Part I. The Rise of Totalitarianism

1. Part I. The Rise of Totalitarianism

2. Themes of Totalitarianism • Dictatorship/Cult of Personality • Rejection of Individual Liberties • Expansionism • Provided a sense of security to their people • The poverty of the Great Depression • The Age of Anxiety • Promised to Restore Honor • Done partly through the use of scapegoats • Reliance on Nationalism

3. WWI Paved the Way for Totalitarianism • People are used to taking orders from a government • Rationing • Military control, etc.

4. 1a) the Soviet Union – • Fall of the Tsar and the Rise of Communism • Collapsed out of WWI • Civil War  Lenin and Communism • World’s first Communist nation • Communism is a rejection of ‘government hands-off economics’, aka Capitalism • Instead- violent revolution to overthrow the haves • End of private property  no more class structure or oppression • Must happen everywhere to work (according to Marx)

5. Stalin Takes Power and Sets Up a Totalitarian State • Lenin dies • Stalin, not Lenin’s chosen successor, takes power by force • His Policies • Collective Farming • Farmers must merge their farms into collectives to provide food for the state • Five Year Plans • Soviet Industry Was Put on Steroids

6. Was Stalin successful? • THE GROWTH OF HEAVY INDUSTRY IN THE USSR • INDUSTRY UNIT 1932 1938 • Coal millions of tons 64 132 • Oil millions of tons 22 32 • Pig Iron millions of tons 6 14 • Steel millions of tons 6 18 • Automobilesthousands 23 211 • Tractors thousand 50 176 • Machinery billions of rubles 18 33 • Chemicals billions of rubles 2 6

7. But at what cost? Totalitarian Methods… • Starvation in the Ukraine • Elimination of wealthy farmers • Gulags • Purges • Propaganda and Censorship

8. Mussolini’s Secret Police 1b) Fascism in Italy • Italy’s Anger at the end of WWI • Had fought for allies, but didn’t feel that they’d been rewarded properly • Felt overlooked in Europe • Few colonies • Poor and unindustrialized • Mussolini was a journalist who discovered the power of propaganda • If he put good stories about himself in the media, however untrue, they bolstered his image • He promised a bold, bright future • A renewed Roman Empire • Was Willing to Use Violence • Assassination of his chief political rival • Secret police

9. (cont.) • Mussolini Promised to Protect Italy from Communism (which at the time was attractive to many poor or radical Western Europeans) • Why did Communism provoke such fear in the ruling classes? • Think of the stories filtering out of Russia at this time • Ukraine Starvation, forced collectivization

10. 1c) Germany –German Anger…

14. The Weimar Republic in Germany was Weak • Black mark as gov’t that signed the Treaty of Versailles • Started its life with crushing reparation debts • Had no significant military, which allowed small extremist groups to play a role in German politics

15. Occupation of the Ruhr Valley (1923-1924) I just can’t pay…

16. The German Mark

17. The German Mark

18. Results: Occupation of the Ruhr Valley (1923-1924) • Hyperinflation • International sympathy for Germany • May have convinced the French that military options against Germany were of little value…

19. Dawes Plan…U.S. loans to Germany to get them back on their feet… • Why was the Dawes Plan Ridiculous? • Dawes Plan did quiet German Radicalism for a while

20. The Great Depression, However, Smashed Apart the German Recovery (and made the Western Democracies Less Likely to support military action)

21. Great Depression (1929) • A worldwide phenomenon • Destroys brief Dawes Plan stability

22. Hitler • Radicalism Surged in Germany During the Ruhr Valley Invasion • Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch • Trial Makes Him a Household Name • Slap on the wrist • Mein Kampf

23. Hitler Promises to Solve Germany’s Problems • Put Germans to Work! • Fight Communism! • Perhaps most importantly: Regain German Honor by Renouncing Treaty of Versailles!

24. Hitler’s Methods- True to His Idol Mussolini • Propaganda • Use of mass technology • Radio and even television • ‘Contact’ Sci-Fi story • Secret Police • Gestapo • Violence • Assassination of rivals and even powerful (and thus rival) supporters • Charisma 

25. Hitler was Elected • Hitler had cleverly affected a more moderate platform after his prison stint • After his election, he quickly Cemented His Hold On Power • Oath of Loyalty to the Military • Reichstag Fire • Eliminates All Parties Except the Nazis • Rejects Treaty of Versailles • Begins to remilitarize • Nuremburg Laws • Women’s role • Baby machine’s. Why?

27. Germany was not invaded fully invaded at the end of WWI… • …stab in the back theory • scapegoats

28. 1d) Japan’s Turn Away From the West • Leader in Asian Westernization/Industrialization • Defeat of Russia in 1905 • Joined allies in WWI • Angered at racism during Treaty of Versailles • Literal, in your face, racism • Clemenceau- (paraphrase) - “I can’t believe we have to stay cooped up in here with these ugly bastards (Japanese diplomats) while there are blond women in the world.” • No racial equality clause in the Treaty of Versailles • U.S. Pushed the British to renounce their alliance with Japan • U.S. sees Asian Pacific as its economic backyard • Japan began to feel that its aspirations of being a world class power would be forever frustrated by the white powers • Island has limited resources- need for an empire! • The rise of militarism • World at War Film

29. 1e) Reactions to Totalitarianism • America’s Reaction • Isolationism

30. France’s Reaction • The U.S., Britain, and the League are doing squat to protect us… and who is Hitler going to come for first? • France! • Maginot Line • Kinda like the best trench system ever built • Makes a lot of sense after WWI

32. Fort Eben

33. Britain’s Reaction • The British Reaction- appeasement- will start off our next unit and lead to the war itself