Analyzing the Empire: Authoritarianism in Star Wars

Welcome to 2021! We start off the new year with Star Wars. Discussing authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and the politics and government of the Empire. 

Notes:

3:01 - Hence the term "totalitarianism." An attempt at total control of all aspects of state and society. 

3:12 - This is not to say that authoritarian governments don't have secret police or spy on their people. There is, of course, lots of overlap                   between these regimes. The point is that totalitarian regimes use these tools to control society and mobilize the people in a way that                 authoritarian regimes don't. 

6:50 - Admiral Motti would be the unlucky individual who mocks the force and gets choked for it in Episode IV. 

8:45 - You could justify this by pointing out that Luke lives on the fringes of the Empire on a backwater planet. The thing is, we are never                      shown anything else. If the Empire actually does have extensive propaganda glorifying Palpatine, we really should see it somewhere in              the trilogy. 

10:45 - Discussing the "Tarkin Doctrine." 

13:06 - Discussing Syria and "Hama Rules." 

15:38 - Ba'athism is an interesting political ideology that developed in the Arab world in the mid-20th Century. It never really found any success as a movement but it was co-opted by both the Assads and Saddam Hussein as a means to legitimize their rule. 

17:31 - Along with thugs outside the government like the SA (Brownshirts) who did the dirty work. 

20:09 - Looked him up. His name is Mas Amedda. He's got a backstory but it doesn't seem to answer the question I have about Palpatine's                 base of support. 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY.