Totalitarianism and Fascism
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Transcript Totalitarianism and Fascism
Totalitarianism and Fascism
Europe between the wars
Lecture Outline
European States after the War
Rise of Dictators
Fascism and Benito Mussolini
Key Terms
Totalitarianism
Benito Mussolini
Black Shirts
Fascism
What is totalitarianism?
A government that controls every aspect
of public and private life
New totalitarian governments wanted to
conquer the minds and hearts of their
subjects
Democratic States After the War
By 1939 only 2 major European states—
France and Great Britain—remained
democratic.
Authoritarian Governments in the East
Authoritarian governments developed in
some of the new nations in Eastern
Europe, including Austria, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria,
Hungary, and Yugoslavia.
Reasons for the Spread of Authoritarian
Governments
Most of these countries had little or no
experience with political democracy
Their populations were largely rural and
uneducated
Large landowners still dominated the social and
political system and they did not want to give up
power
Eastern European states were usually made up
of multiple ethnic groups, which often were not
united.
How did totalitarian governments achieve
their goals?
Mass propaganda and communication
By being led by a single leader and party
The rejected the idea of limited government
power and the guarantee of individual
freedoms
Individual freedom was subordinate to the
collective will of the masses which was
organized and determined by the leader
They expected the active involvement of the
masses in the achievement of these goals.
How did WWI and the Depression affect
Italy?
Inflation grew, and both industrial and
agricultural workers staged strikes
The middle class began to fear a
Communist takeover.
Who is Benito Mussolini?
He was an Italian
radical who detested
liberal, reform ideas
He had been
seriously wounded in
WWI.
Who are the Black Shirts?
Paramilitary units organized by Mussolini
made up of dissatisfied veterans and other
disillusioned Italians.
In 1919 they used violence to intimidate
their opponents. They ransacked the
offices of leftist organizations and
newspapers.
Who supported Mussolini?
The middle class and wealthy landowners
supported Mussolini because of their fear
of a Communist revolution.
He also appealed to nationalists by
arguing that Italy should have received
more land in the peace agreement after
WWI.
The Fascist Party had 10% of the seats in
Parliament and total membership was only
around 300,000.
How did Mussolini gain power in Italy?
In 1922, Mussolini and the Fascists
threatened to march on Rome if they were
not given power.
Victor Emmanuel II, king of Italy, gave in and
made Mussolini prime minister of Italy.
In December 1922, parliament granted
Mussolini dictatorial powers for one year to
restore order to the country.
In the elections of 1924 the Fascists
received 63% of the vote.
What did Mussolini do as dictator?
He banned freedom of speech
The prime minister was made the head of
the government with the power to make
laws by decree
The police were given unrestricted authority
to arrest and jail anyone for either political
or nonpolitical crimes.
In 1926, all other political parties were
banned and a secret police was
established.
Italy as a totalitarian state
Mussolini never attempted to establish
control over all aspects of Italian life
The Catholic Church and the monarchy
were not formally subjugated to the state.
The Italian Fascists respected the
independence of the judges, and made no
attempt to interfere with court procedures