The Rise of Fascism Italy After World War I, Italy was upset Italy gained no new land after Austria-Hungary was broken up In the late 20s & early 30s a new political movement called fascism was gaining momentum in Italy Fascism called for extreme nationalism and loyalty Italy was also starting to suffer from the worldwide depression A fiery former newspaper editor named Benito Mussolini promised to rescue the Italian economy & restore pride to Italy Supporters of Mussolini march on Rome They demand the King of Italy put Mussolini in charge of the government Worried that he may lose his power, King Victor Emmanuel makes Mussolini, Il Duce Legally Takes Power
Germany In Germany, the Nazi Party is gaining momentum Their fiery leader Adolf Hitler begins making speeches to the German people promising to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and rebuild Germany Hitler tried to forcefully take over Germany in the 1920s but was stopped and sent to prison In prison he writes Mein Kampf (My Struggle) outlining his plans Hitler argues the Germans were a “master race” called Aryans He felt that other races such as Slavs, Jews, and Gypsies were inferior He also states Germany needs more land and that he will get revenge for what happened after WW I Hitler speaks about Nationalism & the poor economy Hitler is also a master of propaganda In 1930, the Nazi party starts winning seats in the Parliament (Reichstag) As the Nazis become more popular, President Hindenburg names Hitler Chancellor of Germany – Reichstag fire seals the Nazi majority! Legally Takes Power!
Communism vs. Fascism Each class has its own function in society -Seek a classless society -Every class has its purpose in society -Clearly defined theory -No clearly defined theory -Loyalty to the gov’t & leader -Nationalists-Internat’nalists: Unite all workers -No Democracy -Very little personal freedom Please see pg. 477
Please write the following questions below your notes and answer them by looking at the next slide. 1. Which political, cultural, and economic characteristics helped make fascism an authoritarian system? 2. What characteristics of fascism might make it attractive to people during times of crisis such as the Great Depression?
Social Social: Supported by middle class, industrialists, and military Economic Economic: econ. functions controlled by state corp.s or state Cultural Cultural: -Censorship -Indoctrination -Secret police Chief Examples Chief Examples: -Italy -Spain -Germany Political Political: -Nationalist -Racist (Nazism) -One-party rule -Supreme leader Principles Principles: -authoritarian -State more important than individual -Charismatic leader -Action oriented Characteristics of Fascism