How did modern science and technology help totalitarian regimes control economies and individual behavior?

Modern totalitarian regimes have utilized advancements in science and technology to consolidate power, enforce ideological orthodoxy, and exert control over both economic and individual life.

Communication and Transportation

Modern developments in communication and transportation were foundational to the rise of 20th-century totalitarian states, such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. These technologies enabled regimes to mobilize populations, disseminate state ideology, and maintain the centralized authority necessary to direct all national resources toward specific goals, such as rapid industrialization or military conquest.1

Digital Authoritarianism

In the 21st century, regimes have adopted "digital authoritarianism" to sustain power. This involves using information technology to:
* Control Information: Governments implement sophisticated infrastructure, such as China’s "Golden Shield" (or Great Firewall), to create traffic choke points that block access to foreign websites and uncontrolled information sources.2
* Manipulate Public Opinion: Regimes use the internet to spread disinformation and propaganda, aiming to confuse populations, distract from domestic issues, and undermine trust in democratic institutions.23

Social and Behavioral Control

Technology facilitates the systematic effort to manipulate human thought and action. By controlling the physical and social environment, regimes use these tools to isolate individuals from alternative viewpoints, enforce absolute obedience, and replace traditional social ties with artificial loyalty to the state.14