Totalitarian Regimes and Global Economic Crisis
After the death of Lenin, Trotsky fought for power in 1924. Stalin ultimately won.
The Rise of Totalitarian Regimes
Stalinism in the Soviet Union
Stalinist Political Developments
Stalinism, characterized by Stalin’s personal rule, established a totalitarian police regime. Political dissidents were sent to concentration camps in Siberia.
Stalinist Economic Policies
The economy was transformed through planned five-year plans, marked by:
- Collectivization of the countryside: Rural farms were transformed into state-owned collective farms (kolkhozes) with employed laborers.
- Planned industrialization: This transformed the Soviet Union into a major industrial power.
Stalinist Society
The population grew due to improvements in hygiene and medicine, and state-sponsored birth campaigns.
- Reduction in the number of peasants due to agricultural mechanization.
- Increase in the number of industrial workers.
- Emergence of a new social category: the professional intelligentsia, formed by Communist Party officials.
Italian Fascism
Mussolini’s regime in Italy established a totalitarian state.
Fascist Domestic Affairs
Mussolini and the Fascist Party imposed absolute power, eliminating political opposition. The Fascist Grand Council replaced Parliament.
Fascist Foreign Policy
Characterized by ultranationalist ideology and aggressive actions against other nations.
Fascist Economy
An interventionist and autarkic state-controlled system.
Fascist Society
Promotion of corporatism.
Nazi Totalitarianism
Hitler won elections, supported by a right-wing dictatorship. He dissolved the Weimar Republic and founded the Third German Reich. Hitler instilled anti-Semitic and racist Pan-Germanic ideologies.
Nazi Domestic Affairs
Control by the Nazi Party was enforced through relentless political police (Gestapo) and various paramilitary forces.
Nazi Foreign Policy
Central to foreign policy was the denunciation of the Treaty of Versailles.
Nazi Economy
Autarkic policies were pursued through investment in public works.
Nazi Society
Promotion of a natalist policy.
Common Characteristics of Totalitarianism
Totalitarian regimes gained the support of various social classes and created mass movements. They implemented centralized states, opposed to liberal democracy. They rejected socialism, communism, and organized labor, which they suppressed. They utilized terror and manipulation to control the masses.
Totalitarian Methods of Control
- Cult of a charismatic leader (e.g., the Duce in Italy, the Führer in Germany).
- Establishment of a social hierarchy based on occupation.
- Glorification of militarism.
- Justification of war and territorial expansion through imperialism.
- Deep-rooted nationalism that often degenerated into racism.
Causes for the Rise of Totalitarianism
- The aftermath of a terrible war.
- Concern about the possibility of a revolution similar to the Russian one.
- Fear of the economic crisis that began in 1929.
The Great Depression
Causes of the Economic Crisis
- In the United States, a consumer society emerged, often relying on easy credit provided by banks.
- Overproduction in industries.
- Low prices for agricultural products.
- Available capital was invested not only in assets but also in speculative stocks.
Global Impact of the Depression
- U.S. protectionist policies had a negative influence globally.
- Americans recalled capital invested in Europe.
- Cessation of investments led to business closures, bank failures, and rising unemployment.
The New Deal Program
An economic and social program that included:
- Aid to farmers through compensation payments.
- Unemployment benefits.
- Increased wages and reduced working hours.
- Intervention in banks.
- Investments in public works.
The Role of Media in Totalitarian States
Media became a critical means of power, not only to inform but also to create public opinion and influence society and governments.