Warm up

DICTATORS THREATEN WORLD PEACE CH 16

Italy – Benito Mussolini  After World War I, Italy was facing high unemployment and inflation. Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist party which took over Italy in Mussolini limited the rights of the Italian people and began building up a large military, which he used to take over Ethiopia in 1935.

Soviet Union (USSR) – Joseph Stalin  Joseph Stalin became the totalitarian dictator of the communist Soviet Union in Stalin abolished all private farms placed all economic activity under government management. By the end of the 1930s, Stalin and the Soviet government had taken almost all rights away from their people.

Spain – Francisco Franco  In 1936, Spanish General Francisco Franco rebelled against the Spanish government and started a civil war in Spain. By 1939, Franco had won the war. Franco became the dictator in charge of Spain and created a fascist, totalitarian government.

Germany – Adolf Hitler  Germany’s economy had never been able to recover from WWI and the German people were angry about the punishments that the Treaty of Versailles included. This caused them to elect Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany in Once in power, Hitler reorganized the government and started building Germany’s military.

Japan – Militarists  In Japan there was no one dictator who took over, but a group of militarists took over the government and began taking aggressive actions against other countries. Led by Hideki Tojo, the Japanese army invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931.

totalitarian  a political system in which the government exercises complete control over its citizens’ lives

fascism  a political philosophy that advocates a strong, centralized, nationalistic government headed by a powerful dictator

Nazism  the political philosophy – based on extreme nationalism, racism, and militaristic expansionism – that Adolf Hitler put into practice in Germany from 1933 to 1945

communism  A political and economic system based on one- party leadership and government ownership of property and industry

nationalism  extreme pride in your country

militarism  the policy of building up armed forces in aggressive preparedness for war and their use as a tool of diplomacy

neutrality  the policy or status of a nation that does not participate in a war between other nations

appeasement  granting concessions to a hostile power in order to keep the peace

blitzkrieg  from the German word meaning “lightning war” – a sudden, massive attack with combined ground and air forces, intended to achieve a quick victory

genocide  the deliberate and systematic extermination of a particular racial, national, or religious group