Chapter 31 C Notes

Fascism’s Rise in Italy  Fascism was a militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to it’s leader  Fascists preach extreme nationalism (loyalty to your country), pledge loyalty to an authoritarian leader, wore matching uniforms, used special salutes, and held mass rallies

 Similar to Communism in that both have dictators and deny individual rights with a supreme state.  Different from Communism because Fascists did not seek a classless society— thought every class had a place and purpose, and Fascists were nationalists while Communists were internationalists

Mussolini Takes Control  Fascism in Italy was fueled by bitter disappointment at the amount of territorial gains after WWI and rising inflation/unemployment that caused social unrest  Benito Mussolini promised to revive Italy’s economy and rebuild armed forces—very popular  Won support from the middle class, aristocracy, and industrial leaders by playing on fears of worker revolts

 October 1922: 30,000 Fascists march on Rome and demand King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in charge  After widespread violence and a threatened uprising, Mussolini became dictator “legally”  Called “Il Duce” (The Leader)  Abolished democracy and outlawed political parties  Jailed opponents and censored all publications and broadcasts  Outlawed strikes and allied his party with the wealthy

Hitler Rises to Power in Germany  Adolf Hitler served in the army during WWI and afterwards joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (a.k.a. Nazis) who wanted to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and combat communism  Hitler’s success as an organizer/speaker led him to be chose “der Fuhrer” (The Leader)  Inspired by Mussolini, he tried to march on Munich but failed and was arrested

 While serving time in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) and set forth his beliefs/goals  Germans (Aryans) were the master race and all others are inferior  Vowed to overturn the Versailles treaty and regain German lands  Declared that Germany was overcrowded and needed more “lebensraum” (living space)— wanted to get that by taking over lands in E. Europe and Russia

Hitler Becomes Chancellor  After prison, he revived the Nazi party and it became the largest political party by 1932  Conservative leaders who thought they could manipulate Hitler advised the president (Paul von Hindenburg) to name Hitler chancellor and he did  Once in office, Hitler:  Sets up a new election and gains the majority in Parliament  Bans all other parties and has opponents arrested  Created the SS (Protection Squad) who were loyal only to him. The brutality of the SS toward Hitler’s enemies was a major reason Germans did not protest him  Banned strikes, dissolved labor unions, and took authority over business and labor  Put millions of Germans to work and decreased unemployment

The Fuhrer is Supreme  Used propaganda to control every aspect of German life  Burned books that did not have Nazi ideology  Forbade churches to criticize the Nazis  Made children join the Hitler Youth or the League of German Girls  Believe struggle brought strength

Hitler Makes War on the Jews  Hatred of the Jews (Anti-Semitism) was a key part of Nazi ideology  Jews became scapegoats for all problems  Passed laws depriving Jews of rights and supported violence against them  November 9 th 1938 “Kristallnacht” (Night of the Broken Glass): Hitler used an international incident as an excuse to send the SS into Jewish neighborhoods to destroy property, terrorize and attack Jews  Start of the process of eliminating the Jews from Germany

TA31D Read Pages Copy and Define Terms on Page 919 Copy & Answer Questions 17 & 18 on Page 920