The Oxford Dictionary defines totalitarianism as "a centralized, dictatorial system of government requiring complete submission to the state." A totalitarian regime holds power over the affairs of the state and its inhabitants under a single party and faces no opposition. A key characteristic of a totalitarian government is that it seeks to shape the mind and actions of society through determination, philosophy, and, in general, force. Historians argue that in Nazism "the value of the totalitarian concept seems extremely limited" when compared to the regime in other totalitarian states. They claim that Nazism could not have been totalitarianism because it was not organized and structured monolithically like Stalin's Russia. Nazi ideology was a mere scheme of self-realization and lacked the methodical theory of Marxism. In no case was there a level of state ownership and influence over the economy comparable to that which developed in Stalin's Russia. Despite the Nazi Party's dominance over state affairs, authority was divided between the Nazi Party and a number of large power groups including industrialists and the military, while Stalin's Communist Party possessed unconditional power over all Russian state affairs. A German historian stated that Hitler "... brought about a state of affairs in which the various autonomous authorities ranged themselves alongside and against each other..." Hitler was counting on a level of popularity acquired by the nation by promoting itself through propaganda to maintain his leadership. There is no implication that Stalin sought popular appeal to maintain his power. Generally, historians have discussed Hitler's weak dictatorship, but have never contemplated... middle of paper... that through laws, policies and campaigns allowed Adolf Hitler to charismatically lead the German nation as a totalitarian country. dictator and control German life under the state. All aspects of Hitler's rule provided an element of a totalitarian state, from political principles to personal life. During the years of the Third Reich, Hitler essentially remained the undisputed Fuhrer of Nazi Germany and established a totalitarian state. Works CitedHitler, A. Mein Kampf 1925-26, Houghton Mifflin, Boston 1971Webb, K. Germany 1918-1939, Kimberley Broadbridge 2007Manson, K J. Second edition, Republic to Reich: A History of Germany 1918-1945, McGraw Hill 2003United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia 2011, Washington D.CBright, N. & Neale, T., Cambridge Checkpoints 2011: HSC Modern History, Cambridge University Press 2011