The Rise of the Totalitarian System Nobody really wins WWI Everyone loses Especially Germany & her Allies Economic, social, political and geographic disaster leads to drastic methods to deal with drastic times

Marx – left Rousseau – left/Center Smith – Right/Center Hobbes – Right Left – Socialism/Communism Center – Democracies Right – Theocracies, Authoritarian

Post War Treaty of Versailles Germany to pay reparation until 1988 Germany responsible/guilty Military reductions Loss of territory Loss of industrial capability Economic Ruin Social disaster Political vacuum

Clash of Political Philosophies Socialists and Communists Focus on working class needs Fascists Parliamentary rule: Weak and unstable… chaotic Conciliatory toward Germany Women gained rights Individual Liberty Economic difficulties lead to increased government controls Democracies and capitalists

Focus:Progress Communist Socialist Focus: Tradition Authoritarian Fascist Nazi Theocracies Focus: Liberty Democratic Social Democrats

Conditions in Europe Middle class economic frustrations Upper class – fears socialism Anti-Parliamentarianism –Poor economy Aggressive Nationalism –Why? Everyone is a victim after WWI

Europe ripe for Communism? Britain– 1% of population owns 60% of national wealth 1/10 th of 1% owns 30% wealth Germany – Weimar Republic –Very weak…

Hyper-inflation German Mark declined greatly in value between 1919 & 1924

German Economy: Hyperinflation Collapse of the Mark ( ) 1914: 4::1 to the US dollar 1919: 19::1 Jan.1923: 18,000::1 July 1923: 353,000::1 October 1923: 25,000,000::1 November 1923: 4 trillion::1 10 million marks = 1 cent

German Economy Period Two: Recovery ( ) - Reparations Eased -Us Loans, economy begins to recover Period Three: Depression ( ) : onset of the Great Depression, industrial output drops 40% - By 1932: 40% are unemployed

Communism State controls (or at least tries to) all areas of life Eventually the state will wither away Emphasis on class warfare, victory for the proletariat (workers)

Rather than Communism, Much of Europe goes for Authoritarianism, They move to the Right They move back to the traditional, with a central, strong leader

Authoritarian Focus is control of the political system Could be a monarchy, dictatorship, oligarchy

Fascism Define themselves more by what they’re against Strong leader - restore order- dictatorship State controls (tries to) all areas of life Go for popular power Expand national borders Fulfill “historical destiny”; emphasis on traditions of the past Get rid of outsiders & undesirables

Benito Mussolini ( ) Comes to power 1922 Promises Second Roman Empire Mare Nostrum = Med. Sea… “our lake” Presents himself as protector of law and order “Italy would fulfill its historic destiny”… he would say (Marx)

Adolf Hitler Author of Mein Kampf (My Struggle) Anti-Semitic Volkish Social Darwinist Anti-Marxist

Democracy Republican government elected by and answerable to the governed Socialist/Liberal democracies are concerned with a fair distribution of the wealth Conservative democracies believe in less government interference with the economy, laissez faire

And then there are the democracies following WWI America: Idealistic American and European democracies : Economic instability All: socialist practices to stabilize economic/ social problems Most isolationist Security Finally :German Democracy succumbs to economic and social collapse—and adopts a fascist government

And the results Russia:communist path; economics is the Root of all social and political ills Italy, Germany, and Japan: authoritarian; Republican forms of government are slow, ineffectual, corrupt America, France, Great Britain: social democracies

Conflict and Resolution Economic: Stability and growth Political: status at home and abroad Social: stabilize and unify Geographic: self- determination The resolution to conflicts in these four categories will again lead the world into war