Transcript World War II: The Rise of Dictators

Underlying Causes of World War II: The
Rise of Dictators
US History: Spiconardi
The Rise of Fascism
 Fascism  militant political movement which emphasized
loyalty to the state and obedience to a leader
Government
control/censorshi
p of the media
Extreme
nationalism
Strict discipline
Use of violence
fear and terror
State control of
the economy
Rule by a
dictator
Strong military
Loyalty to the
leader
Fascist are
usually
anticommunist
and
imperialist
Fascism in Italy
 Benito Mussolini
 Promised strong leadership
 Vowed to revive the economy
 Vowed rebuild armed forces after WWI
losses
 Promised to build a new Roman Empire
 Italy was made it didn’t receive colonies
under the Treaty of Versailles
 Appointed prime minister of Italy after
threatening to overthrow the King of
Italy
 Mussolini creates the first fascist state
in the world
Fascism in Italy
 Italy Under Mussolini
 Outlawed all political parties except for the
Fascists.
 Censored radio broadcasts and newspapers
 Jailed any political opponents
 Allied himself with industrialists and large
landowners to improve Italy’s economy
Mussolini liked to be
photographed with his
shirt off. He liked to
show off his physique
Mussolini was
nicknamed “Il Duce,”
which means the leader
The Rise of Totalitarianism
 Totalitarianism  One-party government that
controls and oversees all aspects of its citizens’ lives.
Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 - 1953
Totalitarianism under Stalin
 Propaganda
 Stalin used propaganda to portray himself as the savior
and father of the Soviet Union
 Wanted to be worshipped by the Russian people
 He also used it to maintain loyalty to his principles
Totalitarianism under Stalin
 The Great Purge
 Used secret police to weed out political opponents within
the communist party and without
 Opponents were killed or sent to labor camps known as
gulags
Totalitarianism under Stalin
 Economic Control
 Stalin developed five year plans to increase the agricultural
industrial production of the U.S.S.R.
 Ethnic Persecution
 Non-Russian ethnic groups and Ukrainian farmers (kulaks) were
persecuted
 "Health, child protection, fighting poverty, aiding
travellers, community, helping mothers: These are
the tasks of the National Socialist People's Charity.
Become a member!"
Quotes: What do we know about Hitler?
 “Anyone who sees and paints the sky
green and fields blue ought to be
sterilized.”
 “Success is the sole earthly judge of
right and wrong.”
 “The leader of genius must have the
ability to make different opponents
appear as if they belonged to one
category.”
 “The victor will never be asked if he told
the truth.”
Nazism
 Nazism  Form of fascism that
involved racism and ethnocentrism
 Adolf Hitler was the Führer or leader of
the National Socialist Party (Nazi)
 Hitler’s Beliefs
 Aryans (which Germans weren’t) was
the master race
 Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, Blacks were inferior
 Treaty of Versailles was unjust
 Vowed to regain lands taken from Germany
 Jewish conspiracy led to the economic
disaster in Germany
Hitler’s Rise to Power
 When Hitler is named chancellor, the
Nazi party only makes up 32% of the
government.
 Hitler wasn’t not popular and feared by
some members of parliament
 Reichstag Fire
 A fire destroyed the parliamentary
building
 Hitler and the Nazi’s blame communists
 Under new elections, Nazi’s win more
seats in the government
 Hitler now has control and eliminates all
other political parties
Why would Germans turn to Hitler?
 Economic Depression
Why would Germans turn to Hitler?
 Economic Depression
Item
1913
Summer 1923
November 1923
1 Egg
.008
5,000
80,000,000,000
1kg butter
2.70
26,000
6,000,000,000,000
1kg beef
1.75
18,800
5,600,000,000,000
12.00
1,000,000
32,000,000,000,000
Pair of Shoes
Hitler and Nazi Rise to Power
 Why did German’s
embrace Nazi message?
 World War I/Treaty of
 Economy
 Inflation
 Unemployment
 Nationalism
Versailles
 Idea of a superior race
 Loss of colonies
 Shift of blame to minority
 German war debts
groups
 Demagoguery  obtaining
power by means of
impassioned appeals to the
emotions and prejudices of
the populace.
 Desire for revenge
 Weak Government
 Wish to return to strong
leader like the Kaiser
Summary
 Why do many dictators rise to power in the 1920s and
1930s?
 Economic Depression
 People are seeking someone, anyone to leader them out of
economic hardship
 Anger over the Treaty of Versailles