Section 3: Fascism Rises in Europe Main Idea: In response to political turmoil and economic crisis, Italy and Germany turned to totalitarian dictators

Setting the Stage Many democracies around the world remained strong despite the crisis caused by the Great Depression Still, millions of people lost faith in democratic governments and turned to an extreme system of government called fascism

Fascism Fascism: a militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to its leader Extreme nationalism Competition between nations; survival of the fittest Loyalty to one leader who guided and brought order to the state

Fascism Dictators, one party Denied individual rights No democracy Totalitarian Fanatical/nationalist Each class has its place and function

Fascism in Italy: Mussolini After the war, Italians were bitter because they did not gain any land from the war. They were also upset about the economic situation (depression); the inflation and unemployment Italians felt that their democratic government was helpless to deal with Italy’s problems

Mussolini So the Italian people wanted a leader who would take action Benito Mussolini promised to rescue Italy Founded the Fascist Party in 1919 Promised to revive the economy and the armed forces; promised strong leadership Criticized Italy’s government and warned of the risk of communists taking over

Mussolini: Il Duce October 1922: 30,000 Fascists marched on Rome demanding that King Victor Emmanuel II put Mussolini in charge of the government Violence on the streets, threat of an uprising The king gave in, thus Mussolini took power “legally” Abolished democracy, outlawed all other parties, censorship

Fascism in Germany: Hitler After the war, Hitler joined a political group called the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, Nazi for short. They formed Nazism, which is the German brand of fascism Because of his organizational and oratory skills, the Nazi party made Hitler its leader The Nazis attempted to seize power, but they were arrested Hitler spent less than 9 months in jail. While there he wrote Mein Kampf in which he outlined his beliefs and his goals

Hitler Rises to Power The Nazis became the largest political party by 1932 German President Paul von Hindenburg named Hitler Chancellor of Germany Hitler called for new elections (parliament), hoping the Nazi party would win a majority. They did.

Hitler: The Fuhrer Hitler turned Germany into a totalitarian state Banned all other political parties Took command of the economy Censorship Indoctrination Anti-Semitism Unemployment dropped from 6 million to 1.5 million by 1936