TOTALITARISMO: ORIGEN Y EVOLUCIÓN DE UN CONCEPTO CLAVE

Authors

  • JUAN FRANCISCO FUENTES

Keywords:

Dictatorship, fascism, communism, cold war, fundamentalism, anti-semitism, political religion.

Abstract

This article takes a look at the concept of totalitarianism from its origins in the twenties to the present day. Its history can meaningfully be divided into various stages: 1. The appearance of the term in fascist Italy and its spread to the rest of the world during the thirties; 2. A temporary crisis due to the alliance between the West and the USSR during the Second World War; 3. Its widespread use during the Cold War, especially in the first few years (1945-1953), when it enjoyed its «golden age» as a concept; 4. Gradual decline in its importance following the death of Stalin as East-West relations thawed; 5. Irreversible decline during détente. The author examines national debates concerning totalitarianism (eg, in France and Spain), observing the changes in its meaning and overlaps with other terms that arose as alternatives towards the end of the 20th century, above all, the concept of fundamentalism.

Published

2008-03-24