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Apocalyptic Elements and Fear in Totalitarian Regimes

Ana Martinjak Ratej ; Teološka fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani, Slovenija

Sažetak

The contribution of this paper is the examination of the apocalyptic elements found in ideology and actions of totalitarian regimes. Through this examination I demonstrate how totalitarian regimes differ from other similar political regimes. While writing this paper, I initially examined which apocalyptic elements could be found in totalitarian regimes, and if they corresponded to the assumption that totalitarianism is a new phenomenon in the political field. This assumption is an already well-known claim of some political theorists, philosophers and historians. Among them, Hannah Arendt in "Origins of Totalitarianism" claims that totalitarianism is a new political regime which did not exist in the past. I found that apocalyptic elements in totalitarian regimes support conclusions about their specific nature, but at the same time I note that this approach excludes many other insights about totalitarian regimes as well as the historical positioning of those regimes. For a clearer and more detailed examination of totalitarian regime a different approach would be required. Totalitarian regimes destroy the present world, create a new world, downgrade completely the human person to the level of an instrument used solely for preserving the system.

Ključne riječi

totalitarian regimes; apocalypse; Hannah Arendt; Nazism; Communism; ideology; judgment; fear; punishment

Hrčak ID:

100384

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/100384

Datum izdavanja:

3.12.2012.

Posjeta: 2.910 *