Totalitarian regimes have caused enormous suffering in the past, committing some of the largest and most horrifying crimes against humanity ever experienced.
How do totalitarian regimes compare to non-totalitarian regimes in this regard?
Totalitarianism is a particular kind of autocracy, a form of government in which power is highly concentrated. What makes totalitarian regimes distinct is the complete, enforced subservience of the entire populace to the state.
Notice that this definition may not apply to a hypothetical state that gives some freedoms to millions of people while mistreating 95% of humans on earth (e.g. enslaving and torturing people, using weapons of mass destruction against civilians, carrying out covert operations that cause horrible wars, enabling genocide, unjustly incarcerating people in for-profit prisons).
How do totalitarian regimes compare to non-totalitarian regimes in this regard?
Notice that this definition may not apply to a hypothetical state that gives some freedoms to millions of people while mistreating 95% of humans on earth (e.g. enslaving and torturing people, using weapons of mass destruction against civilians, carrying out covert operations that cause horrible wars, enabling genocide, unjustly incarcerating people in for-profit prisons).