The Origins of Totalitarianism : Paperback : Penguin Books Ltd : 9780241316757 : : 13 Apr 2017 : Arendt\'s classic work explores totalitarianism through an extended analysis of the Nazi and Soviet regimes. In a series of dazzling insights, she explores the role of propaganda, the use of terror and the nature of isolation and loneliness as preconditions for total domination. A surprise bestseller in the wake of the US presidential election, Arendt\'s book offers chilling lessons about the threat of totalitarianism that we ignore at our peril.