Vunsovych S. Essence and evolution of totalitarianism as a theory and a political practice.

The dissertation deals with issues related to defining totalitarian discourse in ideological, theoretical, political, economic and socio-cultural contexts. The influence of political, economic, spiritual and ideological factors on the formation and genesis of totalitarianism is analyzed. Attributes of totalitarianism are set apart and features that have brought about it's practical and theoretical crisis are determined. The author ascertains evolutional changes that have had place in formal and contextual characteristics of the given sociopolitical phenomenon. A complex of problems of theoretical and practical content related to the manifestations of neo-totalitarian tendencies on a global scale as well as in processes of transformation of the Ukrainian society today. Problems related to manifestations of neo-totalitarian tendencies in Ukraine are analyzed. The author has formulated a conclusion on the interaction and interdependency of neo-totalitarian tendencies and peculiarities of the transformation of political awareness in Ukraine in the context of post-totalitarianism. Conceptual basis of neo-totalitarianism is set apart and analyzed. In the context of absence of a clear and unambiguous understanding of what totalitarianism and neo- totalitarianism is today, qualitative characteristics of the phenomenon are defined and the author's interpretation of it is developed. It has been established that the main tendency of manifestations of neo-totalitarianism is its dangers to a democratic social development.