“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist.”Hannah Arendt · Originile totalitarismului · 1951 · Originile totalitarismului, Partea a III-a, cap. 13
Arendt shows that totalitarian propaganda does not aim to convince, but to destroy the ability to judge truth. When lies become as credible as facts, people stop seeking evidence and accept any version from power. For example, a regime that constantly repeats 'the enemy is among us' without evidence creates an atmosphere where people no longer know what to believe and obey blindly.
Why it matters In the age of fake news and organized disinformation, this idea warns you that losing your sense of reality is the first step toward political submission.