The Origins of Totalitarianism

Image: Tony Dowson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Re-reading Hannah Arendt's classic study, THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM, tonight, I'm struck by her comment, "The only grandeur of imperialism lies in [Britain's] losing battle against it. The tragedy of this half-hearted opposition was not that many national representatives could be bought by the new imperialist businessmen; worse than corruption was the fact that the incorruptible were convinced that imperialism was the only way to conduct world politics." (World Pub. Co. edition, 1958, at 132)
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The great political philosopher might write today, "The tragedy is not that many national representatives can be bought by the multinational corporations and their lobbyists; worse than corruption is the fact that the incorruptible are convinced that globalization is the only way to conduct world politics."

In this week's Chronicle of Higher Education Review, there is a photo of a middle-aged Texan, who is quoted as saying, "I'm formerly a Republican. Back in 1996 in Houston, Texas, I was sleeping in a field looking at the high-rise apartment that I used to live in. I couldn't believe that a few years earlier I had a nice apartment, I was driving a new car, I had an AMerican Express card.... But now I was sleeping in the fields, eating at a soup kitchen.... It did not make sense to me."

How many Americans right now could tell a similar story. How close to the edge do most of us live, even when living relatively well?

And why do even good people believe that you can't bring back the jobs, if you dare to tax the rich? You can't have good health care is it's mandated by the government? You can't prosper without busting all the labor unions?

Have we forgotten AMerica in the 1950s? Have we forgotten Germany and Scandinavia? I'm speaking of other times and other places where a balanced approach... neither too far left nor too far right... actually worked to the benefit of most, and most particularly to the benefit of a strong, vibrant middle class.

For ten years we've tried American imperialism and it has nearly bankrupted us, while threatening our civil liberties.

Are we witnessing the origin of totalitarianism?