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Fenomentotalitaryzmów
onalllevelsofsocialexistence(Gleichschaltung)”60.Temobilizationofthemassesis
indispensabletothisneworder61;themassesaretoreceivetheimpressionthatthey
areparticipatinginthepoliticalsystem“insomewaysinanevenmoreactiveman-
nerthandemocraticsystemswhichrelyonthefreeinterplayofcompetingsocial
forces”62.Tesurvivalofmoderndictatorshipsislinkedtoafurtherhighly-significant
factor:“Moderndictatorships,autocraticastheymaybe,havetofulfilthesocialneeds
ofsecurity,materialwelfareandspiritualbelongingfortheirmassfollowingifthey
expectanydegreeofpermanence”63.Wehavelearnedfromanalysesofthecollapseof
theEasternBlocthatthesedictatorshipswerenotinapositiontosatisfythematerial
andspiritualneedsoftheirfollowersonasustainedbasis.Indescribingmoderndic-
tatorshipsas“post-democratic”Neumannbringsbothsystemsclosetogether:“[…]
oneoughttorecognizethatbothrivalsystemsbelongtothesamehistoricalera”64.
Tismeansthatbothsystemsmustprovideanswerstoproblemsandquestionscom-
montothem.InNeumann,sviewbothdemocraciesanddictatorshipsfeatureleaders
andfollowers.Yetthediferenceliesinthespecificselection,characterandfunctions
ofthecompetinginstitutions.Tedecisivediferenceisthatadictatorshipinstitu-
tionalizesrevolution.Tismakesittotal:itseekstopervadeeveryfibreofsociety.Te
bodywiththemostimportantroleifthistotalpervasionofsocietyistobeachieved
isthepartymachine65.WhenNeumanndrawsparallelsbetweenDictatorshipand
democracythismayremindus,thataferthecollapseofCommunismsomesocial
scientistsaretalkingaboutadecreasingofdemocracies,too.
Itishismultifactorialandmulti-dynamicpointwhichdiferentiatesNeumann
fromothertotalitarianismtheorists.Itisthisconceptwhichenableshimtoalsoin-
cludetheoremsfromotherthinkersasvalidatingelementsinhismuchmorecomplex
concept.Tisexplainshisdistinctlyconstructivediscursivestylewhencomparedwith
hispeers.Onthe30thofNovember1949SigmundNeumannwrotetoCarlJoachim
Friedrich:“Ihopethatourdiscussionwasusefulforyouandyourgroup.Itwasmost
assuringtofindthatinspiteofouralltooinfrequentget-togethersweseemtoagree
onthefundamentals”66.“Fundamentals”hereispresumablylessaboutmethodical
andmethodologicalprocessesregardingtheresearchsubjectthanthecommonplat-
formbothtookastheirbase:theconvictionthatfreedemocracyistheformofpoliti-
calorderwhichistobedefendedandsecured.
Inordertostressthispointofview,Neumannfavours“definitionbycontrast”in
theformofcomparativeanalysisof“constitutionaldemocracy”and“totalitarianism”
.
Hestatesthatthemodernideologicalwarbetweensystemsseestheopponentsap-
propriatingeachother,sideasandconcepts;thesearethenideologicallybent,asthe
60Ibidem,p.25.
61Oneofthemorerecenttheoriestoexplainwhycrowdsseemtoacttogetheristheemergent-normtheory
byTurner&Kilian(1987).Cf.W
.Heitmeyer,J.Hagan(eds.),InternationalesHandbuchderGewaltforschung,
Opladen2002,pp.1465f.(English:TeInternationalHandbookofViolenceResearch,2003).
62S.Neumann,TowardaTeoryofTotalitarianism,pp.25f.
63Ibidem,p.26.
64Ibidem.
65Ibidem,p.28.
66SigmundNeumannPapers,FileS.Neumann,sLetters1949–1961.
