Totalitarianism In North Korea

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(Where does a Totalitarianism government operate?) Our world consists of a variety of governments. Throughout history, there have been changes made to how leaders have kept control of their people. Some ways have been more favored than others. Totalitarianism has been somewhat favored by the leaders, or should I say the dictators. An example of one of these leaders would be Adolf Hitler. Everyone can conclude that that was a horrific time in our history that no one wishes to go through again. Hannah Arendt wrote a book titled The Origins of Totalitarianism, where she specifically references Hitler and the fact of dictatorship. She goes into great detail what it means and what this government consists of. Jerome Kohn, the director of …show more content…

North Korea has a very long history of dictatorship, for over fifty years. It started with Stalin, a ruler that was popular the same time as Hitler. North Korea is one of the very few countries that is in control by a communist dictator. Since the 1950’s, there has been a three generation line of rulers: Kim ll-sung, Kim jong-il, and Kim Jong-un. These dictators have put North Korea and its people through hell. They have had complete control over everything, giving the people no individual rights. Sharif M. Shuja, an adjunct Assistant Professor of International Relations, writes about the dictator of North Korea, saying, “Kim Jong-il, like his father, has run a ruthless government that has in many respects done its people terrible disservice. (Shuja 282.1647)” This government continues with his son, the current dictator of North …show more content…

Everyday life is very difficult for the people of this country because their economy is in such terrible ruins. They do not have enough to eat, consumer goods, and sometimes don’t even have electricity during the day. Laurie Lin, a writer that works for the Charleston Daily Mail, wrote an article on North Korea, saying, “Even the poorest Americans live amidst what to the average North Korean would be unimaginable luxury. (Lin)” On top of being starving and poor, they are completely controlled on every action they take. The government controls every aspect of their lives, and have little to no connections and information about the outside world. Many of the people are locked up in labor camps, being both starved and worked to death. The government is more worried about nuclear power than the well-being and health of the