totalitarianism
Other forms: totalitarianisms
If the government has complete and absolute power over the people, that's totalitarianism. This is a repressive, unfree type of society.
A democracy is a society in which people have a say in their government and elect their leaders. The opposite is totalitarianism: a totalitarian society is usually ruled by a dictator, and there is very little or no freedom. In totalitarianism, the government controls almost every aspect of life. There is no free speech or freedom of the press: certain religions and ideas may be banned. George Orwell's novel 1984 was a brilliant look at a world of totalitarianism.
Definitions of totalitarianism
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a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
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synonyms:
Caesarism, Stalinism, absolutism, authoritarianism, despotism, dictatorship, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, tyranny
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types:
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police state
a country that maintains repressive control over the people by means of police (especially secret police)
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police state
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the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government
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synonyms:
absolutism, totalism
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type of:
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ideology, political orientation, political theory
an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation
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ideology, political orientation, political theory
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