It’s time for Page Two: News that might not make the front page for Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Radio Book Club takes on a difficult topic this month. David Cheezem, Herb Bishoff, and Judy Donegan discuss “The Origins of Totalitarianism” by Hannah Arendt on Big Cabbage Radio.
Hannah Arendt had first-hand knowledge of the rise of fascism. She was a young Jewish intellectual in Nazi Germany. She escaped and eventually arrived in the United States. Arendt wrote “The Origins of Totalitarianism” in the years after the World War 2. It was published in 1948.
The book has become a classic political science text. Arendt is meticulous. She pulls at the threads of history to explore what led to the catastrophes of Stalin’s USSR and Hitler’s Germany.
The book is three books in one: Antisemitism, Imperialism, and Totalitarianism. The analysis is detailed. She explains the difference between social antisemitism and political antisemitism. Social antisemitism is the personal prejudices against individual Jews. Political antisemitism is a political platform against a religious minority. People on the left and right found excuses to blame the Jewish people for the problems of the day.
Arendt also writes about imperialism. It arose in the 19th Century. It differs from past colonialism. It is more brutal. And this brutal imperialism is justified by racist pseudo-scientific theories about different races.
Arendt points out that totalitarianism is not authoritarianism. There have been tyrannies throughout history. Totalitarianism is new.
Totalitarian governments do more than clamp down on opposition. They try to wipe out individuality altogether. They are intolerant of different opinions. They try to create a world with no truth to believe in.
The discussion of “The Origins of Totalitarianism” by Hannah Arendt will air on Big Cabbage Radio on Friday, February 27 at 1 p.m. It will then be available as a podcast on bigcabbageradio.org.
The Palmer City Council meets tonight at 6 p.m. in the council chambers. View the agenda on palmerak.org. We will stream the audio and video of the meeting from bigcabbageradio.org.
Learn about the history of Susitna River trout management and research with Daryl Lescanec in the Matanuska Brewery Event room at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The Fireside Book Club discusses Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Fireside Books tomorrow.
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This Page Two article was written by David Cheezem and read by Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.