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6 - The Institutional Genes of Totalitarian Ideology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2025

Chenggang Xu
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
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Summary

Totalitarian systems, marked by extreme violence, are fundamentally bound to an ideology, such as Marxism-Leninism, which is instrumental to their creation and persistence, from the Bolshevik revolution in Russia to modern China. The chapter examines the genesis of communist totalitarian ideology in early Christian communal equality, connecting it to Rousseau’s and Babeuf’s anti-property ideals, which ultimately influenced Marxism and its vision of a dictatorial society in the name of absolute equality. The enduring pull towards egalitarianism, when pushed to extremes, can encroach on private property rights, ironically culminating in totalitarian rule and unprecedented inequality.

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Chapter
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Institutional Genes
Origins of China's Institutions and Totalitarianism
, pp. 202 - 260
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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