Totalitarian describes a political system where the government controls everything and ordinary people have no power at all. Not just the laws and the army — also the newspapers, the television, the schools, the courts, which books you may read, what you may say to your neighbour, sometimes even what you are supposed to believe. There is one party, no real election, and no legal way to disagree.

Totalitarian極權主義的 describes a political system用來形容一種政治體制 where the government controls everything政府控制一切 and ordinary people have no power at all而一般人民完全沒有權力。Not just the laws and the army不只是法律和軍隊——also也包括 the newspapers, the television, the schools, the courts報紙、電視、學校、法院、which books you may read你可以讀什麼書、what you may say to your neighbour你可以對鄰居說什麼，sometimes even what you are supposed to believe有時候甚至連你該相信什麼都管。There is一個 one party只有一個政黨，no real election沒有真正的選舉，and no legal way to disagree也沒有合法的異議管道。

The key idea is in the word: TOTAL control. This is what separates it from ordinary dictatorship. A plain dictator may only want obedience — do not challenge me, and otherwise live your life.

The key idea關鍵概念 is in the word就在這個字本身：TOTAL control全面的控制。This這 is what separates it from ordinary dictatorship就是它和一般獨裁政權不同的地方。A plain dictator一般的獨裁者 may only want obedience可能只要你服從——do not challenge me不要挑戰我，and otherwise live your life其他時候你想怎麼過都可以。

A totalitarian state wants the whole of you: your public behaviour and your private thoughts. It reaches into the family, the classroom, and the mind. That is why writers reach for this word about Nazi Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union, and North Korea, rather than about every unpleasant government.

A totalitarian state極權國家 wants the whole of you要的是你的全部：your public behaviour and your private thoughts你公開的行為和你私下的想法都要。It它 reaches into the family, the classroom, and the mind伸進家庭、教室，甚至你的思想裡。That這 is why writers reach for this word也是為什麼作家會用這個字 about Nazi Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union, and North Korea來形容納粹德國、史達林的蘇聯，和北韓，rather than about every unpleasant government而不是隨便一個討人厭的政府都用。

It works as an adjective ("a totalitarian regime", "a totalitarian state") and, less often, as a noun for a person who supports such a system. The related noun for the system itself is totalitarianism.

It它 works as an adjective可以當形容詞用（"a totalitarian regime"「一個極權政權」、"a totalitarian state"「一個極權國家」） and, less often而比較少見地，as a noun也可以當名詞 for a person who supports such a system指支持這種體制的人。The related noun相關的名詞 for the system itself指這個體制本身的 is totalitarianism是 totalitarianism（極權主義）。

A caution about how it is really used. In careful writing it is a precise historical and political term. In arguments online it gets thrown at any rule someone dislikes — a school uniform policy, a mask requirement, a company's email rules. That is the word being stretched far past its size, and when it is stretched that way it stops meaning much.

A caution一個提醒 about how it is really used關於這個字實際上是怎麼被用的。In careful writing在嚴謹的寫作裡，it它 is a precise historical and political term是個精確的歷史和政治用語。In arguments online在網路上吵架時，it它 gets thrown at any rule someone dislikes卻會被用來罵任何一個某人不喜歡的規定——a school uniform policy像校服規定、a mask requirement口罩規定、a company's email rules公司的信件規則。That這 is the word being stretched far past its size就是這個字被拉扯到超出它原本的份量，and when it is stretched that way而這樣被拉扯之後 it stops meaning much它就不太有意義了。

Keep it for governments, and for serious ones. Stress: to-tal-i-TAIR-i-an.

Keep it把這個字留 for governments給政府用，and for serious ones而且是嚴重的那種。Stress重音位置：to-tal-i-TAIR-i-an唸作 to-tal-i-TAIR-i-an。