What are the conditions that would need to be in place for a totalitarian government to take power?

Elaborate guiding ideology.

Single mass party, typically led by a dictator.

System of terror, using such instruments as violence and secret police.

Monopoly on weapons.

Explanation:

Economic disruptions following World War I led to unstable political conditions. Worldwide depression in the 1930s provided opportunities for the rise of dictators in the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan.