Dictators in Europe

Totalitarianism• Totalitarianism – government control of all aspects of life,

including thoughts, feelings, and behaviors– Political – the state is more important than the individual,

government controlled by one political party, a powerful dictator that unites the people and is the symbol of government

– Social – government control of life, secret police and violence to enforce government policies, citizens denied basic rights and liberties

– Economic – government control of business, labor and business exists to help the state, not individuals.

Italy• After WWI an Italian leader

named Benito Mussolini founded the National Fascist Party.

• Fascism – an authoritarian form of government that places the good of the nation above all else, including individual needs and rights

Italy• By 1922 the Fascists had gained power in

Italy• In October he led the March on Rome. This

show of force convinced Italy’s King to make Mussolini the head of Italy’s government

• As leader he used threats and violence to outlaw any opposition and was able to take total power of Italy

Italy• Mussolini established a totalitarian

government• To accomplish this Mussolini used

– 1) Propaganda to promote Italy’s greatness– 2) Establishment of festivals and holidays

to remind modern Italians of their Roman heritage

Italy• In 1935 Italian forces invaded Ethiopia• Ethiopian leader Halie Selassie asked

the League of Nations to take action against Italy, but other than minor economic sanctions the League of Nations did nothing

Soviet Union• After Vladimir Lenin died in

1924 Joseph Stalin became the new Soviet leader.

• Stalin desired to combine the government control of communism with the overall control of totalitarianism

Soviet Union• Stalin created a series of Five Years

Plans – set requirements for Soviet factories and mines and tried to modernize the Soviet economy

• These plans led to increased economic output for the Soviet Union

Soviet Union• Stalin pushed for the collectivization of Soviet farms –

combining thousands of farmers into one large group• Stalin decided to take back land from peasants that was given

to them after WWI by Lenin.• When the peasants resisted Stalin responded with violence• Stalin’s forces executed thousands and sent others to exile in

Siberia where they were forced to work in Gulags – labor camps• A group of Ukrainians resisted Stalin and as punishment Stalin

refused to send aid when a famine hit Ukraine. Millions starved to death.

Soviet Union• By the mid-1930’s Stalin had absolute power but still feared

opposition• In response he began the Great Purge – thousands of

Communist leaders and others Stalin saw as opponents were executed or sent to the Gulag

• Stalin dominated the Soviet Union– Children joined youth organizations where they learned

about Soviet superiority– Religion was nearly outlawed– Portraits of Stalin decorated public areas throughout the

Soviet Union

Think About it…• Remember the 4 words that led to

WWI? (Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and Alliances). Based on the notes from yesterday and today, what do you notice about the time before WWI and the time before WWII?

Germany• After WWI Germany formed a new

government called the Weimar Republic. • The government was very unpopular for

several reasons– 1) Germans blamed it for signing the

Treaty of Versailles– 2) Huge inflation in the German economy

Germany• Adolf Hitler served in the German army

during WWI. He soon became involved with the National Socialist Party, or Nazi Party

• Hitler discovered his talent for public speaking and became a key figure in the Nazi Party

• Hitler Speech

Germany• In October 1923 Hitler led a failed attempt to

overthrow the Weimar Republic.• While in prison Hitler wrote a book called Mein

Kampf (My Struggle) that described Hitler’s ideas, including nationalism and his belief in the racial superiority of the German people, whom he called Aryans

Germany• Hitler is able to gain power thanks in

part to the further collapse of the German economy.

• Hitler promised to rebuild the military and create a new German empire

• By 1933 he had gained enough support to be chosen as chancellor

Germany• Once in power Hitler

crushed his opposition• He bullied the German

legislature into giving him dictatorial powers

• He referred to himself as Der Fuhrer (The Leader)

Germany• A key part of the Nazi system was anti-

Semitism – prejudice against Jews.• Hitler blamed Jews for many of Germany’s

problems, even their loss in WWI.• Anti-Semitism was not new in Europe, but the

Nazis combined prejudice with the belief (incorrectly) that the Jews were a separate race

Germany• In 1935 the German government passed the Nuremberg Laws –

eliminated Jewish citizenship, the right to vote, and right to work certain jobs.

• Whether you were Jewish was not based on religion but rather on ancestry

• On November 9 and 10, 1938 the government encouraged anti-Jewish riots throughout Germany and Austria. These nights became known as Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass

• Almost 100 Jews were killed and thousands of Jewish businesses and places of worship were damaged or destroyed.