The Rise of Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism• Government by a dictator

who demands absolute loyalty to the authority of the state

• Methods used:– One political party– State control of the economy– Use of secret police to

enforce state policy– Strict censorship of media– Use of propaganda– Unquestioning obedience

The Soviet Union

Stalin Replaces Lenin• After the USSR began

experiencing serious economic problems, Lenin had begun backing away from full communism

• When Lenin died suddenly in 1924, however, Josef Stalin won a power struggle to replace him as leader of the state and returned the Soviets to communism

Stalin’s Five-Year Plans• In order to industrialize, Stalin

set aggressive short-term quotas for factory production

• Those who met their goals were rewarded, while those who fell short were harshly punished

• The end result was a focus on quantity over quality, leading to the ability to manufacture large numbers of low-quality goods

Farm Collectivization• Stalin forced all farmers to

surrender their land and livestock to the state

• Unhappy peasants resisted by killing their livestock and burning crops

• Stalin responded with force, sending tens-of-thousands of peasants to gulags (labor camps) in Siberia or even just having entire villages executed for treason

The Great Purge• 1934-1938• Stalin eliminated anyone

whom he considered a threat to his personal power, including Communist Party officials, military leaders, and government bureaucrats

• In total, over 4 million “enemies of the state” were purged through either execution or exile to the gulags

Stalin the Dictator• Established the KGB (secret

police force) to eliminate political dissidents

• Used propaganda to give his people a false impression of Soviet “successes” and Western “failures”

• Attacked the Russian Orthodox Church by seizing church property, destroying churches, and arresting and exiling priests

• Eliminated millions of ethnic “undesirables”

Why Did Anyone Support Stalin?• Loyal Communist Party

officials received special benefits like better housing, easier access to goods

• Everyone received free education, free medical care, free child care, and cheap housing

• Women were treated as absolute equals

Italy

Post-WWI Problems• Italy was dissatisfied with

the Treaty of Versailles because pre-war promises of territory were not kept

• War veterans found little work and a poor economy

• Communist, socialist, and anarchist radicals plotted revolution

Fascism• Form of totalitarianism• Extreme nationalism

which glorifies the military, discipline, and loyal service to the state

• Rejects democracy because of the “self before state” mindset that can lead to corruption

Benito Mussolini• 1883 – 1945• Created the Fascist

Party in 1919 with the goal of recreating the Roman Empire

• By 1922, he had enough political influence to coerce the king into naming him prime minister

Black Shirts• Most loyal supporters

of Mussolini• Used violent tactics• Mussolini used the

Black Shirts to suppress his rivals, censor the press, rig elections, and murder his critics

Gender Roles• Men: become warriors for

Italy (either through military service or through factory or farm production) under the Fascists’ “Believe! Obey! Fight!” motto

• Women: stay home and have babies – women who had 14 or more children were rewarded as heroes of the state

Young Fascists• Boys were encouraged to

join the Young Fascists where they were taught military discipline, the glory of ancient Rome, and how to obey without question

• Followed the official motto “Mussolini is always right!”

Germany

Post-WWI Problems• Germany was VERY unhappy

with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which had led the country into a deep economic recession and massive debt

• The new “Weimar” government was too weak to fix problems, stand up to foreign pressures, or suppress political unrest from socialists, communists, and anarchists

Economic Woes• To pay its debts,

Germany simply printed more money, making their currency worthless

• Massive inflation caused prices to soar

• The US provided aid, but then the Great Depression struck

Nazism• The National Socialist

German Workers’ Party

• Form of fascism that focused on racism, anti-Semitism, and the superiority of the Aryan “master race” of pure Germans

Adolf Hitler• 1889 – 1945• WWI veteran, high school

dropout, and Austrian immigrant who quickly rose to leadership of the disorganized Nazi Party in 1920

• Built his power by creating squads of “storm troopers” to spread Nazi ideals through propaganda and intimidation

The Beer Hall Putsch• In 1923, Hitler tried to

seize power by launching a rebellion in the German city of Munich

• The revolt failed and Hitler was sent to prison for treason, but ended up serving less than a year

Mein Kampf• While in prison, Hitler

wrote and published Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

• The book laid out his personal belief in the superiority of the German race and presented arguments for the elimination of “inferior” races, especially the Jews

Hitler’s Rise to Power• Once released from

prison, Hitler rebuilt the Nazi Party and carefully consolidated his power through the effective use of propaganda and his personal charisma and speaking ability

• In 1933, he was elected as chancellor of Germany

Hitler as Dictator• Once in power, Hitler

suspended most civil rights, and abolished all rival political parties

• Hitler established the Gestapo (secret police) to root out his enemies

• Hitler also began rebuilding Germany’s military, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles

Nazi Purification• Changed all school curricula

to reflect their ideals• Created a Hitler Youth

program similar to Italy’s• Banned modern art, jazz, and

other “impure” art forms• Promoted book burnings for

blacklisted books• Closed all Catholic schools

and churches and combined all Protestant sects into one state-approved church

The Nuremberg Laws• Passed in 1935 to place

severe restrictions on Jews– Legally defined Jews as a

“race” rather than religion– Prohibited marriage or sex

between Jews and non-Jews– Denied Jews protection as

citizens– Jews could not serve in

government, hold jobs in law, medicine, or teaching

Kristallnacht• After the murder of a Nazi

official by a Jew who was angry over the Nuremberg Laws, Hitler ordered the Gestapo to instigate mob violence against Jewish businesses, synagogues, and neighborhoods

• On the “Night of Broken Glass” (Nov. 9, 1938), 91 Jews were killed, thousands of businesses looted, and over 200 synagogues destroyed

Concentration Camps• Nazis began detaining

enemies of the state, including Jews, as early as 1933

• As Nazi power grew, more and more people were sent to the camps, with prisoners eventually numbering in the millions