Totalitarianism after WWI
Aftermath of World War I
• Europe was burdened
by war debts.
• Had to face the tough
task of rebuilding
• Several countries
moved their
governments toward
TOTALITARIANISM
What is Totalitarianism?
• A political system in which government
controls every aspect of citizens’ lives.
How do you control people in a
totalitarian country?
• Mass Communication = methods of
communication (newspapers, radio, public
address system) designed to reach large #s
of people at once.
Key Traits of Totalitarianism
• Other methods of enforcement:
-Police Terror
-Indoctrination
-Censorship
-Persecution
Russian Revolution Review
• What was the name of the party that assumed
power following the revolution?
– Bolsheviks
• What were their goals?
– To create a socialist, classless society
• On what philosophers ideas was the new society
formed?
– Karl Marx
• What ways were his ideas put into practice?
– Land taken from upper classes, given to commoners
Early Russia: Vladimir Lenin
• Dictator: Vladimir
Lenin
• System of
Government:
Communism
• Beliefs: Created a
dictatorship instead of
an equal society.
Russia: Josef Stalin
• Dictator: Josef
Stalin
• System of
Government:
Communism
• Beliefs: Controlled
farms and industry.
State Police enforced
laws.
What happened if you disagreed with
Stalin?
• Stalin removed his
enemies from society.
“The Purge”.
• Italy, Germany, Russia
and Japan would depend
on dictators to lead their
governments.
• Sent them to labor camps.
• Destroyed birth records
• Doctored photos.
Labor Camps in Siberia
• Average temperature in Siberia during
winter: -10°F to below -50°F (45°F).
Italy
• Dictator:
Fascism
Benito Mussolini
Aofpolitical movement that
• System
government:
promotes an extreme form of
Fascism
•
nationalism,
a
denial
of
Beliefs: Destroy all
opposition.
Believed rights, and a
individual
in restoring a new
dictatorial
one-party rule.
Roman
Empire.
JAPAN
• Emperor Hirohito
– Japanese military was really
in charge.
• System of Government:
Militarism &
Imperialism
• Beliefs: Wanted to seize
new territories and take
control of natural
resources (I.e., coal,
timber, iron ore, control of
China)
• Invaded the Chinese state
of Manchuria.
Germany
• Suffered the most from the
Treaty of Versailles.
• Germans became bitter as
their economy crippled.
• Went through
“hyperinflation”. Prices
increased as the value of
the money decreased.
What happened next?
• The rise of Adolf Hitler.
• Tried to overthrow German
government.
• In prison, Hitler wrote Mein
Kampf (My Struggle).
• Book blamed Communists
and Jews for Germany’s
defeat in WWI.
• Mein Kampf also provided
Hitler’s plan for Germany’s
rise to European and global
power.
Why did Hitler blame the Jews?
• Many wealthy bankers and
businessmen in Germany
were Jewish.
• Since Germans were losing
money, Hitler made the Jews
an easy target.
• 1932 – HITLER Led the
National Socialist Party
(NAZI) to victory in the
national election.
• NAZISM established.
NAZI Beliefs
• Believed in a strong central
government under the Führer
(the leader).
• One master Aryan race.
• Jewish and Communists were
enemies of the people.
Kristallnacht - 1938
“Night of Broken Glass”
Nazis destroyed many Jewish businesses
and destroyed synagogues.
Other Actions by the Nazis
Non-Aggression Pact
&
The Axis Powers
• Non-Aggression Pact
– Hitler and Stalin
agreed to avoid war
with each other.
AXIS POWERS
• 1936 – Italy and
Germany form a
military alliance
• 1940 – Japan joins
the alliance.
Appeasement
• British Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain
met with Hitler
• Allowed Hitler control
of Sudetenland but
NO MORE
• Appeasement:
meeting demands of a
hostile power in order
to avoid war.
America’s Reaction
• U.S. was reluctant to
get involved in
another war.
• Congress passed laws
to prevent the sale of
weapons to any nation
at war.
• Americans wanted to
remain isolationists.