TOTALITARIANISM in Interwar Europe German Federal Archive (cc 3.0)

Aftermath of World War I Europe was burdened by war debts. Had to face the tough task of rebuilding Several countries moved their governments toward TOTALITARIANISM

What is Totalitarianism? A political system in which government controls every aspect of citizens’ lives. How do you control people in a totalitarian country? Mass Communication = methods of communication (newspapers, radio, public address system) designed to reach large #s of people at once.

Key Traits of Totalitarianism Other methods of enforcement: -Police Terror -Indoctrination -Censorship -Persecution

Not all totalitarian dictators were Communists In Italy, Germany, & Spain, people turned to an extremely nationalist gov’t called fascism Fascist gov’ts were controlled by dictators who demanded loyalty from citizens Fascists did not offer democracy & used one-party to rule the nation Unlike Communists, fascists believed people could keep their property

National Socialism (Nazism) Totalitarian Regimes “Left Wing” Soviet Union Communism/ Bolshevism/ Leninism Lenin/Stalin “Right Wing” Germany Italy National Socialism (Nazism) Fascism Hitler Mussolini

RADICAL AUTHORITARIAN NATIONALISM Fascism (Italy) RADICAL AUTHORITARIAN NATIONALISM Benito Mussolini Il Duce

Nazi Party (Germany) 1933 National Socialist Adolf Hitler der Fürher German Workers Party

Fascism and Bolshevism Common Traits 1. YES 2. 3. 4. 5. YES? Opposition to Liberal Democracy Unity through Hatred (common enemy) Government by a Party Elite The Cult of the Leader Totalitarianism

Fascism and Bolshevism Common Traits 1. YES 2. 3. 4. 5. YES? Opposition to Liberal Democracy Unity through Hatred (common enemy) Government by a Party Elite The Cult of the Leader Totalitarianism

The Problem of the Left/Right Dichotomy Democrats (US) Conservatives (UK) Labour (UK) Republicans (US) “MODERATE GOVERNMENTS” Fascists Nazis Communists “FAR RIGHT” “FAR LEFT”

Contrasting Totalitarian Regimes Bolshevism Fascism Internationalist Goal: Worldwide Communist Revolution Nationalist Mussolini – Fascism “not for export” CLASS HATRED rather than racial hatred. (Soviet states were ethnically diverse) Master Race Ideologies The enemy = outsiders & ethnic minorities

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Totalitarian Regimes in Europe & Asia Mussolini & Hitler believed in fascism: the idea that nations need strong dictators, total authority by one party, but that people can keep private property Stalin was a Communist believed that the government should control all property & business In some ways, fascism was similar to communism. Both systems were ruled by dictators who allowed only their own political party (one-party rule). Both denied individual rights. In both, the state was supreme. Neither practiced any kind of democracy. However, unlike Communists, Fascists did not seek a classless society. Rather, they believed that each class had its place and function. In most cases, Fascist parties were made up of aristocrats and industrialists, war veterans, and the lower middle class. Also, Fascists were nationalists, and Communists were internationalists, hoping to unite workers worldwide.

Russian Revolution Review What was the name of the party that assumed power following the revolution? Bolsheviks What were their goals? To create a socialist, classless society On what philosophers ideas was the new society formed? Karl Marx What ways were his ideas put into practice? Land taken from upper classes, given to commoners

Early Russia: Vladimir Lenin Dictator: Vladimir Lenin System of Government: Communism Beliefs: Created a dictatorship instead of an equal society.

Russia: Josef Stalin Dictator: Josef Stalin System of Government: Communism Beliefs: Controlled farms and industry. State Police enforced laws.

Rise of Stalin Used his position to obtain power (General Secretary) Eliminates all competition Turns Russia into a totalitarian state Uses 5-year plans to build Russia to be a strong nation . Through Collative farming (collectivization) forced labor Planned industry- Huge factories Achieves goal in 9-years, but millions of poor on the county die…

What happened if you disagreed with Stalin? Stalin removed his enemies from society. “The Purge”. Italy, Germany, Russia and Japan would depend on dictators to lead their governments. Sent them to labor camps. Destroyed birth records Doctored photos.

Labor Camps in Siberia Average temperature in Siberia during winter: -10°F to below -50°F (-45°F).

Italy Fascism A political movement that promotes an extreme form of nationalism, a denial of individual rights, and a dictatorial one-party rule. Dictator: Benito Mussolini System of government: Fascism Beliefs: Destroy all opposition. Believed in restoring a new Roman Empire.

Italy Dissatisfied with WWI and its lack of territory, amount of death and bad economy Fascist party wants quick solutions criticizes democracy and constitutionalism claiming it takes too long.

Mussolini created the Blackshirts (a secret police force) to enforce the goals of his Fascist Party

By 1922, Mussolini was popular enough to lead a “March on Rome” & forced the Italian king to name him prime minister

As prime minister, Benito Mussolini was known as “Il Duce” (the chief) Mussolini ended democracy & all opposition parties Mussolini built up the military to create new jobs He planned to conquer new territories in Africa for Italy

JAPAN Emperor Hirohito System of Government: Militarism & Imperialism Japanese military was really in charge. System of Government: Militarism & Imperialism Beliefs: Wanted to seize new territories and take control of natural resources (I.e., coal, timber, iron ore, control of China) Invaded the Chinese state of Manchuria.

The Weimar Republic ECONOMIC PROBLEMS 1919-1933 Germany briefly experimented with liberal democracy. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS Map by kgberger (cc 2.5)

HYPERINFLATION

Germany Suffered the most from the Treaty of Versailles. Germans became bitter as their economy crippled. Went through “hyperinflation”. Prices increased as the value of the money decreased.

What happened next? The rise of Adolf Hitler. Tried to overthrow German government. In prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle). Book blamed Communists and Jews for Germany’s defeat in WWI. Mein Kampf also provided Hitler’s plan for Germany’s rise to European and global power.

Why did Hitler blame the Jews? Many wealthy bankers and businessmen in Germany were Jewish. Since Germans were losing money, Hitler made the Jews an easy target. 1932 – HITLER Led the National Socialist Party (NAZI) to victory in the national election. NAZISM established.

NAZI Beliefs Believed in a strong central government under the Führer (the leader). One master Aryan race. Jewish and Communists were enemies of the people.

Kristallnacht - 1938 “Night of Broken Glass” Nazis destroyed many Jewish businesses and destroyed synagogues.

Other Actions by the Nazis

Non-Aggression Pact & The Axis Powers Non-Aggression Pact – Hitler and Stalin agreed to avoid war with each other. AXIS POWERS 1936 – Italy and Germany form a military alliance 1940 – Japan joins the alliance.

Appeasement British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler Allowed Hitler control of Sudetenland but NO MORE Appeasement: meeting demands of a hostile power in order to avoid war.

America’s Reaction U.S. was reluctant to get involved in another war. Congress passed laws to prevent the sale of weapons to any nation at war. Americans wanted to remain isolationists.