5.5: The Origins of Totalitarianism (Hannah Arendt)

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29 The Origins of Totalitarianism (Hannah Arendt)

Hannah Arendt^⁵⁶ (1906-1975) viewed politics very differently than most other Politcal theorists out there: she was heavily influenced by the events of WWII and became very wary of governmental states that allowed for the abuses of power, however they came about. One point she wants to be sure to emphasize is that we have to be sure to remember that the states and governments are there to help us flourish, or achieve Eudaimonia, and we can never forget that.

The Origins of Totalitarianism

While it is available freely on the Internet but cannot be reprinted here due to copyright reasons, Totalitarianism: The Inversion of Politics (Jerome Kohn, Director, Hannah Arendt Center, New School University), contains a wonderful discussion of The Origins of Totalitarianism, Arendt’s most influential piece, as well as her life, views, and other writings. Please read it here: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/arendthtml/essayb1.html .