Essay Sample: Authoritarian Regimes and their Effects on Individual Liberty

Authoritarian regimes and their devastating effects are frequently studied, but when the textbook closes, very few people genuinely understand the horrors that occur behind closed borders. Authoritarian regimes crush individual liberty and discourage anything but total obedience to strict rules. The trauma of surviving an authoritarian regime is immense and changes a person forever; the trauma frequently becomes generational and is passed down through families, leaving a deep wound in each member. Human beings crave liberty-they need freedom not only to survive but to thrive. Authoritarian regimes crush individual liberty, a highly important aspect of life. Authoritarian regimes have a long and bloody history of denying individual liberty and consequently devastating the lives of those who live through them. The list of historical authoritarian regimes is exhaustive, but one of the most famous examples is Nazi Germany, led by the head of the Nazi party from 1933-1945. Hitler murdered over six million people who his regime viewed as undesirable. These are very basic facts that most people know from history class; what few know are the lifelong effects Holocaust survivors face. Holocaust survivors are three times more likely to commit suicide than non-survivors due to severe PTSD and other mental disorders. While most survivors have passed away, the few that remain are haunted by flashbacks and physical scars that will forever remind them of their ordeal. Not only were the millions of imprisoned Jews, homosexuals, Romani, Soviets, and disabled individuals effected by the massacre, but society at large was also devastated. Many Europeans had to watch helplessly as their countries were invaded, their homes robbed, and their neighbors killed. Extreme violence and strict rules became the new norm, disrupting the lives of millions. Even after Hitler’s regime fell, the suffering did not end; the memories and pain live on through the survivors and their families in the form of horrific flashbacks and memories. Authoritarian regimes are so devastating because they effect far more than just the people who live through them. Generational trauma is a term that refers to the psychological phenomenon of the collective trauma of a group passing down to members who did not personally live through the experience. The generational trauma of survivors of authoritarian regimes is immense and nearly inescapable; it haunts families for generations. Growing up Jewish, echoes of the Holocaust still haunt me. Portraits of my great-grandparents hang on the wall at my grandfather’s house, and every family gathering, I, along with the rest of my family, stare at their smiling faces and grapple with the knowledge that those photos are all we have of them. Their belongings and their lives were stolen from them; they were stolen from us, and we are still dealing with the ramifications of our loss. I, am not alone; millions of other Jews are missing pieces of their families, and millions of descendants of survivors of other authoritarian regimes are, too. Liberty is the essence of humanity. When liberty is taken away, humans no longer have the ability to make choices; their lives are dictated by another individual or by a regime. They no longer live their own lives but a life that someone else has decided for them. Every individual needs liberty to flourish. Liberty is a human right that should never be stripped of any individual, yet it often is with devastating consequences. People are told to learn history so that they do not repeat it, but with prejudice running rampant and many authoritarian regimes such as the Uyghur genocide in China still active, many seem to be forgetting that adage. While most individuals in North America are lucky enough to be unaffected by liberty-leeching regimes, it is their duty to do everything they can to break the chains of the less fortunate.