What is the name of the totalitarian state in the story?

The totalitarian state in The Handmaid's Tale is called the Republic of Gilead. It is a theonomic dictatorship established after a radical group overthrows the United States government.

Gilead reorganizes society around a rigid hierarchy and a selective interpretation of Old Testament ideas. Women lose rights including the ability to read, write, own property, and control their reproductive lives. Fertile women are classified as Handmaids and assigned to elite households to bear children.

The name Gilead comes from the biblical region east of the Jordan River. In Atwood's story, the biblical reference is repurposed by the regime to give its political system an appearance of religious legitimacy. Gilead's rulers use religious language, uniforms, rituals, and public punishment to enforce obedience.

A frequent mix-up is treating Gilead as merely a city or a religious movement. It is the name of the state that controls much of the former United States, while the Sons of Jacob are the revolutionary movement that helped create it. The story also refers to resistance groups and territories outside Gilead's control.