Final answer:
The significant distinction between the rule of law in totalitarian states and free societies lies in the source and application of laws; free societies base laws on democratic consensus and protect individual rights, while totalitarian states use laws as tools of control, subject to arbitrary change by authority figures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rule of law is a foundational principle that stands in stark contrast between totalitarian states and free societies. In a free society, the rule of law means that laws are made through collective agreement and democratic processes, protecting individual rights, ensuring government accountability, and upholding a separation of powers, as championed by political philosopher Montesquieu. In contrast, within totalitarian states, law is often an extension of the singular government authority, can change arbitrarily, and is used as a vehicle for exerting control over the populace, thereby suppressing individual freedom and democratic processes.
In totalitarian states, like the one led by Adolf Hitler during the rise of National Socialism, the government sought to control all aspects of life, with the self becoming an extension of the state apparatus. The rule of law is subordinate to the whims of the ruling party, with systematic violence used to instill total terror and enforce compliance. Conversely, in free societies, such as democratic secular states like Turkey, citizens actively participate in shaping civil law and governmental systems, thereby upholding the rule of law as a system where people decide on laws and consequences collectively.