The term 'totalitarianism' was first coined in Italy in May 1923 as a term of abuse against Mussolini's Fascist government. In England in 1929 the term was used to describe both Fascist (Italy and later Germany) and Communist (Soviet Union) states. Indeed, these countries were ruled by a single mass party controlling the economy, the media and the arms of a state controlled through terror and a fixed ideology ; which, according to Carl Friedrich (a political thinker), define the features of a totalitarian state. Looking at Hitler's Germany, one can say that it stands for a good example of a totalitarian state.
The dominance of the Nazi Party as the single mass party ruling Germany occurred gradually but certainly. Indeed, right after Hitler came to power as chancellor in 1933, he started taking drastic measures such as the decree of February 4 1933, limiting expression and freedom of press. One of the essential step to the full dominance of the nazi party was the Reichstag Fire, which the Nazis blamed the Communists for, even though the origin of the fire is unclear and it's supposed that this was just a dishonest mean planned by Hitler to gain more power. The burning of the Reichstag on February 27 1933, which was seen as an insult to the government, was followed the day after by the Reichstag Fire decree limiting the expression of the people, allowing the imprisonment of those who were considered as opponents to the Nazis and increasing the censure of any publication going against the Party.
The decree which really made a dictator out of Hitler was the Enabling Law of March 23 1933, through which Hitler accorded himself the plenary powers and the right to rule on his own without any possible contestation, and for a period of at least 4 years. From this point, the ascension of the Nazi party as the only party ruling in Germany got easier as Hitler banned the Social Democratic Party of Germany in June 1933, before banning completely all the other political parties other than Nazis in July 14 1933.
