The Origins of Totalitarianism
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1951
- Form
- Political theory
- Language
- English
- Length
- Long · 530 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Origins of TotalitarianismHarvest (Harcourt), 1973The revised edition with Arendt's added prefaces, the text usually assigned.
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Arendt's first major book traces the conditions that made Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia possible. Part one follows the rise of modern antisemitism and the Dreyfus affair. Part two treats imperialism, the alliance of capital and mob, race thinking, and the collapse of the nation state that left millions stateless and without the right to have rights. Part three describes totalitarianism as a new form of government that uses mass movements, ideology and terror to make human beings superfluous, with the concentration camp as its central institution.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Origins of Totalitarianism are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
