Causes and Rise of Fascism and Nazism in Interwar Europe
Measures to Overcome the Economic Crisis
Economic Nationalism and State Intervention
Responses to the economic crisis varied widely. The United States saw a shift from Hoover’s laissez-faire approach to Roosevelt’s New Deal, embracing Keynesian economics which advocated for state intervention to stimulate employment and consumption.
Interventionist Reforms
Many countries adopted interventionist reforms including price controls, public works projects, corporate subsidies, and banking regulation. Great Britain, however, largely adhered to classical liberal economics, focusing on currency devaluation and protectionism.
Germany’s Plight
Germany, the hardest-hit European nation, faced 6 million unemployed by 1932. The resulting social unrest fueled the rise of the Nazi Party, promising radical solutions.
Soviet Union’s Response
The Soviet Union, while facing its own challenges, continued its Five-Year Plans.
Key Vocabulary
- Hyperinflation: An economic phenomenon characterized by a rapid and excessive increase in prices, as seen in Germany in 1932.
- Financial Bubble: A rapid increase in asset values, often followed by a sharp decline, as seen in the US stock market in the 1920s.
- New Deal: A series of programs enacted in the US during Roosevelt’s administration to address the Great Depression through government intervention.
- Autarky: An economic policy of national self-sufficiency, reducing reliance on international trade, prevalent in Europe during the interwar period.
- Lebensraum (Living Space): A political concept justifying territorial expansion to secure resources, used by Nazi Germany.
- Pan-Germanism: A political ideology advocating for the unification of all German-speaking people under a single government.
- Fascism: An authoritarian ultranationalist political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.
Characteristics of Fascism
- Ultranationalism: An extreme form of nationalism, often with a racist component, as seen in the Nazi’s glorification of the Aryan race.
- Anti-Semitism: Hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.
- Exaltation of the State: The state’s interests are prioritized above individual rights and freedoms.
- Imperialism: The belief that territorial conquest is necessary for national development.
- Inequality: A rigid social hierarchy with a clear distinction between the upper and lower classes, and the devaluation of women.
- Rejection of: Political liberalism, democracy, communism, and the right to vote.
- Cult of the Leader: The concentration of power in a charismatic leader.
- Distrust of Reason: Emphasis on irrational elements of human behavior, such as fanaticism and blind obedience.
- Propaganda and Glorification of Violence: The use of propaganda to promote violence and war.
- Youth Indoctrination: The establishment of youth organizations to indoctrinate future generations (e.g., Hitler Youth, Opera Nazionale Balilla).
- Educational Control: Purging teachers and textbooks to align with fascist ideology.
Nazism vs. Fascism
While sharing similarities, Nazism differed from Fascism through its emphasis on Pan-Germanism and virulent anti-Semitic racism, culminating in the Holocaust.
Causes of Fascism and Nazism
Economic and Social Causes
- The economic crisis
- The strengthening of trade unions
Political Causes
- Political instability and worker revolts
- Fear of Soviet expansion
- Bourgeoisie rejection of parliamentary systems and worker’s parties
Ideological Causes
- The belief that progress was not infinite and reason could not solve all problems
Democratic Resistance
Great Britain pursued appeasement, France developed the Popular Front, and the United States returned to isolationism.
Causes of German Fascism
- War reparations
- Military disarmament and territorial losses
- Economic crisis, unemployment, and social unrest
The Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party
Hitler’s rise to power involved the founding of the Nazi Party, the Beer Hall Putsch, and his eventual appointment as Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
The Nazi Dictatorship
Hitler’s dictatorship was marked by the Reichstag fire, expansionist foreign policy, propaganda, internal persecution (including the Night of the Long Knives), and systematic anti-Semitism.