Unit 6

Interwar years and World War II

 6.3 Fascism and Nazism

a) Crisis of democracy and the rise of

totalitarism
b) Fascism in Italy
c) Nazism in Germany
a) Crisis of democracy and the
rise of totalitarism
Since 1929 lot of people in Europe
considered that democracy and capitalism
had failed
Due to economical (Crash of 1929), social
(unemployment) and political (I World War)
crisis totalitarian regimes (Fascism,
Nazism, Communism…) became popular
a) Democracy: was maintained in countries
with liberal tradition (UK, France, USA…)
b) Dictatorship: these political regimes could
be divided into two groups:
- Authoritarian regimes (regímenes
autoritarios): one ruler (dictator) held the
political power, but he didn’t control
every aspect of social and political life
- Totalitarian regimes (regímenes
totalitarios): one ruler or party controlled
every aspect of political, social and
economical life
Characteristics of totalitarianism:
1) Dictatorial system
2) Economic and social control
3) Rejection of equality
4) Irrational thinking (fanaticism)
5) Ultra-nationalism
6) Militarism
 1) Dictatorial system
The state is controlled by a charismatic
leader infallible and with unlimited power
(there is not division of power, nor
individual rights)
There is only one, official political party.
Opposition is persecuted
Paramilitary or official forces used violence
and repression
Charismatic leadership
“One people, one
empire, one
leader”
The main paramilitary forces were:
- Italy: the Black Shirts (camisas negras)
- Germany: the SA (camisas pardas) and
SS
SA paramilitary forces
 2) Economic and social control
The state controlled the economy, and is
anti-capitalist (there was not economical
freedom) and anti-communism (the State
didn’t controlled the means of production)
Society is also manipulated through
propaganda, censorship and education
Uniforms, symbols, songs and slogans are
used to unite supporters
Propaganda
The youngest were taught to believe in him
 3) Rejection of equality
Some members of the society are believed to
be superior (e.g. Aryan race –raza aria- in
Germany)
 4) Irrational thinking
Totalitarian ideologies defended blind
obedience and fanaticism
Uniforms, symbols, songs and slogans are
used to unite supporters
Ceremonies were used to unite supporters
The main symbol of Fascism was the fascio,
from the Latin fasces (bundle of sticks)
According to the Roman legend, it was used
by the first consul of Rome to beat and
beheaded their sons in public for having
conspired against the State
Nazis adopted the swastika,
associated to the Aryan
race
 5) Ultra-nationalism
Totalitarian movements supported the idea
that their nations had the right to control
some foreign territories in case:
- The national frontiers didn’t coincide with
those of the nation (e.g. large groups of
Italians lived in Yugoslavia or Germans in
Czechoslovakia)
- The nation needed new territories to
survive or protect itself (e.g. Germany
claimed for fertile lands in the East to
increase its agrarian production)
Ein volk, ein Reich, ein Führer
 6) Militarism
Totalitarism supported a strong Army
War was considered as an instrument of
power, prestige and progress
Militarism
b) Fascism in Italy
Benito Mussolini, an ex-socialist journalist
who fought in the I World War, founded the
Fascist National Party in 1921
Mussolini formed a paramilitary force (Fasci
di combattimento, known as Black Shirts)
which fought against the communist to
control the streets
The Fascist Party was supported by:
- Landowners
- Middle class (bourgeoisie)
- Traditional powers (Church, King Victor
Manuel III)
All these groups were frustrated by the I
World War’s consequences:
- Unemployment and inflation
- Uprising of worker parties (socialists…)
- Few territorial profits (only Tirol)
Black Shirts
Along 1922, the fasci successful ruined the
strikes promoted by trade unions
Encouraged by his success and the support
received, Mussolini organized the March
on Rome to force the King to appoint him
president of the government
Once Mussolini took power, he imposed a
personal dictatorship:
- Political parties and trade unions were
banned
- Opposition was suppressed (using the
OVRA, the secret police service)
- Directed the economy (autarchy)
- Society and culture (education, art) was
controlled through propaganda and
censorship
Mussolini wanted Italy to become an empire
changing the Treaty of Versailles’ map
Allied with Hitler, Mussolini conquered
Abyssinia (1935) and Albany (1939), being
expelled from the League of Nations
c) Nazism in Germany
The historical period from 1918 (end of IWW)
to 1933 (Hitler became Chancellor) is
known in Germany as Weimar Republic
(as Germany became a republic + Weimar
became the capital city)
Weimar Republic’s authorities had to face lot
of problems, which explained the
popularity of Nazism and Communism:
- Humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles
- Economic crisis (war reparations,
unemployment…)
- Social unrest
Adolf Hitler, an Austrian ex-soldier who
fought in the IWW, joint the National
Socialist Party (very small) in 1920
Hitler became the NSP leader in 1921,
promoting the SA (a paramilitary force
who fought against the communists)
In 1923 Hitler led an unsuccessful coup
d’état (known as Munich Putsch) and was
sent to prison
However, he only stayed 9 months in prison,
where he wrote Mein Kampf (My Fight)
Workers, middle class and businessmen
supported Hitler due to his ideas
(expressed on Mein Kampf):
Superiority of the Aryan race led to:
- Exclusion of Jews
- Right to claim a lebensraum (living
space), which meant the rejection of the
Treaty of Versailles
Lebensraum
The NSP grew during the 1929 crisis, for
which it blamed the Jews (as well of the
defeat in the I World War), the democrats
and the communism
In 1932 the NSP won the elections, so Hitler
was appointed chancellor by Hindenburg
in 1933
Once in power, Hitler put and end on the
Weimar Republic and imposed a
dictatorship
Militarism
Measures:
- After the Bunderstag burnt, political
parties were banned
- Opposition was eliminated (concentra-
tion camps) even inside the NSP (Night
of the long knives)
- Social control thanks to secret police
(Gestapo), propaganda and censorship
- Persecution of Jews (Night of broken
glasses)
- Militarism
Night of Long Knives
Night of Long Knives
Persecution on Jews
Persecution on Jews
Night of Broken Glasses
Hitler claimed for the revision of the Treaty of
Versailles on the pretext of incorporating
all the territories with German population
UK and France agreed on some of these
territorial annexations:
- 1938: Austria + Sudetenland (Sudetes)
- 1939: rest of Czechoslovakia
Allied with Mussolini (Pact of Steel, 1939)
Hitler claimed for Poland, but UK, France
and the League of Nations rejected his
demand