1. The Rise of Fascism

2. Fascism – A political ideology -- 1919 - 1945
Intensely nationalistic ideology
Praised violence against enemies
Celebrated action – rather than reflection
Fascists placed their faith in a charismatic leader.
Fascists bitterly condemned . . .
Individualism, liberalism, feminism
Parliamentary, democracy, communism
Fascists were revolutionary
Fascists celebrated tradition and rejected modernity

3. To whom did fascism appeal?
People with grievances – from all classes
Threatened by socialism and communism
Threatened by the rising power of corporations
Demobilized soldiers
Intellectuals appalled by modern values
Many had lost faith in capitalism
Many had lost faith in democracy

4. Fascism in Europe Fascist movements appeared in all over Europe
Some had very little political impact
France, Great Britain, the Netherlands
Some had a greater political impact.
Austria, Hungary, Romania
Spain
Rise of a fascist movement led to civil war
1936 – 1939
Francisco Franco

5. Fascism in Latin America
Conservative and authoritarian regimes
Adopt the trappings of fascism
one-man rule
state-controlled parties
anti-Semitism
youth organizations or militias
a rhetoric of national renewal

6. Italy Italy became a unified state 1870
Conservative landlords dominate rural areas
Industrialization created social tensions
Demobilized soldiers
out of work and angry
Italian patriots
thought Italy should be bigger

7. Italy in the 1920’s Economic problems led to social unrest
Left-wing groups causing trouble in Italy
Protests threatened the social order
Benito Mussolini (1883–1945)
Charismatic orator and a former journalist
The symbol of this movement was the fasces
A bundle of birch rods bound together around an axe
A symbol derived from ancient Rome

8. Benito Mussolini October of 1922, Mussolini was swept into power
His private army – the Blackshirts
As Prime Minister he consolidates power
Establishes a totalitarian state
He becomes the supreme leader – Il Duce

9. Mussolini’s fascism Anticommunist and antidemocratic
To Fascists, the state was a conscious entity
With “a will and a personality.”
Individuals exists only in relation to the State
For communists it was “the people”
for fascists it was “the state”
Consolidates power of the central state
Invoked aspects of traditional Italian life
The Catholic culture of Italy
The new Roman Empire -- Invades Ethiopia (1935)

10. German Fascism The Nazi Party Lead by Adolf Hitler – Chancellor, 1933
Like Italian fascism, German fascism
extreme nationalism
violence as a political tool
single-party dictatorship
led by charismatic figures
hated democracy and communism
glorified war

11. The origins of German Fascism
World War I led to collapse of Germany Treaty of Versailles added to Germany’s humiliation Many Germans blamed civilians leaders for loss and humiliation German economy was in bad shape Many Germans reject moderate political parties

12. Adolf Hitler Hitler consolidated Nazi control of Germany
Outlaws other political parties
Outlaws labor unions
Arrests political opponents
Takes control of the media
By the late 1930s, most Germans support Hitler
Brought Germany out of the Depression
Restored Germany’s military

13. “The master race” Many Germans believe they are a superior race
The Aryan Race – The Master Race
German women encouraged to have children
Fascists opposed family planning
Celebrate German “folk” & German nationalism
Hitler, a mesmerizing orator, became the Führer

14. Anti Semitism Nazi’s celebrate the past, reject modernization
Jews became the symbol of modernization
Anti-Semitism had deep roots in much of Europe
Hitler’s book Mein Kampf (1925)
Calls for the racial purification of Germany
Nazis want to rid Germany of its Jewish population
World War II he implements his “final solution”
Mass extermination of the Jewish race
Six million European Jews

15. The moral collapse within the west
Reject the good ideas from Enlightenment culture
Rationalism, tolerance, democracy, equality
Celebrate the West’s really bad ideas
“scientific racism”
Nazis believed in human perfectibility
Social engineering necessary to achieve it
Exterminating or sterilizing the imperfect

16. Japan -- Post World War I
Modern Japan similar to Italy and Germany
Newcomers to “great power” status
Limited experience with democracy
Authoritarian governments in the 1930s
But Japan was distinct as well
Minimal participation in World War I
Economy grew during World War I
Japan was an equal participant at Versailles
Embracing western political and cultural values

17. The Great Depression Japan hit hard by the worldwide economic collapse
High unemployment
Widespread poverty
The right-wing in Japan cannot exploit the crisis
No fascist party in Japan
No charismatic leader in Japan
Established institutions strong enough to prevent fascism

18. military takes greater political control
Military -- more dominant in Japanese political life
Parties and the parliament continued to operate
Key positions go to bureaucratic or military figures
Censorship limits free expression
Rise of military is understandable given Japan’s history
The samurai warrior class
Japan recovers quickly from depression
State assumes greater role in the economy

19. Empire building in the 1930s
Germany, Italy, and Japan Develop imperial ambitions in the 1930s. Embarked on projects of conquest and empire building Bringing them into direct conflict with established world powers Thus launching a second, and even more terrible, global war.