A totalitarian government is a place where no person should ever be forced to live because this type of government controls almost every aspect of its citizens' lives. Dictators who control this type of government take away people's basic human rights, brainwash children into showing no loyalty to their families, and imprison or execute anyone who poses a remote threat to their party. The government then controls the remaining population with the fear of being arrested by the state secret police, regardless of whether they have committed or plan to commit a crime. The leaders of these societies have no regard for the well-being of anyone but themselves, and once they come to power, it is usually too late to stop what happens next. A common misconception is that a dictator can never come to power through means that are legal. This is not true. Adolf Hitler, the cold dictator of Germany during World War II, is a near-perfect example of how a dictator can legally form a regime. Hitler became a dictator when the Reichstag building was burned down on February 27, 1933 while he was currently the sole leader of Germany. A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was tried and found guilty of the crime. Hitler used the country's fear of communism to suspend the German constitution and assume executive powers. Some historians believe that a more likely culprit for the Reichstag fire was a Nazi who obeyed Hitler's own order to set fire to the building allowing him to suspend the German constitution and assume executive powers; however, there is no evidence that this occurred. So, from what is demonstrable, Hitler became a dictator by working within the law (“Hitler becomes Chancellor” par.8). Once a dictator comes to power, he will remain… middle of paper…. ..ents: key events throughout history. Ed. Jennifer Stock. vol. 4: Europe. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Context. Network. March 25, 2014. “Germans barter for goods in response to hyperinflation, 1923.” Historical events of the world. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Network. March 25, 2014."Göring, Hermann." World War II Reference Library. Ed. Barbara C. Bigelow, et al. vol. 3: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 1999. 82-91. Student resources in context. Network. March 30, 2014.Langer, Willian L., comp. Encyclopedia of world history. vol. 2. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1968. Print.Mosley, Leonard. On borrowed time. New York: Random House, Inc., 1969. Print.Orwell, George. 1984. New York: New American Library, 1948. Print. "Political purges". Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Network. March 25. 2014.