What is a single party state

What is the government?
Do we need it?
Who should be ruler?
How should relationships between different groups in society should be?

Characteristics
States restrict individual liberties to ensure the well being/rule in the interest of the state
A state (country) with one powerful leader
An official ideology imposed by the state, with no alternative viewpoints. An official plan that covers a large aspects of life (public and personal)
A single mass party that represents a small percentage of the entire population. Usually very committed to the party and the implementation of the plan

Characteristics
A government monopoly (total control) of the media and culture, used for propaganda. This also includes religious institutions and schools
Government monopoly of the police and military
Use of secret police and a vast repressive machinery
Government control of all key institutions, such as the army, youth movements and workers organizations
No independent rule of law (Government controls judges!)
Government control of the economy

The First World War 1914-1918
Destroyed many peoples faith in the idea of progress as a natural law of History
Undermined Europe’s economic prosperity for at least a generation
Treaty of Versailles fuelled nationalism across the continent
Emergence of Communism and Fascism

The Leader
Single-party states place great emphasis on the unique talent, intelligence, insight and courage of the leader
Every case the leader personifies the party to the point of being virtually synonymous with it

Rise of Party = Rise of Leader
When studying the rise of a single-party state, we must also consider the significant role played by the growth in status of its leader
How to they grow in power inside the party?
And how does that party take over the government?
How do they gain & maintain support?

Discussion Point: Creating the “myth”
All totalitarian leaders in the 20th C have been men. Many of the stereotypical qualities of leadership summed up in the phrase “a man of action,”including courage, determination, commanding physical size and strength, are strongly identified as masculine attributes.
Also, all societies in which totalitarian leaders have come to power were more “traditional”
Would it be possible to have a female totalitarian leader?

The Leader
Condition of crisis permeating the state
Political? Economic? Social?
How does this “rising” leader aim to fix this crisis ???
How does this leader get people to back him?
What is it about this leader that motivates and excited people to join him?

Ideology & Political Platform
Ideology – a statement of broad principles and vision of the future
Political platform – translating those broad concepts and ideals into actual to-the-core policies, programs, and actions
For example – if you choose Lenin, the “Bread” revolution was a practical platform to address the immediate need for change in power (people were starving! The czar had to go!); Marxist ideology professes power to go to the workers (peasants)

Delivering the Message & Taking Power
Methods used to “get the message out”
Propaganda !!! Slogans !!! Posters !!!
Also Education, Arts, Rallies
Taking power
Democratically (Hitler & Mussolini), but still used moderate violence and confrontation
By force (Castro, Mao, Lenin), with guerrilla warfare and military coup d’etat

The Elimination of the Opposition
The mistakes or shortcomings of opponents are crucial to the success of the new leader and the party in their attempt to seize and hold onto power
Address regime change & how the defeated party failed to respond effectively to the crisis
A power vacuum in created through which the new leader and his party rise to take control
Be sure to use good examples here! Tell the story, have it come alive for us!