Why and how totalitarian state to be unacceptable?

Answer 1

The word 'totalitarian' as an adjective is comparatively new in English. It dates only from the 1920s. The earliest occurrence listed by OED2 is 1926. In that dictionary the meaning is given as "Of or pertaining to a system of government which tolerates only one political party, to which all other institutions are subordinated, and which usually demands the complete subservience of the individual to the State".

The 1926 use was by B.B.Carter translating from the Italian: "Anti-Fascism..has, however, a positive sense if it is taken to represent an element antagonistic to the `totalitarian' and absolute position of Fascism." It is worth noting that the two concepts Totalitarianism and Fascism grew up together, more or less as the opposite ends of the political spectrum.

'Totalitarianism' has always been pejorative; 'Fascism' has certainly become so since WW2. Originally Fascism was the name adopted by Mussolini's party in Italy in 1921 I think. In Italian, the word 'fascio' simply means 'bundle' or 'political group' according to COED10, so it is merely descriptive of how the party was put together. You might already have worked out that 'Totalitarian' came from the Italian too, so we have Italy to thank for both words.

But let us get back to your question, which asked for a reason that Totalitarianism was considered bad. The answer is simply that the word itself was coined by somebody who apparently thought Communism bad. Communists would not have called their state bad, and so would not have used the word 'Totalitarian' to describe it. And so it is today. If you are a Communist, you will not use the word. If you hate Communism, or wish to denigrate it, you will call it Totalitarian. The word merely expresses an opinion. Of course, that opinion is becoming more and more widely held. I can understand your need to ask that question today, whatever the colour of your politics.