Or how did these crazy nutjobs come into power in the first place?

Fascism = a militant political movement  Originated in Italy by Benito Mussolini  Loyalty to the state  Extreme nationalism  Uniforms and salutes  Nations must struggle and fight  No individual rights  Each class had special place  Used religion  Hated Communism

Reasons for Rise  Economic distress  Fear of Communism  Appeal to nationalism  Weak government No democratic tradition

 After WWI, Italy was Mad about no territorial gains Afraid of a Communist Revolution  Benito Mussolini promised to save economy and rebuild army Bring back glory of Rome  Mussolini and Black Shirts marched on Rome Made King hand over power to Mussolini Took power legally (Sort of…)

 “ I l Duce” = the leader  Abolished democracy  Secret police galore  Created a model Fascist State

Militaristic Expansion  Desire to create colonial empire Invaded:  Ethiopia (1935)  Albania (1939) The League of Nations  Condemned Italy’s actions  but didn’t do anything to stop it.

 National Socialist German Workers’ Party Swastika for a symbol Brownshirts = storm troopers (militia, not star wars)  Hitler became der Führer of NAZI party  Attempted coup failed Lesson learned: Had to take power legally

 Hitler imprisoned for treason Wrote book Mein Kampf (My Struggle)  Germans were master race (called them “Aryans”)  Non Aryans were inferior  Vowed to reverse the Treaty of Versailles  Conquer eastern Europe and Russia Gain “lebensraum” or “living space”

 During depression, Hitler rose in prestige and prominence Widespread fear of communism  President appointed Hitler chancellor  Hitler asked for dictatorial powers for 4 years

 Banned all other political parties  SS (schutzstaffel)- elite military force loyal only to Hitler  Gestapo = secret police  Took control of economy  Propaganda and book burning  Hitler Youth and League of German Girls

 Targeted the Jewish population for failure in WWI  Anti-Semitism already engrained in German (and all European) society  Deprived Jews of their rights  Kristallnacht- “Night of the Broken Glass” Attack on Jewish owned businesses A “pogrom”- gov’t sponsored violence against Jews

German Expansion- Today Germany Tomorrow the World!  began rebuilding military  took the Rhineland  Anschluss  Munich Conference Germany, French, and British leaders met to discuss the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia GB & F said G could have Sudetenland if Hitler promised not to invade Czechoslovakia Policy of appeasement  took Czechoslovakia  invaded Poland, start of WWII

Rise of Japanese Militarism  1920’s- struggled with weak Parliamentary system  Depression hit Japan hard Relied on exports to foreign nations Drought which led to extreme famine Government efforts to boost economy  Spent less on the military

 Right-winged military leaders mad  Throughout the 1930’s a series of militaristic Prime Ministers Hideki Tojo  Did not want to overthrow political system  Extreme nationalism Belief in “chosen-ness” of Japanese people Asia should be dominated by the “superior” Japanese “Asia for Asians”- anti-European Imperialism  Focused increasingly on Emperor veneration Belief that Emperor is god on Earth Emperor had little political power

 Desire to save economy by foreign expansion  Japan invaded Manchuria Sought resources  Iron and coal  Japan invaded China

Another crazy leader-but NOT a fascist!

 When Lenin died, he left no successor  He meant to remove Stalin from power  Trotsky v Stalin TrotskyStalin -Best choice -Horrible ego -Compromises, realistic -Rude and crude -Power hungry and ambitious -Violent, impatient, malicious

 Stalin wins dictatorship in 1928  Has support of the people  Surrounds himself with other like himself

 Industrialization- create demand as you create supply  Central government planners set goals Soviet industry almost catches up to rest of Europe in less than 15 years

 Individual ownership of an economic resource (farm) replaced by people that work there Everyone owns a piece Disastrous effect on food production

PURGES  Campaigns of terror  Stalin removed anyone he saw as a threat  Eventually all of the old Bolsheviks of the Revolution were replaced by “Little Stalins”  Stalin killed 20 million soviet citizens  Arrests millions and sent them to gulags

 Slave labor camps  Mostly in Siberia – massive projects were built using slave labor

 Dies in 1953  NO CLEAR SUCCESSION