Download Name FASCISM IN EUROPE Directions: Read the information on

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FASCISM IN EUROPE
Directions: Read the information on this page. When you finish, complete the graphic organizer on the back.
BACKGROUND
When World War One ended in 1918, all of Europe struggled to rebuild from the deadliest war humans had ever
fought. Millions of people had died, millions of dollars of damage had been done, and countries had used up most of their
money and resources fighting the war. By investing money in the rebuilding European nations, U.S. companies were able to
make huge profits during the 1920s.
However, when the U.S. stock market crashed in 1929, the U.S. entered the Great Depression, dragging the rest of the
world with it. Other countries depended on money and resources from the U.S., but the U.S. turned inward during the 1930s as
it tried to fix its own economy. Europe and the rest of the world were forced to face the economic crisis on their own.
Whereas some governments made reforms through the democratic process (the U.S., Britain, France), other countries decided
that democracy was not the answer to their problems.
The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of a new political movement called fascism. Fascism emphasized nationalism
above all else, to the point that people’s individual rights were deemed less important than the common good. Powerful leaders
gained support by promising to restore their nation to ancient glory. Typically, fascist leaders also promised to use force to
prevent Communist revolutions in their country. They also used totalitarianism, a system of government control of all public
and private activities. Fascist leaders (like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito) rose to power by the 1930s
by promising to lead their nation out of the Great Depression and into world power status.
TOTALITARIAN DICTATORS
Benito Mussolini, Italy: During the Great Depression, Communist and Socialist parties gained support in Italy. They pointed
to the rich business owners as the cause of the nation’s problems. Communists wanted a revolution to
give the workers control of the nation’s factories and resources. The nation’s only defense against a
Communist revolution was a powerful leader who vowed to crush the Communists and create a
government that would improve life for the Italian people. His name was Benito Mussolini.
Mussolini was a very powerful speaker. He appeared in public from high above the crowds in balconies
to deliver passionate speeches to the desperate Italian people. He promised to return Italy to the glory
of the days of the Roman Empire. Mussolini created the Fascist Party in 1919, convincing Italians that
unity and militant nationalism was the country’s only defense against the Communists. He led a March
on Rome in 1922, claiming to be preventing a Communist revolution, but in fact scaring the
government into naming him prime minister of Italy. His slogan, “Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing
against the state,” helped him gain enough support that, in 1929, King Victor Emmanuel III allowed Mussolini to become “Il
Duce,” or dictator.
As dictator, Mussolini outlawed all other political parties except the Fascist Party. His followers, known as the Black Shirts for
the uniforms they wore, attacked Communists, Socialists, and anyone else who disagreed with the Fascist Party. Mussolini
also used a secret police force, called OVRA, to arrest anyone spreading anti-fascist ideas. Freedom of speech was illegal. All
newspapers, movies, and radio broadcasts had to be approved by the Fascist Party leaders. However, Mussolini did improve
agriculture and communication in Italy. His army also conquered two colonies for the new Italian Empire: Ethiopia and
Albania.
Adolf Hitler, Germany: Of all the countries in Europe, Germany was in the worst position during the Great Depression. The
treaty that ended World War One (the Treaty of Versailles) had humiliated Germany: it had to give up 1/3
of its land, agree to limits on its armed forces, take the blame for starting the war, and pay back France
millions of dollars over a long period of time. It seemed an impossible task to bring the country out of the
Great Depression and pay back millions of dollars to France.
Just as in Italy, in Germany a powerful speaker emerged who promised to solve the nation’s problems.
Adolf Hitler believed he could return Germany to its former status as a world power. In his speeches,
Hitler claimed that the German people, who he called the Aryan race, were destined to rule the world. He
also promised to end the hated Treaty of Versailles, and began to rebuild the German military, even
though this violated the terms of the Treaty.
The Nazi Party, as Hitler’s political party was known, won a majority of seats in the German government by stirring up hatred
of Communists and Jewish people in 1933. Hitler became dictator by using his personal soldiers (the SA) to force the German
government into voting him all government authority. By 1934, Hitler was “Der Fuhrer,” or dictator of the German people.
Hitler he created millions of jobs through public works, or government-funded building projects. Formerly unemployed
Germans found work building highways, public buildings, electrical systems, and generally modernizing the nation. However,
Hitler’s specially trained bodyguards, the SS, helped eliminate anyone who
opposed the Nazis. They arrested and murdered hundreds of Hitler’s enemies. The Nazi secret police,
known as the Gestapo, spied on people and made sure all citizens followed the Nazi Party’s orders.
Nazi Party leaders censored all newspapers, books, art, radio, and movies. They used these as tools to
spread support for the Nazi Party and hatred of its enemies. Children were forced to join the Hitler
Youth or the League of German Girls, so that they could grow up with Nazi beliefs.
Joseph Stalin, U.S.S.R. (Russia): Russia dropped out of World War One early because of a Communist revolution. The
U.S.S.R., as it would now be called, had a goal of creating a perfect Communist state. There would be no
social classes, no unemployment, no hunger, no poverty. To create this society, Joseph Stalin, who
became head of the Communist Party in 1927, used totalitarianism to control the Russian people.
Although he was a Communist, the enemy of fascists, Stalin shared the fascist goal of making his nation a
world power.
As a rule in the U.S.S.R., there were no political parties except the Communist Party. Stalin had risen to
power by murdering his enemies, so he was always very paranoid that someone would try to assassinate
him. As a result, he made the U.S.S.R. into a police state. Tanks and soldiers were used to stop protests.
The NKVD, Stalin’s secret police, went undercover to eavesdrop on conversations and monitored
telephone lines. Anyone who spoke out against the “party line,” or the goals of the Communist Party,
would be arrested. Millions of people went on fake trials and were sentenced to death or forced labor for “crimes against the
Soviet state.” A whole class of peasants, known as kulaks, were starved to death for refusing to leave their land to work on
state-run collective farms. Even religion was made illegal, as it could threaten Stalin’s power.
Stalin did greatly improve industrial production in the U.S.S.R. He created Five-Year Plans, or goals for different
industries to meet within five years. The workers in each plant were responsible for producing a certain amount each day to
meet these goals. Workers who did not meet their quotas, however unreasonable they were, risked being sent to Siberia for
forced labor camps. As a result, the U.S.S.R. became a world leader in the production of coal and steel.
Emperor Hirohito, Japan: Japan had a tradition of believing that the emperor was the son of God, so the people already were
forced to follow the emperor’s orders. However, during the Great Depression, Hirohito allowed a powerful
group of military advisers, known as the Militarist Party, to control the government. These leaders wanted to
create a Japanese empire in the Pacific Ocean. In order to achieve this goal, they needed the total support of the
Japanese people.
These Japanese leaders brought back the Japanese samurai code of honor known as “bushido.” According to the
bushido code, the island, the people, and the emperor were all one. Thus, what was good for the emperor was
good for the people and the land. Individual rights did not matter, as anything the emperor wanted the people to
do was for their own good. Japanese people followed this code out of respect for their history, and believed that
the new government would make Japan a world power.
Japan’s government wanted to re-make Asia for Asian people. They proposed the creation of a “Greater East Asia
Co-Prosperity Sphere,” in which Japan would control East Asia and keep out Americans and Europeans. The Japanese military
took over parts of China, supposedly in self-defense. Hirohito actually opposed Japan violently conquering any foreign areas,
but a wave of assassinations of government members changed his mind. He allowed the military the power to arrest people
suspected of plotting crimes against Japan. The military now spread songs, radio broadcasts, and movies promoting the
glamour of military values and influencing the people.