2. During the 1930s, millions of Canadians suffered to the point where many resorted to protests, crime, and migration. But what would have happened if things had gotten even worse? What would Canadians have done then?

3. Unfortunately, for many European countries, the situation became much worse. Why? Most European economies still had not recovered from the devastation of WWI. The Depression made their situation even worse. Unemployment was as high as 33% in some countries. Food became scarce. Crime became a major problem.

4. Results: ◊People faced extreme problems, so they began to look for extreme solutions. ◊Democracies in Europe began to collapse and be replaced by dictators who could promise action - quick solutions to the Depression. ◊Europeans became divided over which type of dictatorship was best suited to solving their problems.

5. Communism Some people believed that Communism was the only solution to the economic and social problems they were facing. Under communism, the government owns everything, and all citizens are supposed to share the wealth equally. In theory, this would eliminate poverty, as the money and property of the rich would now be shared by everyone. Others believed that forcing people to share would be a disaster – people do not work hard unless its for their own profit.

6. Example: The USSR After the revolution of 1917, Russia became the world’s first communist country and was renamed the Soviet Union (USSR).  Josef Stalin (the original Man of Steel) took over as dictator in 1922.  Stalin turned the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state in which the Communist party controlled every aspect of people’s lives.  He launched agricultural and industrial policies that resulted in millions of deaths.  He was also notorious for murdering anyone he suspected of being his enemy.  During his reign, over 20 million Soviet citizens were killed by orders of his government.

9. Fascism Other people believed that the best solution to the Depression was Fascism:  Fascist governments are opposed to democracy and are extremely nationalistic.  Fascist dictators rely on the military and the police to maintain total control over society.  Fascists believe in controlling all information – the government controls the media and uses it to spread propaganda.

10. Example: Italy After WWI, Italians were very unhappy because their country benefited the least out of all the winning countries.

11. During the early 1920s, Italians also had to deal with a faltering economy. Result: In 1922, Benito Mussolini, a Fascist, took over the government. Mussolini quickly got rid of all other parties in Italy. He also took control over the media, and began to use it to spread the message of his government. He appealed to the wounded pride of the Italians by promising to restore their greatness and recreate the Roman Empire.

13. Italy may have been the world’s first Fascist country, but the world’s most powerful fascist party emerged in Germany during the 1930s.

14. The Rise of Fascism in Germany After WWI, the Germans were very unhappy:  They resented the “War Guilt Clause”.  They had to make reparation payments at a time when their economy was devastated.  In order to make these payments, their democratic government had to print more money.  Result: The value of their currency declined and inflation increased.

16. Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, promised the German people that he would change all this:  He said that he would not abide by the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles.  He criticized the democratic government of Germany for being too weak.  He appealed to poor Germans by guaranteeing that he would bring Germany out of the Depression.  He appealed to the wounded pride of the Germans by promising to make them a great nation again.  Result: In 1933, he became Chancellor of Germany.

18. Hitler in Power As soon as he took over, Hitler began to make major changes: He immediately stopped making reparation payments. He began a massive expansion of the German armed forces. He gave money to farmers to help them rebuild their farms. He poured money into huge public works projects, such as the building of the autobahn – a network of highways running in all directions across the country.

19. Results: The German people were thrilled! Their pride began to be restored as Hitler was openly defying the treaty that ended WWI. Money was no longer being given to France and Britain. The German military was strong once again. Their economy began to improve. Unemployment went down. Wages rose. Germany became the first country to see an economic boom during the 1930s.

21. Hitler took advantage of his enormous popularity and quickly took complete control over Germany: He abolished all political parties in Germany. He banned trade unions. He took control over all the media. He began to run the country through intimidation and fear. He became a God-like figure who was known as “der Fuhrer” (the leader).

24. Hitler knew that in order to keep control over the Germans he had to unite them. He used two strategies in order to do this: oTell them what they want to hear. oHitler’s Nazi party spread the belief that the Germans were part of the “Aryan master race”. oPeople of other backgrounds were considered inferior. oThe Nazis claimed that there was nothing wrong with ridding the world of “inferior” humans. This is how they justified their persecution of disabled people, homosexuals, Jews, Gypsies, and Slavs. oGive them an enemy. oHitler also spread the belief that the Jews were the greatest threat to Germany. oHe claimed that Jews living in Germany were responsible for the German defeat in WWI, and for the Depression. oHe referred to the Jews as “the cancer of the human race”.