Confused hierarchies make totalitarian rule shock-proof and command-certain
Evidence
As techniques of government, the totalitarian devices appear simple and ingeniously effective. They assure not only an absolute power monopoly, but unparalleled certainty that all commands will always be carried out; the multiplicity of the transmission belts, the confusion of the hierarchy, secure the dictator’s complete independence of all his inferiors and make possible the swift and surprising changes in policy for which totalitarianism has become famous. The body politic of the country is shock-proof because of its shapelessness. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 922
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines the operative mechanism of totalitarian governance: deliberate hierarchy confusion and multiplication of transmission belts as a technique, not a failing.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 922
- XREF: connects to: Totalitarian elites obey vague orders meant to convey intent, not explicit commands; Totalitarian rule deliberately multiplies offices and conceals the true seat of power; In totalitarian states, real power correlates inversely with institutional visibility (+12 more)