A government described as "totalitarian" exercises extreme control over many aspects of public and private life. Such regimes seek to eliminate political pluralism and dissent, often using propaganda, surveillance, and violence. Totalitarianism aims to create a centralized, ideologically homogenous society, suppressing individual freedoms and often involving pervasive state intervention in economic and social matters. Historical examples include regimes like Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. This form of governance tends to concentrate power in the hands of a single leader or party, disrupting the balance of democracy and civil liberties.