COMPARING REPRESSION POLICIES IN TOTALITARIAN REGIMES: THE SOVIET UNION AND NAZI GERMANY

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of the repression policies employed by two of the most infamous totalitarian regimes of the 20th century: the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin and Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. Both regimes utilized systematic terror, mass arrests, forced labor camps, and executions to consolidate power and eliminate opposition. Despite ideological differences—communism versus fascism—both states relied on similar mechanisms of control, including secret police, propaganda, and the criminalization of dissent. The study explores key similarities and differences in their repression strategies, their impact on society, and the long-term historical consequences.