The Rise of Dictators
1919-1939
WWI + Great Depression = Desperate people
People of Europe trade Freedom for
Security.*
Soviet Union
• 1924 – Lenin dies / power struggle between Leon
Trotsky and Joseph Stalin
1929 – Stalin wins and is in control!
Soviet Union (cont.)
• 5 Year Plan – Modernize the Soviet Union
Govt. controls all industry and agriculture.
Farmers must give all crops to govt. / Drastic
effects in Ukraine
Soviet Union (cont.)
• Great Purge – Stalin was a paranoid
psychopath!!
– Stalin kills all those who oppose him.
– military officers above the rank of captain because he
fears his military.
• 1936-1938- many people disappear or are sent
to labor camps
20 Million – Death toll under Stalin’s leadership!!
Japan
• 1920s – economic collapse = frustration
•Military takes control of government.
Japan (cont.)
• 1931 – Japan invades Manchuria (northern
China) which is rich in natural resources.
•League of Nations condemns Japan / Japan’s
response – drop out of the League
•China at the time in the middle of a civil war
between the Nationalists (Chiang Kai-Shek) and
the Communists (Mao Zedong)
Japan (cont.)
• 1937 – Japan begins
full invasion of China
and captures the
capital city of Nanjing.
• Japanese soldiers
commit horrible acts
of violence/rape in
Nanjing.
The Japanese Invasion
of China, 1937 Rape of Nanking
Italy
• 1920s – economic frustration
1919 – Benito Mussolini creates the
Fascist Party
•Gains support by making
promises
•Uses fear/violence (Blackshirts) to
eliminate all opponents
Definition of Fascism
Fascism is the totalitarian
philosophy of government that
glorifies the state and nation and
assigns to the state control over
every aspect of national life.
Definition of Fascism
The State not only is authority which
governs and molds individual will with laws
and values of spiritual life, but it is also
power which makes its will prevail abroad…
Enciclopedia Italiana, 1932.
Fascist Rise in Post-WW I Italy
Hundreds of new fascist
groups developed
throughout Italy in
response  “Black
Shirts” [paramilitary
squadriste] violently
attacked the Socialists.
The Fasces Symbol
Comes from the
Latin word fasces.
In ancient Rome,
the fasces were
cylindrical bundles
of wooden rods,
tied tightly
together around an
axe.
They symbolize
unity and power.
The Myth of Rebirth
Emphasis on a national or racial
rebirth after a period of decline or
destruction.
Calls for a “spiritual revolution”
against signs of moral decay [such as
individualism and materialism].
Seeks to purge “alien” forces and
groups that threaten the organic
community.
Italy (cont.)
• 1922 – threatens March on Rome / King
fears Mussolini and agrees to make him
prime minister
1925 – “Il Duce” – Mussolini declares
himself dictator
•
•He does fix many of the problems BUT he takes
away all freedoms of the people.
•Promises being kept keep the people happy.
Italy (cont.)
• 1935 – Italy takes
over Ethiopia /
League of Nations
condemns Italy /
Mussolini ignores the
League.
Militarism
Mussolini Was Hitler’s Role Model
Why is Germany in the worst shape
after WWI?
• Economic Problems
• People angry over Treaty of
Versailles
The German Mark
The German Mark
Germany
• 1919 – Weimar Republic (new democracy) is too
weak to deal with problems
1919 – Adolf Hitler joins the
National Socialist German
Worker’s Party (Nazis)
1920 – Hitler is the leader of the
Nazis
Germany (cont.)
• 1923 Beerhall Putsch – Nazis try to seize power
in the city of Munich / fails / Hitler arrested, tried,
found guilty of treason……but isn’t executed!!!
Hitler gets a 5 year
sentence!!!
Germany (cont.)
• While in jail, Hitler writes Mein Kampf (My
Struggle) laying out his plans.
•Wants to be the Fuhrer
(leader)
•Wants to create Lebensraum
(living space) for the German
people
•Anti-Semitic message
Germany (cont.)
• 1924 – Hitler released early.
-becomes popular by making promises
-Communists are also rising in power / govt. is
more afraid of them than the Nazis.
1933 – Nazis win many elections throughout
Germany / Hitler named Chancellor
Germany (cont.)
• 1934 – Hitler
declares himself
Fuhrer (dictator)
Germany (cont.)
• Once in power:
• Proclaims German power (nationalism).
• Rejects the Treaty of Versailles.
•Builds up an army (SS troops) to maintain
power and a police force (Gestapo) to
eliminate all opponents.
•Creates jobs to solve economic problems
•Creates youth programs (Hitler Youth) to mold
young boys and girls into good little Nazis.