[7] With this example, Arendt also exposes the dual nature of totalitarian organizations, possessing two faces—one presented to the external world, appearing normal, and another turned inward, radicalized.
The metaphor is described by researchers like Sophie Schulze as follows:[10]For Arendt, the onion structure designates two distinct things: one, that power diffuses from the center to the periphery (centrifugal movement); the other, that each circle maintains itself through the balance between two opposing forces.This structure also enables totalitarian regimes to absorb shocks from the external reality of the system.
[11] Each layer of the onion absorbs a bit of the shockwave, ultimately rendering the contact with external reality harmless.
[11][12] The use of the metaphor was deemed relevant when discussing, among other things, the USSR under Stalin, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan.
[13] The notion that this structure helps totalitarian regimes avoid 'external reality shocks' is also considered an important concept in psychology.