Totalitarianism and Fascism

In Totalitarianism and Fascism: A Century of Ideocratic Regimes, Peter Franken examines the radical political derailments that defined the twentieth century, treating them not as sudden aberrations, but as the secular heirs to Western totalising traditions. The book provides a profound comparative analysis of Soviet Communism, German National Socialism, and Italian Fascism, exploring how these regimes attempted to construct a 'New Man' and enforce total social alignment. Franken dissects the core mechanics of the ideocracy through the critical tension between modernity and modernism, showing how these regimes embraced technological and social modernisation while reshaping cultural life to serve an overarching ideological imperative. By exploring the replacement of traditional law with ideological dogma and the conflict between state control and artistic expression, Franken demonstrates how these 20th-century ambitions continue to echo in modern political thought and authority.