Dictatorships are the very opposite of what a democracy is supposed to be. By their very nature, they have the power and control of an entire nation being held in the hands of one person or a small, elite group. This means that individuals themselves do not matter; what matters is achieving the goals of the nation. Because of this, we would consider dictatorships to be based on collectivism, rather than individualism. In an ideal world, this premise has value in the efficiency aspect. It is far quicker to make decisions when it is only a small group making them, whose "best interests" lie in the greatness of the nation, by doing what the leader(s) see as the best course of action. This means that citizen participation is limited because taking the time to listen to all opinions and reach a consensus on what to do can take TIME = inefficient. In most situations, time isn't that much of an issue, unless it pertains to the safety and security of the nation. In general, people tend to accept the rule of a dictator because it usually brings a feeling of safety (or perceived safety). There is usually a belief that the dictator is benevolent and looking out for the population's best interest. This belief is enhanced through the use of propaganda/media to promote this sentiment. However, there can be a higher degree of safety because of the fact a dictator can act immediately to any security threat. As well, if we look back to Hobbes' ideas, people are selfish and reckless and greedy; therefore, you need strict control of the population to restrict these natural tendencies. Another philosopher that would somewhat agree with the ideas of complete control of the people would be Edmund Burke. Unlike Hobbes, Burke didn't believe that people needed to be controlled. Rather, he looked at political structure from a classical conservative point of view. This means that he was a reactionary. In all, Burke believed that people needed to have a strong leader/government because giving people freedom had proven disastrous, as seen with the French, American and Industrial Revolutions. People, particularly the uneducated masses, were not equipped to make important decisions. As such, you need to have an absolute power (in Burke's time this would have been a monarch) to control and make decisions for the people incapable of doing so.
Remember, there are several different names that can be given to be similar to the idea of dictatorships:
dictatorship
authoritarianism
totalitarianism
oligarchy
monarchy
autocracy
This week, we will be analyzing how dictatorships worked, particularly in Nazi Germany in the 1930s to 1945 and in the USSR from 1924 to 1991. We will briefly touch upon the economic ideas of communism in the USSR, but in the context that shows how the Soviet Union used it as a means to control citizens. After we look at both rejections of liberalism and compare them, we will look at how these rejections led to a World War (namely World War II) and the Cold War, which lasted from approximately 1945-1990 with the fall of communism and eventual disintegration of the Soviet Union. Liberalism did not, and still does not, stand idly by as other systems reject its beliefs; in the case of fascism, World War II was fought and in the case of communism, it was the Cold War.
So what will we be doing this week?
Tuesday:
Dissent Squares Due TODAY
Decide: More focus on projects to go through Hitler/Stalin OR projects as simply comparison?
We will decide tomorrow what you would rather do and pick a due date
Over-view of essays
Partner Re-test
You pick your partner and you will retake the test,without notes or your phones. This will be marked, just won't be worth as much as your individual test
Pick your groups and start researching
Wednesday:
What's in a dictatorship? Notes
Article: How does a democracy change to a dictatorship?
Work on your project
Thursday:
Rants by Kyle and Allia
Practice Writing
A WHOLE assignment will be posted, but you still only need to complete ONE paragraph (if you are in 30-2, you will need to complete one paragraph on each assignment). The difference? You pick what you want feedback on. So if it's defending your opinion, write that. Look at your rubrics from your essays - the areas you did not do well in should be what you ask for feedback on in the next practice essays
