Totalitarian Governments In Ayn Rand's Anthem

In many dystopian societies, such as the society in Ayn Rand's Anthem, children are taken from their parents at an early age. This usually is because in dystopian and totalitarian governments, the leaders want all control. To understand this you have to take a deeper meaning on the word totalitarian and what kind of government it is. Totalitarian itself means “exercising complete control over all aspects of life including freedom, will, and thoughts”, so therefore a totalitarian government is one where the government takes all control over the aspects of its people's everyday life, quickly smothering any and all opposition. So if the government takes the children from them right out of the womb, the government has full control over what the child learns and how the child grows to behave. That is pivotal in controlling all aspects of life. Then, if someone second guesses or tries to stand against the government, not only can the …show more content…
Ignorance of the people is key to these types of governments. Totalitarian governments stand for full control in every prospect of its people's lives, both publicly and privately. Depriving the people of its right to information is a start, but it really lies in shaping the molds of influential children who do not know any better, When closing off their whole country to nothing but the same filtered message, morals and visions are easily morphed. If left unchecked, these governments have the potential to be extremely dangerous and unstable. The treatment of the children and the people is usually harsh and without concern. They do not usually last long when outside forces come to solve the issue, but if left to run rampant, who would know how long a government like this would last. They are designed to somewhat “brainwash” the people into thinking that their treatment is okay and acceptable. Taking children from their parents early in life produces adults who are less likely to