Rise of totalitarianism in
Europe
Hitler
What was Hitler’s Early Life Like
• Born to Alois and Klara Hitler in
Austria.
• Mother dies - Hitler blames her
Jewish doctor for her death.
• Wanted to be an artist – not
accepted into the Vienna Academy
of Art
• Paternal Grandfather - Jewish
Hitler’s Paintings
How did WWI Influence Hitler?
• He served in German Army:
• wounded and received two Iron Crosses for
bravery.
• First success in his life
• Blamed Germany’s defeat on Jews,
Communists, and “November Criminals” signers of TOV
What is the NAZI Party?
• German Workers Party
changed to National Socialist
German Workers Party “NAZI” Party
• Fascist beliefs
• Drafted a platform of 25 points
• Swastika – ancient symbol
meaning good luck
What is Mein Kampf?
• “Mein Kampf” = “My
Struggle”
• Blueprint for Germany’s
future
1. Racism - hatred for Jews
2. Lebensraum (living space)
expansion of Germany’s
border
3. World Domination
What did Hitler offer to the German
people?
•Promises, Promises
Nationalists - Restore
Germany to Greatness
Wealthy Industrialist – stop
communism
Workers – end unemployment
•Blamed Others for Germany’s
Problems
Jews
November Criminals
Weimar Republic
•Excellent Speaker
What was the Jewish Problem?
• Hitler’s belief that Aryan German’s
were the “Master Race” – blond
hair, blue eyes, strong and
disciplined
• Blamed Germany’s problems on
the Jewish
• Racism and propaganda used to
create distrust and hatred against
Jews and non-Aryans.
• GESTAPO:
the Secret State Police
• SS (Schutzstaffel): Defense Corps “black shirts”, an elite guard unit
formed out of the SA
• SA (Sturmabteilung): Stormtroopers "brown-shirts" early private Nazi
army that protected leaders and opposed rival political parties
• Lebensraum (living space): concept that emphasized need for territorial
expansion of Germany into east
• Wehrmacht: German army
• HJ (Hitler Jugend): Hitler Youth
• Einstazgruppen: Nazi Death Squad; mobile killing units
• Volk: all inclusive concept of nation, people and race, implying the
superiority of German culture and race; led to policy of Volksgemeinschaft
(idea of a harmonized racial Nazi community in government policies and
programs)
This Nazi propaganda poster reads,
‘Behind the enemy powers: the Jew.
“The Eternal Jew”
Depiction of a Jew holding gold coins in one hand
and a whip in the other. Under his arm is a map of
the world, with the imprint of the hammer and
sickle. Posters like this promoted a sharp rise in
anti-Semitic feelings, and in some cases violence
against the Jewish community.
Mussolini
Italy
Problems After WWI
• 460,000 Soldiers killed
• Heavy debt
• Dissatisfaction with Treaty Of Versailles - Britain and
France didn’t give Italy the land they promised in the
Treaty of London
• Governments were coalitions that couldn’t make
decisions
Benito Mussolini or Il Duce
• Mussolini was the leader and
Founder of the Italian Fascism,
Fascisti, party. He was an early
socialist but when he realized
that stronger support could be
gotten from the right wing all
socialist aspects were dropped.
http://www.worldwarhistory.com/wwii/biographies/mussolini.ht
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Mussolini Gains Power
• Promises to solve Italy’s problems
• Something for everyone:
• Nationalists – recreate the Roman
Empire
• Landowners – protect private property
• Workers – full unemployment
• Blackshirts
• Mussolin’s Followers
• Used Force to gain power
March on Rome
1922
• “Either the government
will be given to us or we
shall seize it by marching
on Rome”
• 20,000 Blackshirts in a
planned Coup d’etat
• King Victor Emmanuel
fears Civil War - names
Mussolini Prime Minister
“Il Duce” – The Leader
• Solved Unemployment
Problem
• Restored Patriotism and
Nationalism
• Recaptured Italy’s
Greatness
• “Made the Trains Run on
Time
• Limited Individual Freedoms
Quote
• “Fascism should
rightly be called
Corporatism as it is a
merge of state and
corporate power.”~
Benito Mussolini
Quote
• “Fascism conceives of the
State as an absolute, in
comparison with which all
individuals or groups are
relative, only to be conceived
in their relation to the
State.” ~Benito Mussolini