Transcript Chapter 29 The Rise of Facism By Alex Ballester

Chapter 29
The Rise of Fascism
Alex Ballester
3/31/09
Per. 3
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Mussolini’s Italy
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What is Fascism? Fascism: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that
exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic
government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible
suppression of opposition. (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism)
The first country to seek radical answers was Italy. World War I, which had never been popular, left
thousands of veterans who found neither pride in their victory nor jobs in the postwar economy.
Unemployed veterans and violent youths banded together into fasci di combattimento (fighting units)
to demand action and intimidate politicians. When workers threatened to strike, factory and property
owners hired gangs of these fascisti to defend them. Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) had been expelled
by the Socialist Party for supporting Italy’s entry into the war. A spellbinding orator, he quickly
became the leader of the Fascist Party, which glorified warfare and the Italian nation. By 1921 the party
had 300,000 members, many of whom used violent methods to repress strikes, intimidate voters, and
seize municipal governments. A year later Mussolini threatened to march on Rome if he was not
appointed prime minister. The government, composed of timid parliamentarians, gave in. (Bulliet, Pg.
773-774)
Mussolini's rise to power was rapid; his Fascist Party Blackshirts marched into Rome in 1922, a year
before Hitler's failed first attempt to seize power, the Munich Beer Hall Putch, landed the German in
prison. By the time Hitler became the Fuehrer (Leader) of Germany, Mussolini had been "IL DUCE"
(Leader) of Italy for more than ten years. He had been successful in improving the Italian economy and
bringing stability,as it was said, "He made the trains run on time" (by shooting someone if they didn't).
His ambition was to regain for Italy the prestige and power. Benito Mussolini, "IL DUCE", Prime
Minister of Italy, is an Axis European political leader. Like Hitler, he served in the First World War as a
young man and dreamed of military glory in a Second War to come. Both returned from the First
World War to find their countries in political and economic chaos and formed extremist political
parties. This led him to a program of militarization. Many Europeans felt that his visible successes in
restoring Italy outweighed any "rumors" of police brutality. His 1935 invasion of Ethiopia was carried
out with a ruthless disregard for world opinion,including the use of poison gas. When the British and
French leaders condemned him for these acts, he looked elsewhere for allies and found Germany and
Japan. He joined Hitler in supporting the Fascist "Nationalist" side in the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War.
This gained him an ally, Spanish Generalissimo Franco, but being associated with the atrocities of this
brutal war lost him still more support in the rest of the world.
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Hitler’s Germany
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Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) joined the German army in 1914 and was wounded at
the front. He later looked back fondly on the clear lines of authority and the
camaraderie he had experienced in battle. After the war he used his gifts as an
orator to lead a political splinter group called the National Socialist German
Workers’ Party—Nazis for short. Hitler’s ideas went far beyond ordinary
nationalism. He believed that Germany should incorporate all German-speaking
areas, even those in neighboring countries. He distinguished among a “master
race” of Aryans (he meant Germans, Scandinavians, and Britons), a degenerate
“Alpine” race of French and Italians, and an inferior race of Russian and
eastern European Slavs, fit only to be slaves of the master race. (Bulliet,
Pg.774)
Once in power Adolf Hitler turned Germany into a fascist state. Fascist was
originally used to describe the government of Benito Mussolini in Italy.
Mussolini's fascist one-party state emphasized patriotism, national unity,
hatred of communism, admiration of military values and unquestioning
obedience. Hitler was deeply influenced by Mussolini's Italy and his Germany
shared many of the same characteristics. The German economic system
remained capitalistic but the state played a more prominent role in managing
the economy. (Spodek, Pg. 608)
Industrialists were sometimes told what to produce and what price they should
charge for the goods that they made. The government also had the power to
order workers to move to where they were required. By taking these powers
Hitler's government was able to control factors such as inflation and
unemployment that had caused considerable distress in previous years. As the
government generally allowed companies to maintain their profit margins,
industrialists tended to accept the loss of some of their freedoms. Under
fascism, most potential sources of opposition were removed. This included
political parties and the trade union movement. However, Adolf Hitler never felt
strong enough to take complete control of the German Army, and before taking
important decisions he always had to take into consideration how the armed
forces would react. (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERfascist.htm)
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Road to War (1933-1939)
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Hitler’s goal was not prosperity or popularity, but conquest.
As soon as he came to office, he began to build up the
armed forces. Meanwhile, he tested the reactions of the
other powers through a series of surprise moves followed by
protestations of peace. In 1933 Hitler withdrew Germany
from the League of Nations. Two years later he announced
that Germany was going to introduce conscription, build up
its army,and create an air force—in violation of the Versailles
treaty. Instead of protesting, Britain signed a naval
agreement with Germany. (Spodek, Pg. 609)
The message was clear: neither Britain nor France was
willing to risk war by standing up to Germany. The United
States, absorbed in its domestic economic problems,
reverted to isolationism. In 1935, emboldened by the
weakness of the democracies, Italy invaded Ethiopia, the last
independent state in Africa and a member of the League of
Nations. (Andrea, Pg.395)
The League and the democracies protested but refused to
close the Suez Canal to Italian ships or impose an oil
embargo. The following year, when Hitler sent troops into
the Rhineland on the borders of France and Belgium, the
other powers merely protested. (Bulliet, Pg.775)
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Bibliography
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Andrea, Alfred J., and James H. Overfield. Human Record. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
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Bulliet, Richard W. The Earth And Its Peoples A Global History. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
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"Fascism - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary."
Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. 26 Mar. 2009
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism>.
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"German Fascism." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. 26 Mar. 2009
<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERfascist.htm>.
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Spodek, Howard. The World's History Combined (2nd Edition). Upper
Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000.
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"The World at War: Benito Mussolini." Euronet Internet. 26 Mar. 2009
<http://www.euronet.nl/users/wilfried/ww2/mussolin.htm>.
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