Pols 2300 Signature Assignment Reflection

My understanding of German history leading up to and during World War II was much
more extensive than my understanding of Italy’s. I knew in order for this paper to properly
explore the importance of the state and racism to fascism, I would have to do more research on
Italy. Finding more information about exactly why Italians and Germans both felt the need for a
stronger leader and why they allowed Hitler and Mussolini to come to power was crucial.
Researching why Germans and Italians supported both of these men and their attempts to wipe
out ethnic minorities or establish global dominance led me to the understanding of the absolute
power these men had at their employ. Once I had the proper background and understanding of
both these countries at the end of the First World War, it was important to explain the economic
and social factors decimating both countries. I also made sure to include how Mussolini
participated in Hitler’s anti-Semitic views, just to strengthen their alliance. Hitler did not see the
state as important as Mussolini did, however, Hitler still used both power and fear to keep
Germans loyal to the state, which I addressed as well.

In Comparative Ideologies, we discussed genocide and racism. My professor said racists

hold power and implement that power towards races and ethnicities they deem less important.
That was a crucial argument I wanted to keep in mind while I was researching and writing.
In my Film and Culture class last year, we briefly discussed the impact film not only had
on the global reach of World War II but also the documentation of the Nazi Regime and their
propaganda.
Last semester in International Politics, we discussed the causes of both World Wars. The
growth of fascism in both countries was arguably a direct result of the lack of liberal and
democratic actions of the victors at the Treaty of Versaille.

Prior to this essay, I did not know much about Italy before or during World War II, just
the countries which Italy was allied with during both World Wars. Seeing the connections
between what led to the rise of fascism in both Germany and Italy was interesting because it
never occurred to me both countries were experiencing the same problems, even though they
were enemies in the previous war. Also, I had never learned about anti-Semitism in Italy.
Surprisingly, Mussolini enacted laws that targeted Italian Jews, but most Italians had no issues
against the Jewish population and there are many stories of Italian people helping or hiding
Jewish people from the authorities.