Excuses

What does every single totalitarian regime ever in history have in common? Well if it was felt necessary to explain the move into totalitarianism, all gave explanations why they had to be temporarily totalitarian - because of course when the temporary crisis that threatened everyone and everything was thanks to these measures in the near future overcome - Jews, class enemies, whatever - then things would naturally be relaxed. In the meantime though, until we got to this future, massive amounts of fear had to be awakened in everyone about the relevant crises which were threatening existence. Unfortunately though it seems these crises had a habit of in time never ever being quite overcome, or else perhaps a new threat would come along, and so the totalitarianism became more and more solidified against these threats. They had no choice. 

Not one of these regimes ever just came out and explained the totalitarianism as simply the result of their being deranged and psychotic control freaks, and that this was the kind of world they wanted. Maybe it wouldn’t have gone down well. Instead there were always very good excuses offered . . . well maybe not very good excuses, admittedly they might have been crap excuses, but they were still offered up, and maybe some people even believed them.