Final answer:
Totalitarian leaders provide a facade of stability and security by completely controlling aspects of society and using intimidation and violence to suppress opposition. They maintain power through state terror and manipulate legitimacy, often referencing crises or nationalism as a basis for their actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Totalitarian leaders appear to provide a sense of order and stability during chaotic times, often promising to deliver food, jobs, and security. However, they accomplish this through total control over society, involving the regulation of occupation, religious beliefs, and even family size. Totalitarian dictatorships, much more oppressive than other forms of dictatorship, also force citizens to demonstrate loyalty through public displays such as marches and demonstrations.
Historical figures like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin exemplify the move towards totalitarianism under the guise of nationalism and responding to crises. In these governments, the distinction between the state and private life is eliminated, and all aspects of life become subject to state control. Leaders like these create a sense of total terror to prevent any opposition and use systematic violence and intimidation to perpetuate their authority.
Legitimacy in totalitarian regimes is often questioned since they may use façades like rigged elections to maintain an appearance of democratic processes while, in reality, they suppress freedoms and manipulate public perception.