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Lecturer(s)
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Letková Alexandra, JUDr. Ph.D.
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Osina Petr, JUDr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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The Concept of Totalitarianism: Origins and Critique The Breakdown of the Rule of Law: From States of Emergency (Militant Democracy) to Permanent (Authoritarian/Totalitarian) Power Constitutional Mechanisms for Legitimizing Totalitarian Power Italian Fascism and the Corporate State Transformation of Law as a Tool of Ideology in Nazi Germany The Soviet Model of Socialist Legality (or Socialist Humanism) Law and Propaganda Criminal Law as a Tool of Repression Property and Totalitarianism International Law and Responses to Totalitarian Crimes Transition from Totalitarianism to the Rule of Law Memory, Constitutional Identity, and the Protection of Democracy
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training)
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Learning outcomes
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The course History of Totalitarianism focuses on the analysis of the emergence, development, and functioning of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century, with an emphasis on their ideological foundations, mechanisms of power, and social consequences. Students will examine the conditions that enabled the rise of totalitarian movements, the methods of consolidating power, and the tools of societal control, including propaganda, repression, the cult of personality, and legal manipulation. Special attention will be given to regimes such as Nazism in Germany under Adolf Hitler, Stalinism in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, as well as other authoritarian and totalitarian models in Europe (fascism; developments in the Soviet Union after Stalin?s death). The course will also address comparisons of totalitarianism with other non-democratic regimes, reflections on the concept of totalitarianism in political, philosophical, and legal theory, and discussions on its use in contemporary historiography. The aim of the course is to develop students? ability to critically analyze historical sources, identify the structural features of totalitarian power, and assess its impact on individuals and society. Graduates will gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of political radicalization and centralization of power and will be able to situate historical experiences within the broader context of the development of modern political systems.
Students will become familiar with the development of totalitarianism, its international reach, and its interventions in the internal affairs of other democratic states. The course is interdisciplinary, integrating legal history, legal theory, and legal philosophy. Students will learn to think in broader contexts that go beyond a purely textual interpretation of legal norms.
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Prerequisites
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Passing of any other course is not demanded.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Student performance
Active participation in class, reading texts as part of preparation, final colloquium
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Recommended literature
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Arendt, H. (1951). The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York.
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Aron, R., Jochmann, V., & Petrusek, M. (1993). Demokracie a totalitarismus. Brno.
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Fraenkel, E. (1941). The Dual State: A Contribution to the Theory of Dictatorship. New York.
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Geis, M E., Bosiacki, A., & Safferling, C. (eds.). (2024). Dealing with Totalitarian Regimes and Human Rights: A Polish German Dialogue.. Cham.
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Mises, L. von. (1944). Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War. New Haven.
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Popper, K. (1945). The Open Society and Its Enemies. London.
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Rummel, R. (1990). Lethal Politics: Soviet Genocide and Mass Murder since 1917.. New Brunswick.
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Shirer, W. (1960). The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. New York.
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Snyder, T. (2017). On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. New York.
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Zubok, V. P., & Piffer, T. (eds.). (2011). Totalitarian Societies and Democratic Transition. Amsterdam.
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