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What were the causes of the Rise of Totalitarianism?
Transcribed Image Text:The Weimar Republic (Germany)
Germany's new democratic government was set up in 1919 after WWI. Known as the
Weimar (WY•MAHR) Republic. It was a constitutional government that led Germany
after the German monarch stepped down from his throne at the end of World War I.
Many democracies, including the United States, Britain, and France, remained strong
despite the economic crisis caused by the Great Depression. However, millions of
people lost faith in democratic government. In response, they turned to an extreme
system of government called fascism. Fascists promised to revive the economy, punish
those responsible for hard times, and restore order and national pride. Their message
attracted many people who felt frustrated and angered by the peace treaties that
followed World War I and by the Great Depression.
Fascism's Rise in Italy
Fascism (FASH IHZ•uhm) was a new, militant political movement that emphasized
loyalty to the state and obedience to its leader. Unlike communism, fascism had no
clearly defined theory or program. Nevertheless, most Fascists shared several ideas.
They preached an extreme form of nationalism, or loyalty to one's country. Fascists
believed that nations must struggle-peaceful states were doomed to be conquered.
They pledged loyalty to an authoritarian leader who guided and brought order to the
state. In each nation, Fascists wore uniforms of a certain color, used special salutes, and
held mass rallies.
In most cases, Fascist parties were made up of aristocrats and industrialists, war
veterans, and the lower middle class. Also, Fascists were nationalists. Italy was fueled
by bitter disappointment over the failure to win large territorial gains at the 1919
Treaty of Versailles. Rising inflation and unemployment also contributed to widespread
social unrest. To growing numbers of Italians, their democratic government seemed
helpless to deal with the country's problems. They wanted a leader who would take
action.
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A newspaper editor and politician named Benito Mussolini
boldly promised to rescue Italy by reviving its economy and
rebuilding its armed forces. He vowed to give Italy strong
leadership. Mussolini had founded the Fascist Party in 1919. As
economic conditions worsened, his popularity rapidly increased.
Finally, Mussolini publicly criticized Italy's government. Groups
of Fascists wearing black shirts attacked Communists and
Socialists on the streets. Because Mussolini played on the fear
of a workers' revolt, he began to win support from the middle
classes, the aristocracy, and industrial leaders.
Figure - Benito
Mussolini (Italy)
In October 1922, about 30,000 Fascists marched on Rome. They demanded that
King Victor Emmanuel IlI put Mussolini in charge of the government. The king decided
that Mussolini was the best hope for his dynasty to survive. After widespread violence
and a threatened uprising, Mussolini took power "legally."
As the Italian leader, Mussolini abolished democracy and outlawed all political parties
except the Fascists. Secret police jailed his opponents. Government censors forced
radio stations and publications to broadcast or publish only Fascist doctrines. Mussolini
outlawed strikes. He sought to control the economy by allying the Fascists with the
industrialists and large landowners. However, Mussolini never had the total control
achieved by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union or Adolf Hitler in Germany.
Hitler Rises to Power in Germany
When Mussolini became dictator of Italy in the mid-1920s, Adolf Hitler was a
little-known political leader whose early life had been marked by disappointment.
When World War I broke out, Hitler found a new beginning. He volunteered for the
German army and was twice awarded a medal for bravery.
In 1919, Hitler joined a tiny right-wing conservative political group.
This group shared his belief that Germany had to overturn (remove)
the Treaty of Versailles and combat communism. The group later
named itself the National Socialist German Workers' Party, called
Nazi for short. Its policies formed the German brand of fascism
known as Nazism. The party adopted the swastika, or hooked cross,
as its symbol. The Nazis also set up a private small military group
called the storm troopers or Brown Shirts.
Within a short time, Hitler's success as an organizer and speaker led him to be chosen
as Fuhrer (FYUR•uhr), or the leader, of the Nazi party. Inspired by Mussolini's march on
Rome, Hitler and the Nazis plotted to seize power in Munich in 1923 by overthrowing
the Weimar government.
The attempt failed and Hitler was arrested. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He
served less than nine months. While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle). This
book set forth his beliefs and his goals for Germany. Hitler asserted that the Germans,
whom he incorrectly called "Aryans," were a "master race." He declared that non-Aryan
"races," such as Jews, Slavs, and Gypsies, were inferior. He called the Versailles Treaty
an outrage and vowed to regain German lands. Hitler also declared that Germany was
overcrowded and needed more lebensraum, or living space. He promised to get that
space by conquering eastern Europe and Russia.
Transcribed Image Text:After leaving prison in 1924, Hitler revived the Nazi Party. Most Germans ignored him
and his angry message until the Great Depression ended the nation's brief postwar
recovery.
Japan Seeks an Empire
During the 1920s, the Japanese government became more liberal.
In 1922, Japan signed an international treaty agreeing to respect
China's borders. In 1928, it signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact
renouncing war. In 1925, the parliament passed universal male
suffrage (voting rights). However, military leaders reported only to
the emperor.
As long as Japan remained prosperous, the civilian government
kept power. But when the Great Depression struck in 1929, many
Japanese blamed the government. Unlike the Fascists in Europe,
the militarists did not try to establish a new system of government. They wanted to
restore traditional control of the government to the military. Instead of a forceful
leader like Mussolini or Hitler, the militarists made the emperor, Emperor Hirohito, the
symbol of state power.
Like Hitler and Mussolini, Japan's militarists were extreme nationalists. They wanted to
solve the country's economic problems through foreign expansion. They planned a
Pacific empire that included a conquered China. The empire would provide Japan with
raw materials and markets for its goods. It would also give Japan room for its rising
population.
1931, the Japanese army seized Manchuria in China – an area rich in iron and coal,
despite objections from the Japanese parliament. The army then set up a puppet
government. Japanese engineers and technicians began arriving in large numbers to
build mines and factories.
Four years later, a border incident touched off a full-scale war between Japan and
China. Japanese forces swept into northern China. Despite having a million soldiers,
China's army led by Chiang Kai Shek, military leader of the Guomindang, was no match
for the better equipped and trained Japanese. Beijing and other northern cities as well
as the capital, Nanjing, fell to the Japanese in 1937. Japanese troops killed tens of
thousands of captured soldiers and civilians in Nanjing. Forced to retreat westward,
Jiang Jieshi set up a new capital at Chongqing. At the same time, Chinese guerrillas led
by China's Communist leader, Mao Zedong, continued to fight the Japanese in the
conquered area.?
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