Final answer:
Hannah Arendt posits that the ultimate goal of totalitarian regimes is to obliterate individual identity, enforcing a collective identity that aligns with the state. They achieve this through systemic violence, terror, and continuous legal changes, effectively erasing the boundaries between personal and political life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ultimate goal of totalitarian regimes, according to Hannah Arendt, is to fully dominate not only the political and social realms but also the personal lives of its citizens. Arendt's analysis in 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' suggests that totalitarian systems aim to erase the concept of individuality, molding individuals into extensions of the state. This is achieved through laws that are constantly changing and the pervasive influence of the ruling party in every aspect of life, including the police and elite groups.
In totalitarianism, the regime utilizes systematic violence and induces a state of terror to prevent any opposition to the government. Control is maintained by ensuring that citizens cannot form identities separate from their position as a submissive part of the collective. Public demonstrations of loyalty, such as marches, become a means of complicity and a method of survival under the oppressive environment of a totalitarian state.
Hannah Arendt's work provided profound insights into the mechanisms and goals of totalitarian systems, highlighting their distinct nature compared to mere dictatorships. Through her philosophy, she elucidated the dangers of such regimes and the importance of individual thought as a resistance against the subjugation of the self.