The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
totalitarianism
(toh-tal-uh-TAIR-ee-uh-niz-uhm) Domination by a government of all political, social, and economic activities in a nation. Totalitarianism is a phenomenon of the twentieth century: earlier forms of despotism and autocracy lacked the technical capacity to control every aspect of life. The term is applied both to fascist governments (seefascism) and to many forms of communism.