Since the birth of totalitarianism in the 20th century, much has been written about this form of rule, and millions have read George Orwell’s depiction of it in the classic novel 1984.
But what is often overlooked is that totalitarianism is more than just a political system. It is a fanatical religion, and this religion is spreading across the globe with a ferocity not seen since the mid-20th century.
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In this video, the maker of ‘The Academy of Ideas’ will investigate the religious nature of totalitarianism in the recognition that we must know our enemy if we are to defeat it.
Totalitarianism is a religion that never achieves what it promises. It creates a hell on earth, in which many are sacrificed to the God of the state, but none are delivered into the brave new world that was promised, wrote Hannah Ahrendt.
The more power the state is granted, the more corrupt become the individuals who operate the state machinery and the more the world descends into chaos, says ‘The Academy of Ideas’.
Totalitarianism must be avoided at all costs. But sadly, this religion is seeing a modern-day revival. Politicians and others in positions of global power are vocal about their desire to ‘remake’, ‘rebuild’, or ‘reset’ the world.
And the masses are expected to obey and love the new society forced upon them. If obedience does not come voluntarily, then force is being used with an alarming frequency.
In these times of tyranny, the Academy concludes, we each face a choice. Accept the false Gods of the state and allow the totalitarians to lead us into what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn called the land of shuttered opportunities. Or resist. There is but one choice: to rise to the task of the age.