“The Origins of Totalitarianism”: Hannah Arendt’s Book on the Rise of Nazism

Explore the causes and effects of totalitarianism through the work of political philosopher Hannah Arendt and her 1951 book The Origins of Totalitarianism. Using multimedia resources, including video clips from the American Masters film Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny, historical readings, and excerpts from Arendt’s writing, students examine how ordinary people contributed to the rise and maintenance of a totalitarian regime in Nazi Germany.