The Rise of Fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism in Europe
The Fascism
Definition and Characteristics
- Fascism was an ideology and political party founded by Benito Mussolini in Italy in 1921.
- Mussolini’s fascists were known as the Blackshirts.
- Fascism opposed democracy and communism.
- The National Fascist Party became the only legal party.
- Opposition was violently repressed.
- Propaganda and the media were controlled by the state.
- The state controlled the economy to make Italy an autarky, an economically self-sufficient state.
- Ultra-nationalism: glorification of the Italian nation, with the belief that some peoples were superior to others.
- Militarism.
- Glorification of war and conquest: Italian fascists aspired to create a colonial empire and become a ‘new Roman Empire’.
The Fascist Dictatorship in Italy (1922-1943)
Rise to Power
- 1919-1921: Fascists gained few parliamentary seats in elections.
- 1922: March on Rome. Unable to gain power legally, the Blackshirts marched on Rome, forcing King Vittorio Emanuele III to cede the government to Mussolini.
- Mussolini was granted full power for a year, after which he called elections and won an absolute majority following a campaign of terror against the opposition. He then established a dictatorship.
Domestic Policy
- Opposition was repressed by the OVRA (secret police).
- Political parties were banned.
- Censorship was imposed.
- Individual liberties disappeared.
- Autarky was implemented.
Foreign Policy
- Italy occupied Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Albania.
- Mussolini sent armed forces to support Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War.
Germany After World War I
The Weimar Republic (1918-1933)
- Following Germany’s defeat in World War I, Emperor Wilhelm II abdicated.
- 1919: The Spartacist Revolt, aiming to establish a communist regime, was suppressed.
- 1919: The Weimar Constitution was passed, establishing Germany as a democratic republic.
- The Social Democratic Party controlled the government.
- The new democracy faced opposition from both the extreme left, who accused it of being too moderate, and the extreme right, who accused it of betrayal for accepting the Treaty of Versailles.
Nazism
Similarities with Fascism
- Opposition to democracy.
- Devotion to the leader.
- Single political party: the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers’ Party).
- Militarism: Hitler created the Assault Division (SA), known as the ‘brownshirts’, to maintain order.
- Symbols: The eagle, a traditional German symbol, and the swastika, an ancient symbol appropriated by the Nazis.
- Terror and repression: The SS, a black-uniformed elite corps, persecuted opponents and were responsible for the genocide of Jews during World War II. The Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, operated with impunity.
- Propaganda: Under Joseph Goebbels, the party controlled the press, radio, and cinema to attack ‘enemies’ of the regime, especially Jews.
Unique Characteristics of Nazism
- Racism: Anti-Semitism, or hatred towards Jews, who were blamed for all of Germany’s problems.
- Aryan Race: Hitler’s belief in the false theory of Aryan supremacy, justifying domination over ‘inferior people’ like Slavs and Jews.
- Living Space: This theory justified German territorial expansion into Central and Eastern Europe, based on the supposed right of Aryans to displace indigenous populations.
Hitler and the Nazi Regime
Rise to Power
- 1920s: Social tensions, war reparations, and hyperinflation plagued Germany.
- 1920: The Nazi Party was founded.
- 1923: Hitler led a failed coup attempt, the Beer Hall Putsch, and was imprisoned. In jail, he wrote Mein Kampf, outlining the basic principles of Nazism.
- 1929: The Wall Street Crash had devastating effects on Germany, leading to unemployment, austerity measures, social tension, and the rise of the Communist Party.
- 1933: Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Supported by entrepreneurs and conservative groups fearing a communist revolution, he was appointed by President Paul von Hindenburg.
- 1933: The Reichstag fire. The Nazis blamed the communists for the fire and used it as a pretext to persecute them and ban all other political parties.
- 1933: The first law against Jews was passed, banning them from numerous professions.
- 1934: The Night of the Long Knives. Hitler eliminated potential rivals within the SA, assassinating many of its members.
- 1934: Hitler became President of the Republic following Hindenburg’s death, consolidating his power.
- 1935: The Nuremberg Laws banned marriages between Aryans and Jews.
- 1938: Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass). Jews were attacked, killed, and their property destroyed. This marked the escalation of persecution that culminated in the Holocaust during World War II.
The USSR and Stalinism (1927-1953)
Formation of the USSR
- The USSR was created in 1922 as a federation of republics.
- Republics had autonomy in domestic policy, including law, education, and health.
- Russian was the official language, but republics could retain their local languages and customs.
- The first constitution was formulated in 1924.
New Economic Policy (NEP)
New Economic Policy: Domestic free trade, Farmers allowed to sell their products freerly, Allowed private property
This was because during the Russian Civil War soviet production had decreased severly and the NEP was an attempt to rebuild the economy.
This caused an effect: Economic growth, New bourgeois of merchants, peasants and industry owners, This generated tensions and debate within the Communist Party
Territorial consequences of WWI:1-Greman, Astro-Hungar and Ottoman empire will disaear. 2-Germany returned Alsace and Lorrain to France.3- Germany ceded territory to Poland and was spit in two. 4- Germany ceded its colonies in Africa.5- Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into 4 countries. 6-Ottoman empire replaced by Turkey and ceeded Syriaa and Lebanon. 7-Russian empire become Soviet union.8-Poland was created.9-Romania recieved territories from Austro Hungary