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An authoritarian state prioritises loyalty to the regime over its people's freedom. This
was achieved by Mao and Hitler by implementing new political, economic and social policies,
including the suppression of opposition groups and minorities, political restructuring and the
transformation of culture and education into tools of propaganda. Thus, both Nazi Germany
and the People's Republic of China made use of domestic policies to establish total control over
the majority of their population despite several unsuccessful attempts to indoctrinate, leading
to the use of force.
One of the most notable methods Hitler used to establish his control over Nazi Germany
was Gleichschaltung, which meant coordination. In 1933, as Joseph Goebbels was appointed
the Minister of Propaganda and Enlightenment, the state began assuming control over the
media, which consisted of radios, films, the press, books, etc. The goal was to promote Nazi
ideology, ensuring that all cultural interactions of the German people were under the regime's
supervision, thus eliminating all "foreign" or "modern" influences, as they were associated with
the Jews. Not only was censorship evident in the press where all stories must go through strict
approval procedures, but all other forms of literature also had to follow certain themes that
featured the Nazi's heroism and anti-Semitism. By 1939, 70% of households had one of the
mass-produced radios, playing a vital part in spreading Nazi ideology. This meant that any type
of foreign influence was concealed away from the general public, thus gathering popular
support for Hitler since people were constantly exposed to propaganda campaigns that
worshipped him. Furthermore, despite how the population was heavily surveilled, according to
Robert Gellately, "It was a characteristic feature of Nazi Germany that the regime found no
difficulty in obtaining the collaboration of ordinary citizens." This was due to the certain
benefits that the Nazi Party brought along with Gleichschaltung as an attempt to relieve people,
as well as how the party was a means of escape from the disappointment of the Weimar
Republic. One such benefit was the Strength Through Joy (KdF) movement that supposedly
made up for the abolishment of trade unions, where the compulsory joining of the DAF
provided hefty worker benefits including a diversity of planned leisure activities and affordable
"KdF-Wagen". Even sporting events acted as propaganda, as these activities showcased the
strength and superiority over others of the Aryan blood. This again emphasises the extent to
which the advocacy of Nazi ideology was taken, permeating from the foundations of culture to
the people's work and entertainment.
In addition, Gleichschaltung also meant a change in the power structure, thus deeming
all acts taken by the regime as legal and necessary for maintaining authoritarian control,
therefore also condoning the violent treatment of minorities. Despite the Volksgemeinschaft
policy, which aims towards establishing an equal society, its basis is division by race, meaning
the suppression of Jehovah's Witnesses as they were the sub-race, and 'asocials' such as
homosexuals, alcoholics, beggars, etc. The 1933 Civil Service Law was passed as a method to
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purge civil service of anyone of non-Aryan races, whilst pogroms like the 1938 Night of Broken
Glass specifically targeted Jews, resulting in the destruction of Jewish homes and businesses by
the SA paramilitary organisation. These events reinforced the ideology that Aryans were
superior, whilst foreshadowing the Holocaust that caused the death of 6 million Jews. The use
of concentration camps and methods like gassing or euthanasia were common when the party
wanted to murder those who seemingly corrupted German values. In a similar fashion, to evoke
a sense of terror, methods such as the establishment of the Nazi People's Court focused on
eliminating opposing parties. All the people with power had to have absolute loyalty to the
party. To assist this, the SA and SS played a vital role in consolidating Hitler's power over the
state, terrorizing any groups that posed a threat by going against Nazi ideology. Although their
methodology was brutal, they were again justified as essential to maintaining control over the
population.
The dissemination of Nazism was also prevalent in the regime's social policies,
particularly in education. In 1937, 97% of teachers had joined the Nazi Teachers' League, in
which the content they taught were overseen by the party. Classes focused on racial science,
the Nazi Party's history, and P.E., which indicated the importance of physical strength and
loyalty to the regime over pure intelligence. The goal was to indoctrinate younger generations
with Nazi ideology which although succeeded in producing individuals prepared for war, did not
produce youths that could think by themselves. Nevertheless, this proves the high extent to
which Nazi Germany had control over its population. In addition, the formation of youth
organisations also played a part in "brainwashing" youths into revering Hitler and the party. The
Hitler Youth organisation for boys had a total of 7 million participants, despite it being partially
due to compulsion. Whilst boys learnt the ways of marching and how to operate using guns,
girls were rigidly bound by the League of German Maidens, where they learnt their role of
"Kinder, Kuche, Kirche", meaning children, kitchen, church. As a result, 95% of youths were
proven loyal to Hitler, where in many cases they even condemned their parents to the SS. This
meant that every one of the German population had a fixed role given to them by the regime,
thus allowing for easier control and punishment where necessary.
Nevertheless, one could argue that despite the vast practices Hitler used to propagate
Nazism, it was not entirely effective. Opposing youth groups such as the 'Swing Youth',
'Edelweiss Pirates' and 'The White Rose' went against Hitler Youth, while many refused to join
the party itself. Propaganda mainly reinforced concepts that people already believed in, whilst
those who did not before still refused to accept new ideas. However, the majority of opposition
was conducted passively as people feared punishment, which usually involved their families as
well. Although total control over the population was achieved, it would not have been possible
without the excessive use of force and the opportunistic nature of Hitler's regime.
The use of force on minorities and social policies to monitor education or strengthen
control was also observable in Mao's governing of the People's Republic of China (PRC). A policy
by Mao somewhat similar to Gleichschaltung's idea of coordination was collectivization. This
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allowed Mao to control both the rich and poor population, therefore eliminating landlords and
redistributing land to eradicate private ownership and capitalism, which went against Mao's
vision. This led to the death of approximately 1 million landlords, as well as the formation of
27,000 communes by 1958. In communes, everything private was shared, and everyone had a
role assigned to them by cadres, mainly farming tasks. Not only was this for the purpose of
increasing agricultural output but also, it served to satisfy Mao's aim of gaining better control
over the population. In addition, although state-owned enterprises guaranteed wages for
people, it also ensured that surplus money went to the government. Although the ideology
initially appealed to the peasantry as they were freed from the brutal reigns of landlords, the
overly ambitious nature of collectivization that simultaneously aimed for industrialisation
eventually led to irretrievable incidents like the famine. Thus, the PRC was able to take control
over the economic aspect of the population's life but was not entirely able to take responsibility
for the consequences.
Another method of achieving authoritarian control over the PRC was the effective use of
propaganda and censorship. According to Immanuel Hsu, "propaganda cemented Mao's control
over China". These policies aimed to represent a proletarian society, whilst creating Mao's cult
personality. One example was the Little Red Book made by Lin Biao which was a compilation of
Mao's quotes. Everyone was required to have one, facilitating the dissemination of Communist
ideals. Along with this was the use of roadside loudspeakers and posters, enhancing his image
as the ultimate leader of the nation. Furthermore, the arts also acted as a means of
propaganda, and this was most evident during the Cultural Revolution. As Jiang Qing, Mao's
wife assumed control over the arts, all content was strictly monitored to only present to the
public information that benefitted Mao's ideology. Similar to Nazi Germany, all western
influence was banned in the PRC, only to be replaced by songs that praised Mao. Any pieces of
literature or means of education that did not feature Mao or spread the revolutionary message
were condemned, ensuring that the PRC had full control over any information released to the
people. Before the Cultural Revolution, education and literacy actually held great importance
since Mao wanted an industrialised China, and that could only be achieved by having the
intelligence to be on par with Western powers. However, due to the Cultural Revolution,
education was undermined where students focused more on eliminating old culture, hence
ignoring their studies to beat up teachers. This showed the shift in Mao's ideology towards a
more extreme view where education was deemed unnecessary, again prioritizing loyalty
towards the regime over other factors, similar to Hitler.
However, the most indispensable practice to gain total control over the population
would likely be repression and terror. For instance, the series of reunification campaigns carried
out by the People's Liberation Army in Xinjiang and Tibet that aimed to reunite China under CCP
control led to the death of many, as well as the destruction of a whole culture. All those who
did not follow the Communist ideology were imprisoned, especially those who attempted a
revolt. This also applied to any elements who were considered 'bourgeoisie'. The 1956 100
Flowers Campaign that initially encouraged self-criticism or feedback to the regime later
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became a means to identify any counter-revolutionaries, consequently resulting in the Anti-

Right Campaign that sent about 1 million people for re-education. Those suspected were
usually immediately thrown into Laogai, meaning labour prison camps. The treatment in these
camps was brutal, where heavy manual labour work was compulsory despite facing heavy
beatings and starvation. Whilst it aimed to reform criminals, at the same time, it also acted as
an indoctrination of Mao's communist ideals, thus attempting to increase people's respect for
Mao whilst further spreading terror. Even within the party, the 1951 Three-Anti Campaign, for
example, targeted members of the CCP to eliminate corruption, waste, and bureaucracy. This
meant that as an authoritarian state, the PRC did not allow anyone who went against Mao's
vision, attaining high control over the population.
To conclude, both Mao's China and Nazi Germany asserted authoritative control over
the population by establishing effective political, economic and social policies that highly
focused on repression, propaganda and manipulating education. Although these undoubtedly
facilitated the consolidation of both Nazi and CCP control over most aspects of the population's
lives, the failures of some policies eventually undermined the actual level of control these
leaders had over their regime.