be less than objective. For example, while the former Soviet Union declared itself a democracy, its elections were not â€Å"free and fair† as only one party with state-approved candidates were represented. The USSR was more correctly classified as a socialist republic. In addition, the boundaries between various forms of government can be fluid or poorly-defined, often with overlapping characteristics. Such is the case with totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism. What is Totalitarianism? Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany September 1937. Fox Photos/Getty Images Totalitarianism is a form of government in which the state’s power is unlimited and is used to control virtually all aspects of public and private life. This control extends to all political and financial matters, as well as the attitudes, morals, and beliefs of the people. The concept of totalitarianism was developed in the 1920s by Italian fascists who attempted to put a positive spin on it by referring to what they considered totalitarianism’s â€Å"positive goals† for society. However, most Western civilizations and governments quickly rejected the concept of totalitarianism and continue to do so today. One distinctive feature of totalitarian governments is the existence of an explicit or implied national ideology, a set of beliefs intended to give meaning and direction to the entire society. According to Russian history expert and author Richard Pipes, Fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini once summarized the basis of totalitarianism as, â€Å"Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.† Examples of characteristics that might be present in a totalitarian state include: Rule enforced by a single dictatorThe presence of a single ruling political partyStrict censorship, if not total control of the pressConstant dissemination of pro-government propagandaMandatory service in the military for all citizensMandatory population control practicesProhibition of certain religious or political groups and practicesProhibition of any form of public criticism of the governmentLaws enforced by secret police forces or the military Typically, the characteristics of a totalitarian state tend to cause people to fear their government. Rather than trying to allay that fear, totalitarian rulers tend to encourage and use it to ensure the people’s cooperation. Early examples of totalitarian states include Germany under Adolf Hitler and Italy under Benito Mussolini. More recent examples of totalitarian states include Iraq under Saddam Hussein and North Korea under Kim Jong-un. What is Authoritarianism? Fidel Castro circa 1977. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images   An authoritarian state is characterized by a strong central government that allows people a limited degree of political freedom. However, the political process, as well as all individual freedoms, is controlled by the government without any constitutional accountability In 1964, Juan Josà © Linz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Political Science at Yale University, described the four most recognizable characteristics of authoritarian state as: Limited political freedom with strict government controls imposed on political institutions and groups like legislatures, political parties, and interest groupsA controlling regime that justifies itself to the people as a â€Å"necessary evil† uniquely capable of coping with â€Å"easily recognizable societal problems† such as hunger, poverty, or violent insurgencyStrict government-imposed constraints on social freedoms such as suppression of political opponents and anti-regime activityThe presence of a ruling executive with vague, loosely defined and shifting powers Modern dictatorships, such as Venezuela under Hugo Chvez, or Cuba under Fidel Castro, typify authoritarian governments.   While the People’s Republic of China under Chairman Mao Zedong was considered a totalitarian state, modern-day China is more accurately described as an authoritarian state, because its citizens are now allowed some limited personal freedoms. It is important to summarize the main differences between totalitarianism and authoritarian governments. In a totalitarian state, the government’s range of control over the people is virtually unlimited. The government controls nearly all aspects of the economy, politics, culture, and society. Education, religion, the arts and sciences, even morality and reproductive rights are controlled by totalitarian governments. While all power in an authoritarian government is held by a single dictator or group, the people are allowed a limited degree of political freedom. What is Fascism? Rarely employed since the end of World War II in 1945, fascism is a form of government combining the most extreme aspects of both totalitarianism and authoritarianism. Even when compared to extreme nationalistic ideologies like Marxism and anarchism, fascism is typically considered to be at the far-right end of the political spectrum. Fascism is characterized by the imposition of dictatorial power, government control of industry and commerce, and the forcible suppression of opposition, often at the hands of the military or a secret police force. Fascism was first seen in Italy during World War I, later spreading to Germany and other European countries during World War II. Historically, the primary function of fascist regimes has been to maintain the nation in a constant state of readiness for war. Fascists observed how rapid, mass military mobilizations during World War I had blurred the lines between the roles of civilians and combatants. Drawing on those experiences, fascist rulers strive to create a rabidly nationalistic culture of â€Å"military citizenship† in which all citizens are willing and prepared to take on some military duties during times of war, including actual combat. In addition, fascists view democracy and the electoral process as an obsolete and unnecessary obstacle to maintaining constant military readiness and consider a totalitarian one-party state as the key to preparing the nation for war and its resulting economic and social hardships. Today, few governments publicly described themselves as fascist. Instead, the term is more often used pejoratively by those critical of particular governments or leaders. The term â€Å"neo-fascist† is often used to describe governments or individuals espousing radical, far right political ideologies similar to those of the World War II fascist states.

History of the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969

History of the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969 The Woodstock Festival (aka An Aquarian Exposition: Three Days of Peace and Music) was a three-day concert (which rolled into a fourth day) that involved lots of sex, drugs, and rock n roll, plus a lot of mud. The Woodstock Music Festival of 1969 has become an icon of the 1960s hippie counterculture. The festival took place on August 15-18, 1969, at Max Yasgurs dairy farm in the town of Bethel (outside of White Lake, New York). The Organizers of Woodstock The organizers of the Woodstock Festival were four young men: John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Mike Lang. The oldest of the four was only 27 years old at the time of the Woodstock Festival. Roberts, an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, and his friend Rosenman were looking for a way to use Roberts money to invest in an idea that would make them even more money. After placing an ad in The New York Times that stated: Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions, they met Kornfeld and Lang. The Plan for the Woodstock Festival Kornfeld and Langs original proposal was to build a recording studio and a retreat for rock musicians up in Woodstock, New York (where Bob Dylan and other musicians already lived). The idea morphed into creating a two-day rock concert for 50,000 people with the hope that the concert would raise enough money to pay for the studio. The four young men then got to work on organizing a large music festival. They found a location for the event up in an industrial park in nearby Wallkill, New York. They printed tickets ($7 for one day, $13 for two days, and $18 for three days), which could be purchased in select stores or via mail order. The men also worked on organizing food, signing musicians, and hiring security. Things Go Very Wrong The first of many things to go wrong with the Woodstock Festival was the location. No matter how the young men and their lawyers spun it, the citizens of Wallkill did not want a bunch of drugged-out hippies descending on their town. After much wrangling, the town of Wallkill passed a law on July 2, 1969, that effectively banned the concert from their vicinity. Everyone involved with the Woodstock Festival panicked. Stores refused to sell any more tickets and the negotiations with the musicians got shaky. Only a month-and-a-half before the Woodstock Festival was to begin, a new location had to be found. Luckily, in mid-July, before too many people began demanding refunds for their pre-purchased tickets, Max Yasgur offered up his 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York for  the location for the Woodstock Festival. As lucky as the organizers  were to have found a new location, the last minute change of venue seriously set back the Festival timeline. New contracts to rent the dairy farm and surrounding areas had to be drawn up and permits to allow the Woodstock Festival in the town had to be acquired. Construction of the stage, a performers pavilion, parking lots, concession stands, and a childrens playground all got a late start and barely got finished in time for the event. Some things, like ticket booths and gates, did not get finished in time. As the date got closer, more problems sprung up. It soon appeared that their 50,000 people estimate was way too low and the new estimate jumped to upwards of 200,000 people. The young men then tried to bring in more toilets, more water, and more food. However, the food concessionaires kept threatening to cancel at the last minute (the organizers had accidentally hired people who had no experience in concessions) so they had to worry about whether or not they could airlift in rice as a backup food supply. Also troublesome was the last-minute ban on off-duty police officers from working at the Woodstock Festival. Hundreds of Thousands Arrive at the Woodstock Festival On Wednesday, August 13 (two days before the festival was to begin), there were already approximately 50,000 people camping near the stage. These early arrivals had walked right through the huge gaps in the fence where the gates had not yet been placed. Since there was no way to get the 50,000 people to leave the area in order to pay for tickets and there was no time to erect the numerous gates to prevent even more people from just walking in, the organizers were forced to make the event a free concert. This declaration of a free concert had two dire effects. The first of which was that the organizers were going to lose massive amounts of money by putting on this event. The second effect was that as news spread that it was now a free concert, an estimated one million people headed to Bethel, New York. Police had to turn away thousands of cars. It is estimated that about 500,000 people actually made it to the Woodstock Festival. No one had planned for half a million people. The highways in the area literally became parking lots as people abandoned their cars in the middle of the street and just walked the final distance to the Woodstock Festival. Traffic was so bad that the organizers had to hire helicopters to shuttle the performers from their hotels to the stage. The Music Starts Despite all the organizers troubles, the Woodstock Festival got started nearly on time. On Friday evening, August 15, Richie Havens got up on stage and officially started the Festival. Sweetwater, Joan Baez, and other folk artists also played Friday night. The music started up again shortly after noon on Saturday with Quill and continued non-stop until Sunday morning around 9 AM. The day of psychedelic bands continued with such musicians as Santana, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and The Who, to name just a few. It was obvious to everyone that on Sunday, the Woodstock Festival was winding down. Most of the crowd left throughout the day, leaving about 150,000 people on Sunday night. When Jimi Hendrix, the last musician to play at Woodstock, finished his set early on Monday morning, the crowd was down to only 25,000. Despite the 30-minute lines for water and at least hour-long wait to use a toilet, the Woodstock Festival was a huge success. There were a lot of drugs, a lot of sex and nudity, and a lot of mud (created by the rain). After the Woodstock Festival The organizers of Woodstock were dazed at the end of the Woodstock Festival. They didnt have time to focus on the fact that they had created the most popular music event in history, for they first had to deal with their incredible debt (over $1 million) and the 70 lawsuits that had been filed against them. To their great relief, the film of the Woodstock Festival turned into a hit movie and the profits from the movie covered a large chunk of the debt from the Festival. By the time that everything was paid off, they were still $100,000 in debt.