Totalitarianism by Mattis Demset

The Requisite Trilogy for Totalitarianism

The headcount of the compliant population is sufficient when mass formation psychosis infects  enough people to divide a nation

In the 20^th Century history of historical global totalitarianism, competing political parties were initially tolerated.  But soon, political opposition ceased to be allowed by the ruling class.  Eventually, elections evolved into sham events, or were cancelled.  Joseph Stalin once famously said that what matters is not who votes, but who counts the votes. 

The second requisite for totalitarianism is a complicit news media eager to parrot the talking points of a corrupt central government. The venues of broadcasting (TV, radio), print  (newspapers, tabloids), and social media (e.g., Google, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok), with the financial support of commercial advertisers, make up a news media that routinely shills for the ruling political class.  

The third and final requirement is a compliant population that accepts the maxims of the totalitarian agenda.  In America, derogatory slurs aimed at the minority party include accusations of being Nazis, white supremacists, racists, and sexists. 

The headcount of the compliant population is sufficient when mass formation psychosis infects  enough people to divide a nation.