Hitler And Stalin: Totalitarian Propaganda

Introduction
Ever since World War Two, when the dictators Hitler and Stalin rose to power, a new form of government has become ever more prevalent, both in popular culture and real life (Arendt). Through a singular ideology and extensive propaganda campaigns, totalitarian governments control the populace as completely as they are able, discouraging individual thought and criticism of their regime (Laqueur). Although relatively young in conception, the idea of a controlling, near-omnipotent government has left a lasting impression on our culture. Current dictators, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, bend the indoctrination techniques to their will (Shuster), and novelists such as Huxley and Orwell portrayed such governments in their respective
Techniques for this method include saturating the media with positive reports, posting the leader’s picture in schools and workplaces, and painting opposition in a negative light. Stalin used such techniques in Soviet Russia to convince the population that he was a caring leader who sought only the best for his country (Cote). Along with extreme censorship of the media, Stalin kept his positive image and control of the government by only allowing books and artwork glorifying himself and his regime to be produced and distributed, and by decreeing that everyone keep a picture of Stalin in their house, often replacing images of religious figures such as Jesus Christ. He also threw anyone who spoke out against him into gulags (Cote). His careful preservation of his image allowed the people to believe in him even when the country was falling apart. In current affairs, Vladimir Putin has used many of the same techniques as Stalin to keep the Chechnyan people believing him to be a beloved ruler and a good man. Images of Putin’s face are plastered on every available surface; in schools, walls are painted on one side with the Kremlin towers, and on the other with the mosques of Chechnya. Positive statements are made constantly about Putin and his policy decisions, while any negative comments are met with arrest (Shuster). Propaganda campaigns such as these allow the government to control the perception of various factions, and manipulate the outcome to keep themselves in favor of the population they are seeking to