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Comparing Theocratic And Secular Totalitarianism

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Comparison and Contrast between Theocratic and Secular Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system that involves the state having total control over the society. The state seeks to control all aspects of the private and public life of its citizens wherever possible. All cultural, social, spiritual, intellectual, economic, and political activities in the state get subordinated to the purposes of the people ruling the state (Ferrero, 2013). According to Wild and Wild (2014), the rulers of a totalitarian state believe that for a political system to be effective, every aspect of the lives of the people must be controlled. All other institutions such as religion, labor, authority, and family are subordinate to the state. As such, the state is the highest-ranking body and the rulers exploit the population for foreign conquest. The government has a lot of power that it can control the economy and make workers dependent on it. Once people depend on the government, they are forced to obey and do as it needs (Funk & Wagnalls, 2014). This paper will exploit the differences and similarities between two major types of totalitarianism, that is, theocratic and secular totalitarianism. It will also discuss how the two forms of …show more content…

God is the sole sovereign and his divine commands are used as the law in a theocracy. It is arguably right to say that the clergy hold control. Theocracies are rare, but whenever they occur, they tend to be very permanent (Ferrero, 2013). Some major examples of theocracies that have existed through history include the Ayatollahs of Iran, the Taliban of Afghanistan and Buddhist regimes of traditional Mongolia, Bhutan and Tibet (Fererro, 2013). People are promoted into government positions basing on their religious affiliations as opposed to education or public policy like in secular

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