Totalitarianism is a form of government, which emerged in various countries during the first half of the twentieth century. The term originated in Italy to describe the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. It has also been applied to Hitler's Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin. These are the basic features of a totalitarian regime:

• Central control of the economy by the state.
  

• Only one political party allowed to exist.
  

• State-controlled media.
  

• A ruthless secret police.
  

• A god-like national figurehead.
  

• An official ideology, which takes priority over the law, religion and individual conscience.
  

Stalin forbade opposition parties, stating:

• Freedom for various political parties
  

• No ground in the USSR for the existence of several parties
  

• In the USSR only one party can exist, the Communist Party.