How was the transformation of classes into masses possible?

According to Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism, people in modern society become alienated from each other. They experience anomie, which is the breakdown of traditional social bonds and traditional morality. People begin to freely float as random individuals rather than experience themselves primarily as members of a group. This makes the transformation from class to mass possible.

Arendt calls the traditional groups people once identified with "classes." Classes had a strong sense of collective...

According to Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism, people in modern society become alienated from each other. They experience anomie, which is the breakdown of traditional social bonds and traditional morality. People begin to freely float as random individuals rather than experience themselves primarily as members of a group. This makes the transformation from class to mass possible.

Arendt calls the traditional groups people once identified with "classes." Classes had a strong sense of collective identity, with shared moral values. They also had a shared sense of purpose.

When totalitarian dictators come along, they exploit anomie. They pull together a large number of disparate individuals, which Arendt calls a mass rather than a class. Theses masses are easily manipulated because they don't have a strong sense of group identity. What the mass desires most of all is a sense of belonging and faith that a strong leader is in charge. A mass isn't that concerned with the content of what they are asked to believe in. The dictator is thus able to mold the mass any way he wants. Arendt argues that the shallowness of conviction in a mass movement is why so many Germans were able to abandon Nazism rapidly and completely after the war.