Presenter: Francis Grice (Associate Professor at McDaniel College)
Abstract: Totalitarian governments blossomed during the twentieth century, some continue to exist today, and others are likely to appear in the years ahead. The peoples living under the rule of these regimes have endured numerous grievances, including economic hardship, political disempowerment, government oppression, and food shortages. Yet, bringing about their demise has often proved difficult or even insurmountable. Drawing upon historical and current-day examples, this presentation will argue that a variety of factors help to explain why totalitarian regimes either survive or fall. This will include discussing those factors that help to prop up or weaken these regimes. It will also involve arguing that totalitarian regimes that fail to prevent fraternization between their country’s military and civilian population are more likely to be overthrown than those that manage to promote suspicion and hostility between the two groups. The revolution that overthrew the Ceausescu regime in Romania, for example, succeeded because the country’s military had developed substantial ties with the population as a result of a number of factors, including the government’s decision to use the country’s military to help with agricultural labor. Today, the world continues to suffer the existence of a number of horrifying totalitarian regimes, such as the Kim Jong-un government in North Korea, as well as to endure the gradual shift of governments in countries such as Russia and China back towards totalitarianism. This makes research that examines how these governments might come undone both timely and of likely considerable value.
Francis Grice is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Political Science and International Studies at McDaniel College in Maryland and has a PhD in Defence Studies from King’s College London. He researches and teaches in the fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics, with a concentration on Security Studies and Asia and the Pacific.
Participation gratuite
