The New Totalitarians: A terrifying Portrait of an “ideal” Society that has destroyed Democracy

by Roland Huntford

This book is a warning. It is a terrifying portrait of an "ideal" society that has destroyed democracy in the name of "progress." Roland Huntford demonstrates by fact after shocking fact how an apparently democratic, prosperous, peaceful utopia is totally controlled by a bureaucracy which actively discourages all signs of individuality.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Philosophy

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Roland Huntford (né Horwitch) is an author, principally of biographies of Polar explorers.

Reviews

[Owlseyes]

(Guess who is she lookin'staring at....)

Published in 1971, this book is timely. Greta Thunberg is just the logical continuation of people like Olof Palme who (with other social Democrats) was pioneering a kind of "soft totalitarianism", an expression by Rupert Darwall, the author of Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex.

Sweden, where the politics of "global warming" started. In 1974, Olof Palme was predicting that by the end of the 20th century, "global warming" would become the greatest challenge.

[Sylvester · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brave New Sweden. Huntford explains why Sweden is Huxley's Brave New World by looking at various aspects of the Swedish society from history, housing to culture and education. The only problem I have with this book is the lack of proper references, often quotes were referenced without names being attached.

But it is still quite a shockingly revealing book overall.

[Bruce Crown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear god, this is beyond trash.

I would feel sorry for the flame if I was even freezing to death in the incoming climate apocalypse and had to use this hogwash as kindling. Fires deserve better than the droll droning of a man who obviously has no idea what he's talking about anything, much less other nations. It is somewhat amusing, were it not utterly depressing, to see him implicitly argue how great America is for being filled with selfish pricks who put their boots on your neck and squeeze as the demarcation of "freedom," as a "capitalist knows best" leadership style while simultaneously calling a progressive nordic nation that is eons ahead of American policy "totalitarian" for giving people healthcare and permitting women autonomy over their bodies.

Alternate title: "Country who isn't selfish imperialism on PCP is Totalitarian. USA is great! Being free is working for slave-owning billionaires."

I hope God exists, and when I die I can beg for atonement for having wasted three hours of my precious human time on this "book."

[TIMOTHY SKIPWORTH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prescient study of the roots of contemporary Sweden's politically correct madness.

[Diana Olsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So true. Unfortunately.

[Botvid · Rating 3 out of 5]

En konservativ och indignerad brittisk polarexpeditionsexpert kommer till Sverige under folkhemstiden och ser det som ingen i Sverige lyckas se: Sverige är det samhälle som beskrivs i 1984, eller i Fahrenheit 9/11 eller i vilken annan dystopisk berättelse som helst. Sossarna styr och är allt. Den lokala hyresgästföreningen är sossarna. Den kooperativa mataffären är sossarna. Du kan inte vara engagerad i civilsamhället utan att på ett eller annat sätt befinna dig under något av sossarnas paraplyer. Och vad får svenskarna? Materiella standardhöjningar - men strömlinjeformade för att vara optimalt sossiga. Och en massa moraliskt förfall i form av alldeles för stor sexuell frihet. Och mer moraliskt förfall. Och ingen egentlig frihet, för sossarna har styrt landet alldeles för länge. Och när sex slutar vara spännande så börjar ungdomarna knarka och begå brott. Och... Ja...
Är det här en berättelse om när Roland Huntsford för första gången lämnar sin gentry och får se hur livet ter sig för människor i lägre sociala skikt? För visst måste det vara så att ungdomarna nuppar och knarkar och begår brott i Storbritannien också?
Jag är glad att jag fick den här boken av en vän, att jag läste den och vilka samtal den har gett upphov till.

[Mattias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated and in many ways exaggerated. Still an interesting read, and on point more than once. Some of the quotes from prominent politicians are quite startling, and if accurate must have been sensational when the book was published.

[Madis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye-opening