America and the World Chapter 13 Section 1

The Rise of Dictators When WWI ended, President Wilson hoped the U.S. could aid in establishing democracy throughout the world In the years that followed WWI, aggressive and expansionist governments took power in Europe and Asia The two main causes to the rise of dictatorships after WWI were based off of the peace treaty that ended the war and the economic depression

Italy’s Dictatorship Rise Europe’s first dictatorship arose in 1919 in Italy. Benito Mussolini founded Italy’s Fascist Party Fascism-aggressive nationalistic movement that considered the nation more important than the individual. They also believed that nations became great by building an empire Strongly anticommunist Mussolini exploited communism by portraying fascism as a safeguard against communism

Italy… In order to make Fascism look like a good thing, Fascism began to stand for the protection of private property and the middle class Mussolini also promised the working class full employment and social security He pledged to return Italy to the glories of the Roman Empire Members of the Fascist militia that backed Mussolini were known as the Blackshirts Together they marched to Rome in 1922, there, conservative advisors persuaded the king to make Mussolini the premier Once in office, Mussolini worked quickly to establish a dictatorship

Stalin Takes Over the USSR After Russian Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin, communist governments were established throughout the Russian Empire These territories were renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republicans (USSR) Communists instituted one-party rule, suppressed individual liberties, and punished opponents 1924 Lenin dies, power struggle evolves between Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin (former surname Dzuhgashvili)

Stalin… Stalin replaces last name with Russian word for “steel” Between 1902 and 1913, he had been imprisoned or exiled seven times, but always escaped 1926, Stalin becomes new Soviet dictator Uses “Five-Year Plans” to industrialize USSR 1928-1937 steel production increased from 4 million to 18 million tons At same time, wages declined, nearly 43%

Stalin… Family farms turned into collectives- government owned farms Peasants who resisted faced show trials or death from starvation 10 million peasants died in famines from 1932 to 1933 Stalin tolerated no opposition, targeting not only political enemies but also artists and intellectuals Internal terrorism rises, new constitution is passed but never enforced Stalin used concentration camps, by 1935 2 million in camps Most located in the Artic Prisoners used as slave labor, between 8-10 million died under Stalin’s rule, which lasted until his death in 1953

Hitler and Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler- anticommunist and admirer or Mussolini Native of Austria and fought for Germany during WWI Germany’s surrender and the Treaty of Versailles caused Hitler and many other Germans to hate both the victorious Allies and the German government Postwar political and economic chaos led to the rise of new political parties National Socialist German Workers’ Party, known as the Nazi Party Nazi Party was nationalistic and anticommunist

Hitler… Using key words like Socialist and Workers in the name, the party hoped to attract unhappy workers, Adolf was one of the first recruits November 1923, Nazis march to city hall in Munich, tried to seize power and then intended to march to Berlin, the German capital, but plan failed Nazi party banned for some time and Hitler was arrested In prison, Hitler wrote his own autobiography, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) Called for a unification of all Germans under one government Blonde, blue-eyed Germans belonged to a master-race, called Aryans

Hitler… Hitler said the Slavic peoples of eastern Europe belonged to an inferior race, which Germany should enslave His racism towards Jews was the strongest He blamed the Jews for many of the world’s problems, especially Germany’s defeat in WWI After released from prison, Hitler changed his tactics Instead of being violent, he would work his way up in the Reichstag-the lower house of the German parliament

Hitler… During Great depression, people voted for more radical parties, by 1932, the Nazi party was the largest party in the Reichstag, which prompted Hitler to be appointed chancellor, or prime minister After taking office, Hitler called for new elections and ordered the police to crack down on the Socialist and Communist Parties Storm Troopers- Nazi paramilitary units, began intimidating voters Eventually the Reichstag was overpowered by the Nazi and other right-wing parties, Hitler was given dictatorial powers 1934 Hitler becomes president, which gave him control of the army

Militarists Control Japan During economic depression, Japan did not earn enough money from it’s exports to pay for its imports Many Japanese military officials blamed the country’s problems on corrupt politicians Most officers believed Japan was destined to dominate East Asia and saw democracy as “un- Japanese” and bad for the country Japanese military leaders and its supporting citizens argued seizing territory was the only way Japan could get resources it needed September 1931, Japanese army invaded Manchuria-a resource rich region of northern China, to get resources Japanese Prime Minister tried to stop the war by negotiating with China, officers assassinated him From the point on, the military controlled the country

American Neutrality The rise of dictatorship and militarism discouraged many Americans Americans began supporting isolationism and trying to avoid involvement in international conflicts Isolationist ideas became stronger in the early 1930s for two reasons, when the Depression hit, it became harder for European nations to repay the borrowed money during the war 1934, all European nations except Finland said they would no longer repay their war debts

The Nye Committee During this time, dothat zens of books and articles appeared arguing arms manufacturers had tricked the U.S. into entering WWI 1934, Senator Gerald P. Nye investigate these allegations The Nye Committee was put into place, they documented the huge profits that arms factories had made during the war This report created the impression that these businesses (American Arms Manufacturers) influenced the decision to go to war These findings pushed Americans more towards isolationism

Legislating Neutrality Italian and German aggression increased under Mussolini and Hitler Worried that this might lead to war, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1935- made it illegal for Americans to sell arms to any country at war 1936, rebellion rises in Spain led by General Francisco Franco and backed by Spanish Fascists, army officers, landowners and Catholic Church leaders This evolved into a civil war and attracted worldwide attention Congress passed a second neutrality act, banning sale of arms to either side in a civil war

Neutrality…. After Spanish Civil War began, Hitler and Mussolini teamed up and pledged to work together on several international issues, this was known as the Rome-Berlin Axis The next month Japan joined the team when it signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany. This pact required the two countries to exchange information about communist groups Italy, Germany and Japan became known as the Axis Powers When this happens, U.S. passes the Neutrality Act of 1937 This act continued to ban the sell of arms but also required them to buy all non- military supplies from the U.S. on a “cash-and-carry” basis Countries at war had to send their own ships to be loaded and pay cash Remember sea warfare? We wanted to prevent that

Roosevelt’s Internationalism FDR was not an isolationist, he supported internationalism-the idea that trade between nations creates prosperity and helps prevent war Internationalists also believed that the U.S. should try to preserve peace in the world In July 1937, Japanese forces in Manchuria launched a full-scale attack on China Roosevelt decided to help the Chinese Because China neither Japan had actually declared war, FDR claimed the Neutrality Act of 1937 did not apply. He told the American people that we should not stand by and let an “epidemic of lawlessness” infect the world