Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism, or the Total State, is a political system wherein the government seeks to control every aspect of social or economic activity; it is the opposite of anarcho-capitalism. Under the rule of a totalitarian state virtually every activity is either expressly prohibited or mandatory, with little or no room for individual preferences. During times of economic or political upheaval, people often call for increasing government regulation or control over society in order to have relative stability or security. Ludwig von Mises noted in Intervention: An Economic Analysis that such intervention will necessarily lead to more intervention to correct or reverse previous government actions. Over time this can lead to the Total State.