Fascism Rises In Europe - Ms. Ables' Classroom

Fascism Rises inEuropeSection 3 -

Vocab to KnowuFascism – at the time, a new militant political movement that emphasizedloyalty to the state and obedience to its leader. Unlike communism, fascismhad no clearly defined theory or program.uNazism – initially a tiny right-wing political group. Beliefs: Germany had tooverturn the Versailles Treaty and combat communism. They namedthemselves the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi for short). Itspolicies formed the German brand of fascism known as Nazism. They adoptedthe swastika, or hooked cross, as its symbol. They set up a private militiacalled the storm troopers or Brown Shirts.uMein Kampf – written in jail by Adolf Hitler (My Struggle) set forth his beliefsand his goals for Germany.ulebensraum - living space

Setting the StageuThe United States, Britain and France, remained strong despite the economiccrisis caused by the Great DepressionuHowever, millions around the world lost faith in democratic governmentuuuIn response, they turned to an extreme system of government – fascism.Fascism made promises the people wanted to hearuRevive the economyuPunish those responsible for hard timesuRestore order and national prideThose that were frustrated and angered by the peace treaties that followedthe Great Depression and WWI bought the message

Fascismu Believedin an extreme form of nationalismu Believednations must struggle (peacefulstates were doomed to be conquered).u Believerspledged loyalty to an authoritarianleader who guided and brought order to thestate.u Fascistswore uniforms of a certain color,used special salutes and held mass rallies

Fascism vs. CommunismuuIn some ways Fascism was similar to Communism:uBoth systems ruled by dictators who allowed ONLY their ownpolitical partyuBoth denied individual rightsuIn both, the state was supremeuNeither practiced any kind of democracyDifferences:uFascists did not seek a classless societyuFascists believed that each class had its place and functionuIn most cases, Fascists were made up of aristocrats andindustrialists, war veterans and lower middle classuFascists were nationalists, Communists were internationalists,hoping to unite workers worldwide

Mussolini Takes Controlu Bitterdisappointment over the failure to winlarge territorial gains at the 1919 Paris PeaceConference, fueled Italy’s rise of Fascism.u Risinginflation and unemployment alsocontributed to the widespread social unrest.u MoreItalians saw the democratic governmenthelpless to deal with the country’s problems.u Theywanted a leader who would take action

Benito Mussoliniuuuua socialist newspaper editor and politician – promised to rescue Italy byreviving its economy and rebuilding its armed forces.uVowed to give Italy strong leadershipuFounded the Fascist Party in 1919uAs economic conditions worsened, his popularity rapidly increased.Publicly criticized Italy’s governmentPlayed on the fear of a workers’ revolt, he began to win support fromthe middle classes, the aristocracy and industrial leaders.October 1922, 30,000 Fascists marched on RomeuThey demanded that King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in charge ofthe government.uThe king decided that Mussolini was the best hope for his dynasty tosurviveuAfter widespread violence and a threatened uprising, Mussolini took power“legally”

Il Duce (ihl DOO chay)uMussolini was now Il Doce, or the leaderuabolished democracyuOutlawed all political parties except the FascistsuSecret police jailed his opponentsuGovernment censors forced radio stations and publications tobroadcast or publish only Fascist doctrinesuOutlawed strikesuSought to control the economy by allying Fascists with theindustrialists and farmersuHowever, he never had the total control achieved by Joseph Stalinand Adolf Hitler

Hitler Rises to Power in GermanyuAdolf Hitler, when Mussolini became dictator, was a little-known politicalleader whose early life had been marked by disappointmentuWhen WWI broke out, he found a new beginning.uVolunteered for the German armyuTwice awarded the Iron Cross, for braveryuAfter WWI, he settled in Munich and joined the (at the time) small right-wingpolitical group, Nazis.uWithin a short time, he gained success as an organizer and speaker and waschosen to be der Führer (the leader) of the Nazi party.uInspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome, Hitler plotted to seize power inMunich in 1923.uThe attempt failed and Hitler was arrested.uHe was tried for treason, but only sentenced to five years in prison.uHe served fewer than nine months.uWhile in prison he wrote Mein Kampf

Mein Kampf (My Struggle)uWhat was in the book:uHitler asserts that the Germans, whom he incorrectly called“Aryan”, were a master race.uDeclared that non-Aryan “races” such as Jews, Slavs andGypsies were inferior.uCalled the Versailles Treaty an outrage and vowed to regainGermany lands.uDeclared that Germany was overcrowded and need morelebensraum.uPromised to get that space by conquering eastern Europeand Russia

After Prisonu1924, he revives the Nazi partyuMost Germans ignored him and his angry message until .uThe Great Depression ended the nation’s brief postwarrecoveryu WhenAmerica’s loans stopped, the German economycollapsedu Civilunrest broke outu Frightenedand confused, Germans now turned toHitler, hoping for . . .uSecurityuFirmleadership

Hitler Becomes Chancelloru1932 – the Nazis had become the largest political partyuConservative leaders mistakenly believed they could control Hitler anduse him for their purposes.uIn January 1933, the conservatives advised President von Hindenburg toname Hitler chancellor.uuThus, Hitler came to power legally.Once in office,uHe called for new elections, hoping to win a parliamentary majorityuSix days before the election, a fire destroyed the Reichstag building(where the parliament met).uThe Nazi’s blamed the CommunistsuuBy stirring up fear of the Communists, the Nazis and their allieswon by a slim majorityHitler used his new power to turn Germany into a totalitarian state

Hitler’s Totalitarian StateuThe Nazis took control of the economyuNew laws banned strikes, dissolved independent labor unions and gave thegovernment authority over business and labor.uHitler put millions of Germans to work constructing factories, highways,manufactured weapons and served in the militaryuuUnemployment dropped from 6 million to 1.5 million in 1936He wanted control over every aspect of life to win praise for his leadershipuPress, radio, literature, painting and film were his propaganda toolsuBooks that did not conform to his beliefs were burneduChurches were forbidden to criticize the Nazis or the governmentuSchoolchildren had to join the Hitler Youth (for boys) or the League of GermanGirlsuBelieved that continuous struggle brought victory to the stronguHe twisted the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche to support his use of brute force

Hitler Makes War on the JewsuA key part of Nazi ideology – hatred of Jews, or anti-SemitismuAlthough Jews were less than 1 percent of the population, the Naziused them as scapegoats for all Germany’s troubles since the war.uuThis created a wave of anti-Semitism across Germany1933, laws were passed depriving Jews of most of their rightsuViolence against Jews mounteduKristallnacht (night of the broken glass) The night of November 9,1938, Nazi mobs attacked Jews in their homes and on the streetsand destroyed thousands of Jewish-owned buildingsu Thissignaled the real start of the process of eliminating theJews from German life

Other Countries Fall to DictatorsuHungary in 1919 – Admiral Miklos Horthy – military forces and wealthylandowners joined forces in supportuPoland in 1926 – Marshal Jozef Pilsudski seized poweruYugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania – kings turned to strong-man rule –suspending constitutions and silencing foes.uThe only democracy in eastern Europe by 1935 was CzechoslovakiauOnly European nations with strong democratic traditions - Britain, Franceand the Scandinavian countries – kept their democracies in tact.uCountries with no democratic experience and severe economic problemssaw dictatorship as the only way to prevent instabilityuBy the mid-1930s, the powerful nations were divided into two antagonistcamps – democratic and totalitarian.uTo gain their ends, the Fascist dictatorships had indicated a willingness to usemilitary aggression.uAlthough all of these dictatorships restricted civil rights, none asserted controlwith the brutality of the Russian Communists or the Nazis.

ASSIGNMENT, Section 3uComplete Section 3 in your Chapter 15 packet

Fascism Rises in Europe Section 3 - VocabtoKnow u Fascism . leader who guided and brought order to the state. uFascists wore uniforms of a certain color, used special salutes and held mass rallies. Fascism vs. Communism uIn some ways Fascism was similar to Communism: