In this article you will learn about the Difference Between Authoritarian and Totalitarian States in Political Science.
Difference Between Authoritarian and Totalitarian States
Totalitarian states and Authoritarian states are characterised by several similarities as both of these are anti-democratic states in their structures, functions, power systems and legitimacies. In place of rule of law these are characterised by the rule of some persons, leaders, military leaders, bureaucrats, dishonest and opportunist leaders or a particular power elite. In their operations, the difference between Totalitarian states and Authoritarian states is one of degree and not of kind.
Still as students of Political Science, we can identify some visible differences between Totalitarian and Authoritarian states.
(1) Totalitarian states do not admit any difference between the state and society. These uphold and practise etatism i.e. total control of the state over individual citizens. Authoritarian states tend to tolerate and accept some limited and regulated rights and freedoms of the people.
(2) A Totalitarian state always upholds, projects and promotes an ideology which is held to be the ideology of the state. It is a monolithic ideology which totally rejects all other ideologies. An authoritarian state may or may not adopt and project any particular state ideology but it uses ideology or some ideologies or ideological principles for justifying the use of political power and authority by the dictator or an authoritarian ruler who uses the authority of the state over the people and their organisations.
(3) In a Totalitarian state, the three basic powers of the Government : Executive, Legislative and Judicial stand centralised in the hands of the top leadership of the ruling party/establishment. Ideology is used to justify this concentration of power as essential for rapid comprehensive development of the state and society. Executive power is used with an iron hand. Legislative power is used to put the stamp of legitimacy on the laws, policies and decisions of the top leadership, and judiciary is used to uphold and justify the actions and functions of top leadership.
In a Authoritarian state, the presence of the three organs of government is in place, yet the executive enjoys a very dominant position in the political system. Even when a democratically elected head of government starts using the power in an authoritarian way i.e. starts behaving like a dictator or an autocrat, the state gets transformed into an authoritarian state. Centralisation of power and hegemonistic rule of the dictator is the hallmark of an authoritarian state.
(4) Totalitarian state does not tolerate or permit, social, political and ideological pluralism. It upholds the maxim : “One State, One Ideology, One Party, One Leader and One Government.”
Authoritarian state, or dictatorship at times tolerates limited and divided political pluralism. The power-holder or the ruling-junta always tries to use a particular class of people or some groups or classes of people to maintain its dominant position.
(5) A Totalitarian state always depends upon force, military power, secret service police power for maintaining the power and position of the ruling establishment or the power and position of the most powerful leader of the ruling party. Press and all other means of mass media do not enjoy any functional freedom. In fact, these are used as instruments of propaganda for projecting the “justness, legitimacy and charisma” of the top leadership and his ruling party.
An Authoritarian state tolerates the presence of mass media and civil society but always tries to use it for securing and projecting the legitimacy and credibility of the ruling dictator or the ruling group/junta.
Under Hitler and his Nazi Party’s rule, Germany became a Totalitarian state. Likewise Italy became a fascist totalitarian state under Mussolini and his Fascist Party. The Chinese communist state under Mao and his communist party worked as a Totalitarian state. So was also the case of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR/Soviet Union) under the rule of its leader Joseph Stalin and his Communist Party, Cuba under Fidel Castro, Iraq under Saddam Hussein and his Baathist Party, and Libya under Muammar Al Gaddafi, presently, North Korea under Kim Jung-un and Syria under Bashar al Assad have been Totalitarian States.
Pakistan under the dictatorships of General Mohammad Ayub Khan (1958-1969), Yahya Khan (1969-1971), Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1977-1988), Pervez Musharraf (1999-2008) functioned as an Authoritarian state. So was also the case of Zimbabwe under Robert Cabreil Mugabe (1980-2011), Turkey during 1925-45, Argentina during 1966-83, Brazil during (1937-1945, 1964-1985), Burma/Myanmar during 1962-2011, Chile during 1973-1990, Indonesia during 1967-1998 and some other countries also worked as Authoritarian states from time to time.
This article on Difference Between Authoritarian and Totalitarian States in Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.