The Origins of Totalitarianism

I recently went on vacation, and my reading choice was Hannah Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism (a natural choice for reading while on vacation). I haven’t finished, and although it is true that the United States – even three years after this article Totalitarianism in the Age of Trump: Lessons from Hannah Arendt – we are not totalitarian it is also true the totalitarianism can appear in any country.

Here’s a brief quote from the paperback edition of copyright1968:

Totalitarian movements are mass organizations of atomized, isolated individuals. Compared with all other parties and movements , their most conspicuous eternal characteristic is their demand from total, unrestricted , unconditional, and unalterable loyalty of the individual member.

Knowing that we are not a totalitarian country, try to not join a movement that demands unconditional loyalty, and we might never be totalitarian.