-Setting the Stage
With democracy holding strong in the US,
Britain, and France, many other countries grew tired after years of economic crisis.
They turned to fascism.
Fascism- a political movement that promotes an extreme form of nationalism, a denial of individual rights, and a dictatorial one-party rule.
Fascists promised to:
1.
Revive the economy
2.
Punish those for difficult times
3.
Restore order and national pride.
They attracted many people because of the frustration of peace treaties following
World War One and the Global Great
Depression.
Fascism became a new, militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to its leader.
Fascism does not have any clear theories or ideas, but Fascists shared several ideas.
-Preached an extreme form of nationalism, or loyalty to one’s country.
People of Fascists countries pledged loyalty to a authoritarian who guided and brought order to the state.
Leaders always wore uniforms, used special salutes, and held mass rallies.
One-party rule
State was supreme
Neither practiced any type of Democracy
Differences
Fascists did not seek a classless society
(class had it’s place and function)
Fascists were nationalists, and
Communists were internationalists.
Fascism grew because of bitter disappointment over the failure to win large territorial gains at the 1919 Paris
Peace Conference.
Rising inflation and unemployment were leading causes towards social unrest.
To many Italians, democracy seemed helpless to deal with country’s problems.
Italians wanted a leader to take action.
A newspaper editor and politician; he promised to rescue Italy by reviving its economy and rebuilding its armed forces.
He promised to provide Italy with strong leadership.
Founded the Fascist Party in 1919.
As economics became worse, Mussolini’s popularity rose. And he began to criticized
Italy’s government.
Mussolini took his aggression out on
Communist and Socialists in city streets.
By playing on the fears of a workers revolt, he began to win the support of the middle class, the aristocracy, and industrial leaders.
October 1922, 30,000 Fascist Italians marched on Rome.
Their demand; for King Emmanuel III put
Mussolini in charge of the government.
The King agreed, as he saw Mussolini to be the best hope for his dynasty to survive.
Because of violence and threatening uprisings Mussolini took power “legally”
Mussolini gives himself the title of “Il Duce” which means the leader.
He abolished democracy and outlawed all political parties except the Fascists.
Secret police jailed opponents.
Government censored radio stations and publications to broadcast or publish only Fascist doctrines.
He even outlawed strikes.
He allied with industrialists and large landowners to control the economy.
Mussolini never gained total control like his counterparts
Stalin and Hitler.
Adolf Hitler- With humble beginning of struggles and disappointment, he found his coming out during World War one, where he earned an Iron Cross for bravery.
While Mussolini began to rise Hitler was a little-known political leader.
After World War One, Hitler made his home in Munich, Germany.
In 1919 Hitler joined a right-wing political party which believed that the German people needed to overturn the Treaty of
Versailles and to destroy Communism.
They were called the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party known as the
Nazis.
They created a form of Nazism
-The Fascist policies of the National
Socialist German Workers’ party, based on totalitarianism, a belief in racial superiority, and state control of industry.
-Made swastika their symbol
-Set up a secret police called Storm
Troopers or Brown Shirts.
In a short amount of time with success as an organizer and a craft for public speaking Hitler became der Fuhrer.
-der Fuhrer- simply means the leader.
Inspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome, Hitler organized a Nazi plot to seize power in power in
Munich, 1923.
-The attempt failed, Hitler was arrested and tried for treason. He was sentenced for five years but ended up serving 9 months.
While in jail Hitler wrote Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf : “My struggle” a book written by Hitler during his imprisonment in 1923-1924, in which he set forth his beliefs and his goals for Germany
-1. made claim that Germans were the Aryan or master race.
-2.He stated the non Aryans such as Jews, Slavs, and
Gypsies, to be inferior.
-3. The Treaty of Versailles an outrage and pledge to get back German lands.
-4. Declared Germany was crowded and needed
“ lebensraum” or living space.
-5. He promised to get space from Russia and Eastern
Europe through conquest.
After getting out of prison Hitler revived the
Nazi Party.
It wasn’t until the Great Depression hit, did people begin to listen to Hitler’s ideals and angry message.
With an economic collapse of the German economy, with civil unrest, the German people looked to Hitler with hopes of security and firm leadership.
1932- Nazis become political power.
German conservative leaders believed they could control Hitler and use him for their own political gains.
January 1933- these leaders advised Paul
Von Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor.
1.
1.
2.
Call for new elections
Hoping to win a parliamentary Nazi majority.
Hitler burns the Reichstag six days before the elections
Blames fire on the Communists
By blaming Communists, the Nazis were able to gain a slim majority.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Banned all other political parties and opponents arrested.
Created the SS or protection guard
(dressed in black uniforms)
The SS, loyal to Hitler, arrested and killed hundred of Hitler’s enemies.
The terror provided by the Gestapo
(secret police) forced the German people into obedience.
-With power over the economics and politics of
Germany, Hitler wanted to control every aspect of German life.
To praise his leadership Hitler turned to the.
1.
2.
3.
Press
Radio
Literature
4.
5.
Painting
Film
Books not conforming to Nazi ideals were burned.
Churched could not criticize the government.
Children had to join the Hitler Youth (boys) and or the League of Germans (girls)
Continuous struggle brought victory to the strong.
Twisted philosophy of Nietzsche to support his use of brutal force.
Anti-Semitism or Jew hatred was an important component of Nazi ideology.
Nazis used Jews as scapegoats for all problems since the war.
Anti-Semitism made waves across Germany.
November 9, 1938 Nazi mobs attacked Jews in their homes and on the streets and destroyed thousands of
Jewish-owned buildings.
The attack was called Kristallnacht (Night of Broken
Glass)
The event signaled the real start of the Jewish Holocaust