Totalitarianism and Power in Hannah Arendt’s Thought

Abstract

For the philosopher Hannah Arendt, totalitarianism represents an unprecedented form of political and social control aimed at absolute domination and the eradication of individual autonomy; it differs radically from traditional tyranny. Arendt was influenced by several philosophers who left a distinct mark on her thought. She studied directly under two eminent philosophers—Heidegger and Jaspers—before shifting her focus toward politics; indeed, one could say she blended philosophy and politics, even though she rejected the title of "philosopher," preferring instead to be described as a political theorist. This stance was directly linked to the bitter experiences she endured in Hitler’s Germany. Moreover, philosophy failed to enable a distinguished thinker like her teacher, Heidegger, to recognize the true nature of Nazism or to resist its dictates.

Arendt also rejected the equation of power with violence; for her, violence is associated with the disappearance of power, and the exercise of violence occurs only upon the actual collapse of power. Violence is incapable of protecting power from falling, whereas political stability is closely linked to the absence of violence. With the evolution of governance, we observe the emergence of a new form of rule in the modern era: bureaucratic rule. This is a system of complex administrative structures where responsibility for events cannot be pinned on any single individual—a form of governance that might well be termed "rule by nobody." If we define tyranny as a form of government that is not compelled to render an account to anyone for its actions, then—by contrast—we find the "rule of nobody" to be even more tyrannical, precisely because it is the rule of nobody.