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totalitarian regime

totalitarian regime

6 8.3
A government that controls almost all parts of people's lives by force
  • noun
  • /ˌtoʊtəlˈtɛriən rɪˈɡeɪm/
  • Formal
translation icon : régimen totalitario
  • Haven't they already suffered enough from colonization, war, droughts, economic decline, and a totalitarian regime?
  • authoritarian or totalitarian regime
  • oppressive totalitarian regimes

China is one party dictatorship, the largest totalitarian regime in the whole world.

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Examples

  • And I really experienced what most people in the West have never, ever experienced: life under a totalitarian regime.

  • But surveillance also has the capacity to stifle expressive autonomy, as under a totalitarian regime.

    Academic text (2018)
  • While you have likely never lived in a nation under a totalitarian regime, I have.

    Blog text (8)
  • But in the Soviet Union you have a totalitarian regime which is in some ways similar.

  • Even people living under totalitarian regimes still typically have choices.

    Academic text (1999)
  • China is one party dictatorship, the largest totalitarian regime in the whole world.

  • Some of the most notorious examples come from totalitarian regimes.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The strength of a totalitarian regime isn't really in its army; it's in its bureaucracy.

    Blog text (8)
  • North Korea's totalitarian regime and impoverished society buck these trends.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Life under a totalitarian regime often involves strict censorship and a lack of personal freedoms.

Synonyms

dictatorship
vstotalitarian regime
157 4.8

A government where one person or a small group has all power and does not allow political opposition

emphasizes absolute power but not explicit total control of private life
tyranny
vstotalitarian regime
109 6.7

One person or a small group rules a country cruelly

emphasizes oppressive harshness rather than systematic control of private life
police state
vstotalitarian regime
30 7.5

A country where the government uses strict police control and spying to limit people's freedoms

focuses on security enforcement and surveillance rather than complete life control
totalitarianism
vstotalitarian regime
  • Formal
19 9.3

A government that controls nearly all parts of people's lives and takes away personal freedom

is about a specific ruling government rather than the abstract system
authoritarianism
vstotalitarian regime
11 8.7

A system where one person or small group has almost all political power

is about a government that seeks total control of public and private life
despotism
vstotalitarian regime
  • Formal
7 9.6

A government where one person or group has all power and rules cruelly

focuses on harsh personal cruelty rather than controlling every aspect of life
authoritarian regime
vstotalitarian regime
5 7.4

A government where one leader or a small group holds power and limits people's freedoms

focuses on power concentration rather than full control of private life
totalitarian state
vstotalitarian regime
  • Formal
5 8.2

A government that controls almost every part of people's lives and punishes people who disagree

is the same idea but uses a different label for the governing body
authoritarian state
vstotalitarian regime
1 7.6

A country ruled by leaders who tightly control people's lives and freedoms

seeks absolute control of all aspects of life through coercion

Antonyms

782 1.6

A system of government where people choose leaders by free elections

How Controlling

totalitarian regime
  • Formal
6 8.3
dictatorship
157 4.8
democracy
782 1.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

totalitarian + regime

The meaning is directly compositional: 'totalitarian' denotes control over all aspects of life and 'regime' denotes a governing system, so a learner who knows both words can infer a government that seeks to control public and private life. This ordinary adjective+noun combination is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent semantic composition, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

The term totalitarian regime comes from the idea that the government wants complete control, with total meaning 'whole' and regime meaning 'government'. Imagine a government trying to control every home, school, and newspaper, so it means a state that controls both public and private life.