Apart from its provision for popular participation (through a single mass party),a totalitarian system is very different from, indeed just the opposite of, a liberal-democratic system in all the respects outlined above. A totalitarian state is one where the authority of government is total and absolute claiming jurisdiction over the whole of a man’s life. That is, no part of a man’s life is outside the detailed supervision and control of the state. More specifically, following and Brzezinski’s definition, the characteristics of a totalitarian state are as discussed below.