In terms of discussing the Soviet experience, totalitarianism is a term often found in academic journals and articles. However, can this term be fully applied to the entire leadership of the Soviet Union? In this essay, I will discuss the concept of totalitarianism and its applications in Soviet history. Totalitarianism is defined as the political concept in which a citizen is totally subject to absolute state authority; To further explain this, I will use Friedrich and Brzezinski's six criteria of a totalitarian regime. In addition to this, since totalitarianism is often applied to the Stalin era (1924-1953), I will also discuss whether the concept of totalitarianism can be applied to the Soviet Union under Lenin (1917 -1924), Khrushchev (1953-1964) and Gorbachev (1985-1991). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Friedrich and Brzezinski (1965:22) argue that there are six characteristics that define a totalitarian regime: a singular guiding ideology; a single mass party led by an omnipotent figure; a system of terror (e.g. secret police and terrorist regimes); a monopoly on the army and weapons; a monopoly on communication within and around the state; and direct control of the economy through government or any other channel. Kohn (2002: 621) suggests that Arendt, a political theorist who developed other ideas about totalitarianism, was "aware that her concept of totalitarianism could only take on its full meaning after the end of the regimes she described.” Their usefulness will vary, it is worth mentioning that Arendt's work and her theories will be useful for many years. Lenin's leadership of the Soviet Union began in 1917 after the Russian Revolution and ended after his death in 1924. While Stalinist Russia was dubbed a key example of a totalitarian state, Leninism was considered "the ideological foundation” of totalitarianism (McFaul and Markov, 1993: 310). Lenin's leadership meets the criteria of Friedrich and Brzezinski to a certain extent. Marxism and communism constitute the basic form of the ideology and, through the Cheka, torture and murder were common. The aim was to reduce opposition formation following the civil war. The Cheka also contributed to the monopolization of communication within the state. For example, strikes were banned and popular culture limited freedoms. What little freedom artists and authors had was granted in order to reduce the risk of uprisings in Russia. However, although strikes and most popular culture were banned, Lenin's regime obviously experienced bouts of frivolity, whether peasant revolts or possession of a banned book. The economic policies within Lenin's system of War Communism were incredibly totalitarian, due to the nationalization of much of industry. by the Bolshevik government. The general objective was to “abolish private commerce” and “militarize work in essential industries” (Figes, 2014: 151). In doing so, he exerted a strong hold on the Russian economy and workforce. However, Lenin quickly moved away from the concept of totalitarianism with the NEP (New Economic Policy). The NEP troubled many, as some citizens may have believed that Lenin was moving toward capitalism. With capitalism seen as an enemy of the state due to its Western connotations, Lenin introduced the NEP toavoid an economic disaster (Figes, 2014: 151). The NEP slightly liberated farmers, allowing them to sell their excess stocks. This in turn encouraged peasants, farmers and small businesses to build up a large stock of food in order to reduce the famine that was plaguing Russia at the time. Although this approach was statistically successful, totalitarianism is not very useful in explaining the Soviet experience and Lenin's regime. In contrast, one could hypothesize that totalitarianism is useful in another way; it gives people stable jobs and at least a minimum wage, no matter how difficult their job is. Totalitarianism is often attributed to Stalin's regime, primarily because of the substantial power he held as leader. The concept can almost entirely apply to Stalin's leadership because there is evidence to support Friedrich and Brzezinski's six criteria. After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin began to assert his desire for power and quickly rose through the ranks. For specialists of the totalitarian model, the Great Purges of 1937-1938 are the main example of a system of terror with a totalitarian regime. The purges allowed Stalin to maintain control of the Soviet Union and eliminate his political opponents; everyone was vulnerable and citizens lived in fear of being sent to the gulags. This helped Stalin form a totalitarian regime. In addition to being an actor of terror, the NKVD (a form of secret police) also reported people participating in suspicious activities and regulated forms of censorship and communication. The Russian state has infiltrated everything; from simple peasants to high-ranking members of the Communist Party (Kenez, 2006: 109). An interesting addition to the totalitarian regime that developed under Stalin is his creation of the “cult of personality.” In order to present Stalin in a positive light, images of Russian history were altered to portray Stalin as a Russian hero and citizens would have images of their leader around their homes (Figes, 2014: 334). However, “during the Terror, Stalin had to scale back his totalist objectives” (Service 2014: 235). Economic and industrial monopolization was commonplace under Stalin. Traditional peasants were accustomed to small farms and often threatened to withhold grain from the state if they were forced to conform to communist standards (Figes, 2014: 209). However, when collectivization was implemented from 1928 to 1940, "army and police units" were used to force "60 million people in 100,000 villages" to organize a collective (Figes, 2014 : 210): any resistance meant abuse, arrest or arrest. moved to a gulag. The intensity of violence used during the early Stalinist regime highlights the concept of totalitarianism and is extremely useful in explaining the Soviet experience under Stalin. World War II devastated the Soviet Union and its economy, but strengthened Stalin's totalitarian control; the war provided him with information about the “distribution of loyalty” within the state and allowed him to better “manage his enemies.” Service (2015:235) stated that "the state not only monopolized the instruments of coercion, but also dominated the means of mass communication", implying little or no questioning of the criteria of ideology unique. However, Stalin still found it difficult to avoid dissent. . After the establishment of collectivization, the year 1929 brought a peasant revolt during which crops were burned and livestock slaughtered. The disease was endemic and in 1932 “millions of peasants fled the collective farms.