Old religious and social ties are supplanted by artificial ties to the state and its ideology. Participation in approved public organizations is at first encouraged and then required. Thus, the social fabric is weakened and people become more amenable to absorption into a single, unified movement. Under totalitarian rule, traditional social institutions and organizations are discouraged and suppressed. Because pursuit of the goal is the only ideological foundation for the totalitarian state, achievement of the goal can never be acknowledged. Any dissent is branded evil, and internal political differences are not permitted. The resulting popular support permits the state the widest latitude of action of any form of government. This obsession spawns an ideology that explains everything in terms of the goal, rationalizing all obstacles that may arise and all forces that may contend with the state. Whatever might further the goal is supported whatever might foil the goal is rejected.

All resources are directed toward its attainment, regardless of the cost. The totalitarian state pursues some special goal, such as industrialization or conquest, to the exclusion of all others. Totalitarianism is often distinguished from dictatorship, despotism, or tyranny by its supplanting of all political institutions with new ones and its sweeping away of all legal, social, and political traditions.

SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.

Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them!

Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.

100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.

COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.

Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.

This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.

#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.

Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.

Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.

Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.

The origins of totalitarianism