The Origins of Totalitarianism

Rating:
Summary: Brief
Review: Although the book is brilliantly written, it is clear from the onset that Arendt is arguing backwards, taking the finished form of the Soviet and Nazi Germany regimes, in order propogate her own theory on how totalitarianism managed to crystalize within these two vastly different societies.

Rating:
Summary: Totalitarianism: Nazism and Communism.
Review: Hannah Arendt's _The Origins of Totalitarianism_ is a book that takes a hard look at two rival totalitarian movements in the twentieth century, Soviet Communism and Nazism, and traces their historical roots. The book is divided into three volumes focusing on Antisemitism, Imperialism, and Totalitarianism. The first of these volumes is concerned with the historical origins of Antisemitism. Arendt examines some of the ways historians have dealt with the historical roots of Antisemitism. For example, some historians have argued based on a "scapegoat theory" that the Jews were used as an innocent scapegoat for the world's ills. Arendt concludes that such approaches are flawed because they fail to take into account the full historical situation of the Jews. Arendt explores the rise of Antisemitism in the birth of the nation-state, the emancipation of the Jews, the rise of the Jewish financiers, the roles of Jews within society, and the infamous Dreyfus affair. Of particular interest here is the role of conpiracy theories concerning such individuals as Benjamin Disraeli or the infamous forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The idea that the Jews constitute a race or are members of secret societies or clubs played an important role in the historical development of Antisemitism. The second of the volumes in this book is concerned with the rise of Imperialism. Here, a discussion of racism and racial thinking is examined involving such racial theorists as Count Arthur de Gobineau and various forms of Social Darwinism. The role of the Boers in South Africa is looked at and a thorough examination of the lives of such individuals as Cecil Rhodes, who called for the creation of a secret society of aristocratic Nordic elite, is made. The great Pan Movements, Pan-Slavism, Pan-Germanism, and the Pan-Arabism of T. E. Lawrence are dealt with and their subsequent roles in the creation of the totalitarian states is explored. The final volume of this book is concerned with Totalitarianism proper. Here, the role of propaganda and the secret police, as well as terror and the concentration camps are dealt with in their place in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Arendt explores each of these issues and shows why they are so particularly disturbing. Arendt contends that totalitarianism sought to annihilate the nature of man completely. Repression and terror abound within the totalitarian state and freedom is virtually nonexistent. Written during the Cold War period and just after the Second World War, this book takes an important look into the minds of such totalitarian leaders as Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. Their movements of Nazism and Soviet Communism continue to haunt the modern world even though they have been largely extinguished. The book is important today not only for historical reasons, but also because it gives a unique view of the world within a totalitarian society and the unique political danger that such totalitarian movements and institutions causes for the modern world.

Rating:
Summary: Boring, densely written
Review: I love history and political science but couldn't quite make my way through this one. Make sure you have the option of returning this one if you buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Origins of the first 21st Century war
Review: I started reading Origins of Totalitarianism as a high-school drop-out dish-washer in a Pizza Hut from roughly when the old USSR invaded Afghanistan to the now-catastrophic Reagan election.

As they clear away the rubble in New York I'm looking for my old copy, to see what Arendt said about the pan-Arab movements (not to mention the pan-slav and pan-germanic movements) in the first part. And to recall what she said about the consequences introduced by covert 'secret agency.' Ironically she illustrates her point with the example of T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia).

As I hear about Osama bin Laden's vision of a restored Caliphate I struggle to recall her insights into the problems of statehood.

And all this as prelude to the stark horrors of totalitarian government and the nature of the gulag and concentration camp.

After all this time so much remains clear. I wonder how much I missed. So now, a long-ago college graduate contemplating grad school, I find I must read Arendt again. If I can't find it in my old book collection I'll have to seek a copy here.

Rating:
Summary: Fasinating study of early 20th century mass psychology
Review: I will say that this book is very dense reading. The author is supremely well versed in her subject matter. She is very adept at examining the historical roots of a vast and complicated problem. Her analysis could well be applied to modern Pan-Arabic movements (which seem so close to Nazism in their lack of concrete political goals) which are so prevalent today. Similarly, the analysis she provides sheds light on the racist aspects of Zionism. Her analysis of imperialism is dead on. Her realization that anti-semitism has its roots partly in a narrow minded desire to blame someone for certain societal problems and partly from certain historical behaviors of the Jews themseleves is enlightening

As a useful book for understanding many aspects of the modern mob mentality, it is a wonderful book. However, this book is not a light read that gets to its point quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Fasinating study of early 20th century mass psychology
Review: I will say that this book is very dense reading. The author is supremely well versed in her subject matter. She is very adept at examining the historical roots of a vast and complicated problem. Her analysis could well be applied to modern Pan-Arabic movements (which seem so close to Nazism in their lack of concrete political goals) which are so prevalent today. Similarly, the analysis she provides sheds light on the racist aspects of Zionism. Her analysis of imperialism is dead on. Her realization that anti-semitism has its roots partly in a narrow minded desire to blame someone for certain societal problems and partly from certain historical behaviors of the Jews themseleves is enlightening

As a useful book for understanding many aspects of the modern mob mentality, it is a wonderful book. However, this book is not a light read that gets to its point quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive
Review: If you have a couple of months to spare and an interest not only in the Totalitarian regimes in the former Soviet Union and Germany, but also a desire to learn about antisemitism and imperialism then this is the book for you. If you just want to know about Totalitarianism, get the volume only containing that portion. This is an incredibly dense and comprehensive history that takes both patience and time to wade through. The journey is well worth it, though, as Hannah Arendt shows the incredibly destructive nature of all that makes one human under a totalitarian rule. It isn't a fun read, but definitely a rewarding one.