Legality

Consider the distinction that Hannah Arendt draws between "lawful" governments and "unlawful" government. What are the defining features of each kind of government, in their conception of the purpose of the law, and the relation of the law to the individual? How is the law conceived of differently by totalitarian governments? What makes this different relationship to the law possible, according to Arendt?

A Novel Form of Government

In each section, Arendt lists several ways in which totalitarianism is a novel form of government. Look in each section and identify the way that Arendt claims totalitarianism is modern. What aspects of modern life does Arendt depend on here? Do you agree with her argument that totalitarian governments are unprecedented in human history?

History

Consider the role played by history in the self-conception of totalitarian governments. What historical models does totalitarianism draw on, and in what way...