Hannah Arendt believes that totalitarianism rests on mass support, and totalitarianism movements are mass organisations isolated individuals. Totalitarianism regimes seek to dominate every aspect of an individuals life, usually with terror involved. Individual loneliness and isolation can be predetermined conditions for totalitarianism domination.
Totalitarianism is based around a society that has a purpose, to achieve an ultimate goal. This mission is usually to create Utopia on Earth.
Totalitarianism destroys human plurality, which is a system or philosophy which acknowledges the existence of different political opinions, moral and religious beliefs, and cultural and social behaviour. Fascists see human plurality as a dysfunctional aspect of the state.
John Carey: The masses become the mob when they achieve basic literacy and so are able to sustain mass organisation. This makes them a political force. The intellectuals begin to fear the masses as they were rising in power and influence, and believed they were going to destroy aristocracy. Therefore some intellectuals wanted to exterminate the masses. This can be related to Fascism. The masses are the fascists, and with mediocrity in politics, Hitler was elected, as he was an intellectual good at manipulating the masses. Hitler attempted to overcome the issue of immigration, and decided that the Jews had no place in an all-German perfect state. He used terror to create a totalitarian state, in order to reach an ultimate goal. Hitler introduced racial laws to deliberately discriminate against other groups, and the state was prepared for war, rejecting concepts of rationalism in favour for those of action, discipline, hierarchy, spirit and will. This led to the unprovoked attack on Poland, which led to World War II.
Nietzche would disagree with these ideas of totalitarianism, as he hates the idea of democracy because it forces the idea of equality into society. He believes in the “Overman” as in his book “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”. The overman is the goal of humanity, and obeys no laws other than the ones he gives himself. The overman is free from the prejudices and assumptions surrounding him and has completely overcome himself. Therefore, an overman would not exist within a totalitarian state.
2. How does the modern state differ from the classical or medieval state, according to Hannah Arendt? Discuss with reference to philosophical writing about the modern state with reference to Hobbes, Rousseau, JS Mill, Hegel and Marx.
Hannah Arendt believed in national mass literacy and mass culture, meaning the state dominates civilisation.
A nation state is a state or country with defined borders or territory, and where the same type of people exist, e.g race or language. This kind of collective identity is known as nationalism, where the people are united together. This could be linked to totalitarianism, as it is a state where every individual follows one leader to achieve an ultimate goal.
Hobbes says that the state is an artificial man, and his theory of power says that the state of nature would be living in fear. This means that if there was no Government, society would be chaos. His solution would be to alienate our rights to a supreme sovereignty in order to live in peace. Life would be nasty, brutish and short without political authority.
Marx believes the State is the word of the ruling class. It looks after the rich and oppresses the poor. He stood Hegel on his feet, because he does not believe in God, and so therefore sees no purpose in the State.
Hegel believes the Prussian state is God on Earth, and that for individuals to be free they must have a complete relationship with the state, hence Germany was one of the “freest states of all”.
However, Rousseau believes in the social contract, and that the state is the source of our problems and discontent. People give up their power to a government or other authority to maintain a social order. This is known as the general will. Those who do not want to be free will be forced to be free.
J.S Mill believes “the individual is sovereign” People can do what they like as long as it does not harm others. He also believes in the greatest good for the greater number.
Locke also believed that people have the right to protect their life, liberty and property, but that a civil society should be established to resolve conflicts with help from the State or Government.
3. Attempt and Analysis of the impact of Nietzsche and the modernist literary movement on journalism, popular culture and the mass media.
Nietzsche style of writing is fractured, non-linear, incoherent and body centred. He believes that people are amoral and have no soul. His writing is also shocking, which is now used in all media forms. Nietzsche does not attempt long narratives and his work is subjectivist, the meaning arrives in the mind of the reader, and so everyone will have a different interpretation.
Nietzsche moves away from the objective of telling a story by using abstract symbols. This is contemporary with modern art. The main idea with Nietzsche is that the reader creates the meaning. Nietzsche focuses on amorality. For example, God is Dead. Nietzsche focused on what was happening rather than why it was happening. This led to new journalism. New journalism focuses on telling it like it is, not moralising why people are doing it. This is now known as sensationalist writing.
Nietzsches writing was blunt and to the point, which is exactly what journalism is now. This is where adverts and slogans came from.
Question 4: Explain the enduring fascination for many intellectuals and some journalists of the film Citizen Kane.
- Childhood spent in poverty
- Taken away from mother at an early age
- Entered the news business aged 25 into Yellow Journalism
- Began to take control of the industry
- Cheats on his wife
- Rosebud-The name of his childhood sled: The only time he was truly happy.
Use this as a Freudian case study. The id is the pleasure principle-disregards the consequences. Could explain why he cheated on his wife.
The Electra complex, like the Oedipus complex, it is a sexual attraction to the opposite sexed parent, which is overcome as the child grows older, however Kane/Hearst was taken away from his mother at an early age and so may not have had the chance to overcome this.
Kane is driven by hidden needs. Inner conflicts in the unconscious mind men he is repressing the real "Kane" and is wearing a mask to the world. This can be explained because on the inside Kane was a broken man, and the only time he was truly happy was as a child, hence "Rosebud" the sled.
Locke believes in Life, liberty and property. The pursuit of happiness, as property is a natural right. Whoever has the most stuff has the most power, and so in that sense, Kane was one of the most powerful men alive.
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