As nouns the difference between totalitarianism and authoritarianism
is that totalitarianism is a system of government in which the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control, for example, a dictatorship while authoritarianism is a form of government in which the governing body has absolute, or almost absolute, control. Typically this control is maintained by force, and little heed is paid to public opinion or the judicial system.
totalitarianism
Noun
(-)
A system of government in which the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control, for example, a dictatorship.
Usage notes
Contentious usage: precise definition, application to specific cases, and distinction from similar terms varies by author. Narrowly, a government in which everything is political and controlled by the state, coined to describe (m), in contrast to the older terms and concepts of (m), (m), and (m), which focus more on centralization of power, not its pervasiveness. Later applied to (l), to emphasize its commonalities with fascism. Sometimes considered an extreme form of (m), in other cases contrasted with it.
Related terms
* totalism
* totalistic
* totalist
References
authoritarianism
Noun
(-)
A form of government in which the governing body has absolute, or almost absolute, control. Typically this control is maintained by force, and little heed is paid to public opinion or the judicial system.
