Search Our Essay Database

Totalitarian State Essays and Research Papers

Instructions for Totalitarian State College Essay Examples

Title: Power in totalitarian state

Total Pages: 5 Words: 1592 References: 2 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: What, in your opinion are the most effective techniques in acquiring and maintaining power in a totalitarian state? Try especially to support your answers with citations and illustrations drawn from Mein Kanpmf, Triumph of the Will and Darkness at Noon?

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: Heywood

Total Pages: 2 Words: 727 Works Cited: 0 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Research Paper

Essay Instructions: Heywood describes a number of views of the state. Which do you prefer and why(I have a more liberal viewpoint)?

The State

The concept of the state is central to political science. As Heywood notes, “politics is often understood as the study of the state.” (p. 85) Because the state has so much explanatory work to do in political science, it necessarily carries a number of different functions and meanings. International law defines a state as an entity that possesses a defined territory and population, an effective government, and the capacity to engage in relations with other states. This definition tells us how to recognize a state, but it tells us little about what the state does. Heywood identifies five features of the state:


(1) The state is sovereign, meaning that it has authority over its territory and citizens;

(2) State institutions are public, in contrast to private actors (like businesses, clubs, or families);

(3) The state carries out functions of legitimation. By virtue of its sovereignty, the state has the “final word” in any dispute within its territory or among its citizens.

(4) The state can dominate other actors because it holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of force.

(5) The state is territorial. If we think of the state as a person, its territory is like its body.



The state is distinct form the government. The state includes, and acts through, the government, but the state endures through changes of government (think of how the United States endures an a state even through changed in political control), making the state broader than the government.



What is the nature of the state?

Does the state serve the interests of all citizens, the interests of a particular group, or its own interests? The answer to that question depends on the ideology we employ to consider the state. Heywood offers four models of the state:



(1) The Pluralist State

This view grows out of liberalism as a political ideology. Recall that in liberalism, the focus is on the individual and that individual’s rights and freedoms. Because the individual has the right to hold his or her own beliefs, the role of the state requires that the state remain neutral among these beliefs. While its citizens may be Christian, Jewish, or Buddhist, to name only a few possibilities, the state must not endorse any of these values. In this manner, the state permits pluralism among its citizens.

Because the state does not “take sides” among citizens’ beliefs and values, it can play the role of neutral arbiter among competing claims and interests. The state protects the common good, rather than the private good of any individual or group. The state has no interests of its own.



(2) The Capitalist State

In contrast to the pluralist view, which sees the state as neutral, the Marxists see the state as reflecting the interests of a particular economic class. The state cannot be neutral – it inevitable represents the some economic class or another. As Heywood notes, there are really two views of the state within Marxism. In the first, the state is dependent on the bourgeoisie, the dominant economic class. The second view sees the state as potentially neutral and possibly representing the interests of the proletariat and comes out of Marx’s discussion of revolutionary France.

We can reconcile these two views as follows: for Marx, the nature of the state depends upon class relationships. Where one class dominates another, the state reflects and reinforces that domination. This is why Marxists refer to the post-revolution state as the dictatorship of the proletariat. Once common ownership eliminates class conflict, Marx predicted, the state would wither away.



(3) The Leviathan State

Thomas Hobbes referred to the state as a Leviathan – literally, a monster. The right sees the state in much the same way, as an overwhelming entity with the power to dominate individuals. The Leviathan state seeks to intrude into every aspect of individuals’ lives.

In contrast to the Marxist view, which attributes the state’s behavior to the interests of the dominant class, this view sees the government and those who hold office as having their own interests, principally in the maintenance and enlargement of government, which drive the growth of the state. Because conservatives believe that individuals can better create economic growth, they object to government infringement on individuals’ natural freedom.



(4) The Patriarchal State

Within the feminist movement, there are a number of ideologies. From these emerge two major feminist understandings of the state. The liberal feminist view incorporates the liberal view of the state as neutral. These feminists recognize a lack of equal opportunity for women, but they believe that reform is possible and that these reforms can create equality of opportunity between men and women.

The radical feminist view sees the state as a tool of patriarchy. Just as Marxists see the state as a tool of the dominant economic class, radical feminists see the state as an agent of the dominant gender or, at least, as shaped by larger patterns of patriarchy. The state is “masculine” in significant ways according to this view.



These conceptions of state power reflect the differences among ideologies. These ideologies also contain within them views of the ideal state and the role it should play in our lives. We can describe these states as minimal, developmental, social-democratic, collectivized, and totalitarian.



(1) Minimal State – This view of the state emerges from classical liberalism, and is exemplified by Locke’s writings. The state performs few functions. It protects its citizens from each other and from external attack, but it does little more. In this view – embraced by American conservatives – other social functions are best left to the private sector.

(2) Developmental State – Developmental states are more interventionist than minimal states, meaning that they take a more active role in regulating society and the economy. This type of state will intervene in the economy for particular purposes, often in an effort to coordinate economic activity for some specific purpose, frequently a national priority.

(3) Social-democratic State – These states also intervene in the economic sector, but they do so to mitigate the effects of capitalism. Even Marx believed that capitalism was extremely efficient at generating wealth, but absent government intervention this wealth will be distributed very unevenly. The social-democratic state steps in to alleviate these inequalities.

(4) Collectivized State – Developmental and social-democratic states intervene in a mostly free economy. In a collectivized state, like that favored by Marxists, the state controls the entire economy. Also called a planned economy, the state plans the entire range of economic production.

(5) Totalitarian State – These states control not just the economy, but all aspects of individuals’ lives. The fictional case of Gilead from The Handmaid’s Tale exemplifies this type of state.

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: Zhang Ailing The Rice Sprout Song book

Total Pages: 5 Words: 1774 Bibliography: 0 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: Write a paper on a book: Zhang, Ailing, The Rice Sprout Song

Guidelines:
This is not a class of creative writing, so you do not need to focus on the literary merits of
the novels. Try to focus on the interaction between the personal/emotional with the wider
socio-political, historical, and cultural contexts of the stories. The best way of doing the
book report is to write your choice of specific characters and their interaction or/and dialogues in specific plots that giveyou deep impressions.Explain what kind of impressions you get from reading them,
and why you are impressed: what social or historical conditions do they reveal and reflect?
Are you surprised by them, and why are you surprised?
Focus on the complexity of human conditions in these interactions and conversations in a specific time and place that does not fit the formulations or stereotypes like "class interests,consciousness and solidarity," gender issue"women"docility" or "totalitarian state"easily. Observe and analyze. Avoid moral or normative judgements.

-focus on 2( no more than 3) either plots/characters or even time frame that impressed/surprised you most and eleborate them.

-the paper should discuss the themes in a more specific way


-ex. can focus on relationship/tension/contrast between people e.g. mother and daughter, men and women


-do not write a summary or describe the whole story, the paper should be your insights/thoughts/themes etc.




If you finish the paper earlier, it would be great to deliver to me few hours earlier so I can edit a bit.
Thank you.

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: Civil Society

Total Pages: 4 Words: 1385 Sources: 0 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Research Paper

Essay Instructions: -My term paper topic is
Give my own definition of civil society and explain how it differs from the
1) state (or government) 2)political society (or political parties) and 3)
economic society (or business firms) Next, explain why civil society as I
defined it is important.

The professor emphasized on the structure focus, and originality in the
essay and relevant examples to logically support my ideas.
Moreover, the most important part of the essay is to explain why civil
society as I defined it is important. The structure has to be put at best
to
logically give the best answer possible to the topic.
_______________________
Added on via email from customer:
Hello, My name is Sunhyung
Order ID: 33013
Order Number: 0419042

I would like to give you more specific description for the essay:

(Essay Qusetion)
What is civil society? Present your own definition of civil society and
explain how it differs from
1)state 2)political society, and 3)economic society. Next, explain why
civil society as you have defined it is important.

(Structure) PLEASE FOLLOW THIS STRUCTURE-

1) Nature / Componets of the Civil Society (to give background to my
definition)
-what is the nature of civil society?
-include, how civil society differs from society
-the componets of civil society as I will define
these are, trade union, churches, the media, and certain interst groups
(mostly voluntary)
-emphasize the importance of free media as the component of Civil society.
The characteristics of the media that we can hear different opinion from
all classes who has different goals.

2) My definition of civil society
Make a defintion of civil society-descriptive! anayalitical!
The definition should not consider CS as a idealistic thing, however, a
defnition we can use
to analyze civil society generally with all other Civil society in
different culture/regimes.

Example) This papragraph should look something like this-
(Alagappa 2004)
Civil soceity is a distinct public sphere; as a realm for nonstate
organization; and as a means to influence the structure and ules of the
political game. In the first perspective, civil society is a distince
sphere of rights, political discouse, cirtical reflection, construction of
normative ideals, and self-goverance. In the second perspective, civil
society reders to the voluntary and nonvoluntary organizations that
populate the realm located at the interstice among the state, political
society, the market, and the society at large and take collective action in
the pursuit of public interest. In the third the focus is on the
instrumental role of civil society organizations in constructing,
protecting, and explanding the public shpere, limiting state power, making
demands on the state, affecting the political system, and restructing the
realtions among actors in the different realms.
It is crucial to note here that civil society is not a monolithic force but
a diverse groups of actors whose interest may span a wider spectrum. Though
they maybe distinguised for analytical purposes, the three perspectives are
interrelated. And, moreover, the definition advanced here is necessarily a
broad one menat to capture the multiple and features of civil society.

(the foucus on my essay is the 'components of civil society as a
definition.'
I want to define the key 'components' of civil society to analyticially
contrast will other spheres clearly, and it should also consist of the
characteris of the civil society
autonomy /pluralism
has the ability to do political activity in the public sphere.
independent of the market as well as the state.)

(This is the defintion of my professor-
Civil society is a set of self-organized groups and movements in society
that are relatively autonomous from the state, basic units of production
and reproduction and political society, and are capable of political
activity in public sphere to express their concerns and advance their
interest, according to the principles of pluralism(this is an essential
compoenet of civil society) and self governance.



3) How civil society differs from State
-Policy making.
-Componets/organizations are different
-State represents the majority vocie/ civil society represent all citizens
voice
-Revenue
As for the state, it has tax revenues, and the market which acumulates
welath through capital accumulation.
However, Civil society can meet only a portion of its fiancial requirements
from service fees, subscriptions and donation.

4)How civil society differs from the political society

Political society-The primary actors in this realm seek to mobolize public
support and to constitue winning coalition in the formal competition and
management of state power through election and the constitution of
legislatures.
Civil society-It does not organize themselves on a partisan basis to
aggregate interests and formally compete for state office.

Example) The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, after the 17th general
elections became, a political party, the 'Democratic Labor Party'
Explain the role of 'The Federation of Korean Trade Unions' differes from
the 'Democratic Labor Party' In the froms of how they affect the policy,
and their ultimate goals. (I mentioned the goal of the political society
just above)

Also, explain that this differenitate between the political society and the
civil society is one of the most useful indicator to measure the existence
of the Civil Society even in the most authoritarian and totalitarian states
in a defensive or underground form.

5)How Civil Society differs from Economic Society

Economic Society left it to itself, exacerbates inequalities, undermines
solidarity and generates a structure of power relations that is all the
less accountable for existing in the private, rather than the public
sphere. So it is norm to define civil society as an autonomous/independent
sphere of the market.

6) Why is civil society important.
-Describe the specific 'componets' of civil society. Describe the specific
components of 'democracy' and how civil society cooresponds to the
development of democracy.
(You have to be very careful, because this is not always the case. So, I
must be very specific about the components of civil society.)
-Civil society takes an imporatant role is a immediate sphere betweem the
family (meaning individuals) and state
-Civil society gives voice to the minority, and the equality aspect that
can be neglected by the virtue of the state, political society, and market.


7) Conclusion.
Finisih the essay to make this memmorable, and interesting.
I have to make the reader believe, judge that my definition is right.
It should sum up the essay.

Excerpt From Essay:

Request A Custom Essay On This Topic

Testimonials

I really do appreciate HelpMyEssay.com. I'm not a good writer and the service really gets me going in the right direction. The staff gets back to me quickly with any concerns that I might have and they are always on time.

Tiffany R

I have had all positive experiences with HelpMyEssay.com. I will recommend your service to everyone I know. Thank you!

Charlotte H

I am finished with school thanks to HelpMyEssay.com. They really did help me graduate college..

Bill K