Single Party States
Third Reich
Conditions
that produced
them
People’s Republic of China
Shamy, Tamer, Konsowa
Fascist Italy
Political
 Great violence between the Socialists
and the Fascists created an
atmosphere of disorder
 Great resentment amongst the Italian
people for not receiving the territories
they were promised by the Treaty of
London 1915
 3 government coalitions collapsed in
18 months (1921-1922)
 King Emmanuel feared and favored
the Fascists over the Socialist
alternative
Economic
 Italy’s debt to the US and Britain
increased from 16 billion lira in 1914
to 85 billion lira in 1919
 2 million unemployed by 1919
 Troops returning from the front
cannot find jobs
 Low wages
 Hyperinflation in 1919 destroys
people’s savings
Social



Violence between the Fascists and the
Socialists weakened the government
and the unity of the Italians
Male resentment as they couldn’t find
jobs upon returning from the front as
females replaced them in many of
their jobs
Fascism attacked many conservatives
as it opposed the innovation in Italian
culture and religion
Ideology
Hossam, Omar
Political
 The fascist state must dominate all
aspects of life
 Glorifies the role of warfare and
struggle for the nation and people
 Total power must be vested in a
personal dictator (Il Duce)
 Devotion to Fascism is necessary for
citizenship and access to
opportunities
 Extensive use of propaganda to create
the image of a dynamic and virile
state and leader
Economic
 Generous state sponsorship of
technology industries
 Intervention to curtail the power of
unions
 Implemented policy of corporatism in
which industry was left in private
hands but heavily directed by the
state
 Policy consistently favored the
business elite and land-owners, and
encouraged privatization
Social
 Ancient Rome must serve a model for
military and moral improvement
 Italians must rid themselves of
individualism and embrace their role
as members of the state
 Celebrates traditional culture
 Demands order, conformity and unity
 Belief in the racial destiny of the
Italian people to dominate the entire
Mediterranean basin
 Officially secular yet also tolerant of
the Catholic Church
Methods of
Rule
Deena, Amira, Zeena
Seizure of Power:
 From 1919 to 1922, fascists had been more
violent than political. Burnt buildings,
offices, killed opposition, suppressed
strikes etc. Musso established this
reputation for the fascists
 Musso wanted support from the
conservative elites/up mid
class/landowners in order to gain power.
He did this by showing how powerful his
party is and denouncing liberals and
socialists.
 Used violence and paramilitary forces to
eliminate opposition + made deals with
opposition so as not to alienate the elites
with too much violence
 Used the myth of the march on Rome to
gain power; it never happened.
Intimidation/bribery/force common.
1922-1926
 At first, Musso tried to win over followers
(elites, landowners) by exhibiting power,
forging elections and killing opposition
 After the Matteotti crisis, he made
concessions to the people: reshuffled
gov’nt, took responsibility for the incident.
 Months later, he announced Italy to be a
totalitarian regime and used constitutional
law to rule.
 Fascist violence decreased when Musso
came to power b/c he ruled by
constitutional means and passed laws
rather than directly oppress. EX: Acerbo
law, measures passed by parliament to
abolish hostile organizations/parties, etc.
 Strengthened Fascists eliminated every
organization/newspaper/group/ that was
even slightly hostile to Fascism.
Opposition
Internal Opposition:
1. The Hundred Flowers Campaign (1957): Mao
welcomed criticism from CCP members; they
criticized Mao’s rule on the grounds of
corruption, inefficiency and lack of realism.
2. The Anti-Rightist Movement
A. Teachers, research scientists, economists,
writers and artists (all the intellectuals) were
sent to re-education where they would take
part in false self-criticisms
3. Internal resistance during the Great Famine
A. Lushan Conference (1959)
i. Only Peng Dehuai spoke the truth of the famine
ii. Mao told Peng he would use the PLA against
him and anyone who spread such “fiction”.
4. In 1966 Deng and Liu were fired and made
enemies of the state for turning to Capitalist
ideals. Liu and his wife were beaten and Liu
underwent ‘struggle sessions’
5. Lin took part in an assassination plot against
Mao; while fleeing to the USSR Lin was killed in
a plane crash.
External Opposition:
o 1959 Tibetan rising: National rising against the Chinese
occupation -> PLA’s response: arrested thousands of
demonstrators + imprisoned, and their leaders were
executed
o
Panchen Lama’s report 1962 – he went on a secret tour
of Tibet to discover the truth about the famine and
realized the Communist Party was lying about the
Tibetan conditions and wrote a report of which a copy
was sent to Mao
 Results: the unnecessary death of a million people,
many humiliated, Panchen Lama was arrested -> Mao
dismissed the accusations as a bunch of lies.
o ‘Foreign agents’ fell under the nine singled out categories















of enemies to the Cultural Revolution; Foreign
embassies (Dutch, French, Indian…) were attacked;
windows were broken and burned
o Staff was assaulted by Red Guards; they were insulted,
beaten, and constantly yelled at my Maoists
o Especially foreign religion such as Christianity was


Squads called squadristi & arditi would
suppress trade union and peasant strikes; burn
socialist printing presses, offices, headquarters;
suppress land seizures by peasants. (1919-1922)
1920: 200 socialists killed by squadristi.
In 1921, signed a peace deal with moderate
socialists and workers to create an air of
agreement b/w fascists and opposition.
Acerbo Law (1923)- any party w/ more than
25% of votes obtains 2/3 of parliament; Musso’s
way of alienating all opposition/make fascist
majority.
1923: paramilitary organizations disbanded.
Matteotti, a leading socialist killed in 1924 b/c
he denounced the regime. 1,000s of less
prominent socialists were killed over the years.
1925/1926: freedom of press abolished by
decree; opposition newspapers confiscated and
shut down; hostile organizations dissolved; all
press controlled by gov’nt; parliament &
gov’nt is fascist, no opposition.
1926: opposition parties dissolved by “act for
the defense of the state” law.
Musso used propaganda/ media to gain
supporters/ create an air of power and control
that would suppress opposition.
Photographs and posters portraying Mussolini
as powerful and tall
Government propaganda on the radio
Films showed Mussolini addressing
enthusiastic crowds
Architecture objectified power, wealth, and
prestige
Students and teacher swore oaths of loyalty to
Mussolini, not the king.
Youth organizations that advocate fascism
with compulsory membership
Rallies that manipulate lights, etc. to create an
image of power
Literature advocated fascism and hailed it as
the revival of the Roman Empire.
condemned by Mao  Foreign priests and nuns were
expelled from China. Some churches were allowed to
remain operational but were placed under strict
Communist control.
Domestic
Policies
Ali, Salah, Nour
 Economic Policies
o The Corporate State
 Occupations were to form two
syndicate states, one for workers one
for employers. These two groups
would meet to agree on wages, hours,
working conditions, etc. Each
syndicate would be under Fascist party
representatives and the representatives
were under the ministry-head being
Mussolini.
o In 1926 Mussolini established a ministry
of corporations.
 Each corporation consisted of
representatives of employers and
workers from the same economic or
industrial sector and three
representatives from the government,
who acted as referees and final juries
o Battle for Grain: mostly propaganda
campaign that encouraged workers to
produce more grain so that Italy could be
self-sufficient.
o Institute for the reconstruction of
Industry: State took over direct control of
many banks and heavy industry
o Battle of the Lira
 Mussolini wanted to revalue the Lira
and make it worth more than its value
in relation to world markets
 He hoped this would reduce inflation
 Bring more confidence in Fascism.
 Social Policies
o The 1923 Education Act
 Stressed the importance of a humanist
education and suggested that
philosophy be taught at all levels.
 The teachers were taught to educate
their students in a strictly fascist
manner, but though the related
activities were done, they had little
ideological effect. Also, certain
subjects, particularly history suffered.
Most books were banned, and single
text book became compulsory and that
book was full of twisted facts and
propaganda motivated material.
o 1927 Battle of the Births
 Aimed to increase population by 50%
to 60% by 1950.

12 child family the ideal – loans and
tax breaks used to encourage child
production, while higher taxes and job
restrictions used to punish childless
couples.
 Quota system introduced in 1933 to
reduce number of women working to
10% of jobs in public sector, and then
many companies also, as a way of
trying to boost the battle for births
 Religious Policies
o Lateran Accords (1929):

Mussolini recognized the Church’s
sovereignty over the Vatican and the
Pope recognized the legitimacy of
Fascist Italy
 Mussolini subsidized the Church and
recognized Catholicism as the “sole
religion of the state”
 Church urged Catholics to support the
regime
o Anti-Semitism
 Fascist regime was officially antiSemitic



1938 legislation
Excluded foreign Jews
Excluded Jews from teaching, civil
service and military