The Rise of Dictatorships Totalitarianism in Europe in the 1930s

What is Totalitarianism? A dictatorship where: _____________________ has absolute power. Only one ideology is supported & ___________ is not allowed. _________________ are used to instill fear & control the population; citizens are denied their human rights. Censorship & propaganda are used to control & ________________________ the people. Germany, Spain & Italy = fascist totalitarian regimes USSR = communist totalitarian regimes Very few freedoms are allowed in totalitarian regimes, but citizens often cooperate initially because the leader promises that these sacrifices are necessary to restore their nation to greatness, typically in the midst of a tough times such as the Depression.

______________: A Communist Totalitarian Regime in the USSR What is communism? Based upon the writings of Karl Marx, it is a political, social and economic theory that aims to eliminate the inequalities created by the capitalist system. It believes capitalism creates gaps between rich and poor because it allows the bourgeoisie (wealthy class) to exploit the proletariat (working class). There is no private property; all property and the means of production are held in common though, in practice, they are usually controlled by the state. Communist countries have planned economies where the community of workers or the government determine what goods will be produced, how much of each item will be produced, the prices for these goods, where the goods will be sold and to whom. The number of consumer goods available on the market is greatly limited due to government control of production and the belief that people should only be allowed to keep the barest essentials (toothbrush, underwear, etc.) as private property.

Stalin His goal was to protect & maintain _________________ in one country. Wanted to modernize the USSR with a series of __________________ Plans: Ended all private property & introduced collectivized farming, partly to raise revenues for _________________ Rapid industrialization with an emphasis on modernizing the __________________________ Conducted Great Purges where he __________________ anyone who opposed his goals. In many ways, Stalin was the most extreme of the totalitarian dictators that we will learn about. Stalin believed the priority should be to ensure that communism remain strong within the USSR, which put him at odds with some communist party members who believed that a world revolution was necessary to bring communism and equality to all nations. Because most of the world’s powers were democracies that opposed communism, Stalin was very fearful of a potential attack. Under his leadership, the USSR joined the League of Nations where he tried to promote collective security. He knew that a modern industrialized economy would be essential to winning any future wars that the USSR might become involved in. Millions of Russians died in the Purges, including many high-ranking members of the communist party. Example: Over 5 million Kulaks, an ethnic group that did not want to hand over their farms to the government, were killed for resisting Stalin’s orders. The 5 Year Plans modernized the Soviet economy, but at a huge human cost. Many critics also claim they are an example of quantity over quality.

What is Fascism? A totalitarian regime that places the needs of the _______ before the rights of the individual; it features: Extreme ____________________________ Economic __________________________: private ownership under government control State control of every aspect of life with no legal _______________________ on its control Militarism & ___________________________ A class system where each social class has its proper place and _____________ (business & land owners) receive special protection An authoritarian political movement launched by Mussolini in 1919 The name comes from the Roman symbol of power through unity—the “fasces” Fasces is a bundle of reeds—individually weak, but collectively strong Fascism is a conservative middle class reaction to the growing popularity of communism & democracy These groups felt threatened by the rising power of the working class under these movements Fascism was created by Mussolini in Italy, but it soon spread to other nations in Europe including Spain and Germany In Mussolini’s own words: “Everything for the state; nothing against the state; nothing outside the state.”

Mussolini: A Fascist Totalitarian Regime in _______________

Mussolini Came to power as Italians grew dissatisfied with the democratic government that they blamed for Italy’s problems, including ___________________________ Threatened to use his Blackshirts to overthrow the government during his March on Rome in __________ Italy’s king made him prime minister to avoid _________ In 1925 he declared himself supreme leader & banned all ___________________________ parties He began to expand the Italian _____________ in 1923 In 1935, he entered an alliance with ________________ Blackshirts a quasi-military organization that was more like a semi-organized gang of thugs than a group of soldiers One of his goals was to restore Italy to the former glory of the Roman empire, so he occupied and invaded various territories throughout the 1920s and 30s including Corfu (a Greek island), Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and Albania When the League of Nations imposed sanctions against Italy after the invasion of Abyssinia, only Germany continued normal trade relations with them Italy was drawn into an alliance with Germany, but Hitler was in control

Franco: A ___________ Totalitarian Regime in Spain

Franco Came to power in 1939 after winning the Spanish Civil War with help from Germany & _____________ He ______________ to become part of the Axis in WWII In 1947, he made himself head of state _____________ Franco had been a Spanish General and his side had the advantaged because most of his forces were professional soldiers The USSR and a large group of international volunteers (e.g. Americans, Brits) had provided assistance to the other side, known as the Republicans, that wanted to preserve democracy (many of the parties in the Spanish republic were socialist in nature).

What is Nazism? A ____________ dictatorship that features: Extreme ________________ An end to ____________________ Anti-Semitism: hatred of Jews; Hitler blamed them for Germany’s problems, creating an ______________________ that later allowed for the Holocaust Militarism Hitler convinced Germans that their sole reason for existence was to serve the state The key difference between Nazism and other forms of fascism is the belief in racial superiority (of the Aryan nation) and Anti-Semitism

Hitler: A Nazi __________ Regime in Germany

Hitler To learn more about Hitler’s rise to power and how this lead to WWII, please complete the following assignment: Read pp. 92-98 Complete p. 98 #2-5 in point form