The Future of Democracy Newsletter: March 2020

The topic of our discussion this month was Do We Learn from History? (Part I)

Wyndy Knox Carr, a member of our group and a book reviewer for the Berkeley Times, presented some key points from the Hanna Arendt’s book The Origins of Totalitarianism, which established her reputation when published in 1951. Arendt escaped from Germany during World War II, immigrating to the US in 1941. She attended and famously wrote about the 1961 Eichmann trial which she chronicled in her 1963 book Eichmann in Jerusalem, A Report on the Banality of Evil. The following is Steve’s summary of her presentation. A collection of Wyndy’s articles can be found here.

You might find many themes from The Origins of Totalitarianism relevant in today’s world.
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1. One theme of the book is the destruction of the integrity of the individual in totalitarian states. “Racism tends to destroy the body politic of the nation. … Racists … denied the great principle upon which national organizations of peoples are built, the principle of equality and solidarity of all peoples guaranteed by the idea of mankind,” pages 158-161. Arendt ties this to the soul-sapping labor practices of the Industrial Revolution and Automation Revolution where workers were considered little more than adjuncts to machines on the production line.
2. A similar theme was the “pessimistic mood” by workers in Europe from the 1800s on as a result of the Industrial Revolution, amidst “decadence” by some before and after WWI, page 171. This included “Contempt for liberal individualism, the ideal of mankind and the dignity of man,” page 235.
3. Within countries considered democracies there has been decay of the lives of some and “the formation of a new natural aristocracy,” page 173. This included persecution of American Indians and slavery that ignored democratic principles, page 177.
4. A guidebook of imperialism was the 1932 ‘The Government of Subject Races,’ by Lord Cromer. This was applied in South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and India. It provided guidance about how to retain dominance over races that were considered inferior while avoiding any semblance of rule of law. Random actions were seen as the most effective way to retain power over others considered less than equal.
5. The idea of the superiority of one group over another foreshadowed later totalitarian groups that considered “the other” as inferior beings, pages 225, 264-5. Modern nations that consider themselves democratic also have demonized nations they considered not equal to themselves as they have invaded countries supposedly in need of their help such as Iraq and El Salvador. They also have exploited the natural resources of these countries, particularly those possessing oil.
6. Economic globalization followed the domination of colonialism and imperialism by Western Nations in areas such as Africa, page 206.
7. Another theme is “Normalizing” the desire of the young to join “The Mob” by organizers of totalitarian regimes. “These men began to tell the mob that each of its members could become a lofty all-important embodiment of something ideal if he would only join the movement. Then he no longer had to be loyal [to country] or generous or courageous,” page 249. This is similar to the political cults or “mobs” that expect members to follow what they are expected to believe rather than come to their own conclusions based on facts, which is essential for democracy.
8. “Parting from absolute values” of the intrinsic worth of human beings, pages 188-9, encompassed in the phrase of the US Declaration of Independence that “All are created equal.” Dehumanization of people is related to maintaining their economic status far below that of the wealthy.
9. In a “State ruling through an administration that applies decrees…power becomes the direct source of all legislation,” page 243. The role of Congress, elected representatives, and the courts diminishes as executive orders take sway.
10. Totalitarianism preaches globalized hate and fear. People are either “in” our “out” of those groups considered deserving of human rights. This is done by whim or based on the random actions of those in charge. Stalin’s ruthlessness borne of Bolshevism led to his contempt for the Russian people, page 249.
11. The book addresses the tragedy of those who are “stateless and minorities” after WWI in Europe and Central America, fleeing dictatorships, gang and police violence, and sexual trafficking. “Without ties to and the protection of a Sovereign State, those groups (Jews, Slovaks, Rumanians, Poles)… (become) “superfluous” people (pages 261-262) considered “inferior races, page 310.  “Inflation…Unemployment…Migrations…” are three roots of hatred, page 267. People become divided into Us, Them and It.
12. Would-be totalitarian rulers usually begin their careers by boasting of their past crimes and carefully outlining their future ones: “The propaganda of totalitarian movements which precede and accompany totalitarian regimes is invariably as frank as it is mendacious…The attraction of evil and crime for the mob mentality is nothing new,” page 307. Statements come to mind like “I could fire a gun on Fifth Avenue” or “They’re all rapists and murderers” or “Lock her up.”
13. Totalitarianism includes instilling fear in people about telling the truth or refusing to commit illegal or unconscionable acts, and then prosecuting whistleblowers. “It is this absoluteness of movements which more than anything else separates them from party structures and their partiality, and serves to justify their claim to overrule all objections of individual conscience…” (page 249)

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