Chapter 29 The Rise of Fascism

1. Chapter 29The Rise of Fascism Alex Ballester 3/31/09 Per. 3

2. Mussolini’s Italy • 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.

3. Hitler’s Germany • 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)

4. Road to War (1933-1939) • 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)

5. Bibliography • Andrea, Alfred J., and James H. Overfield. Human Record. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. • Bulliet, Richard W. The Earth And Its Peoples A Global History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. • "Fascism - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. 26 Mar. 2009 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism>. • "German Fascism." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. 26 Mar. 2009 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERfascist.htm>. • Spodek, Howard. The World's History Combined (2nd Edition). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. • "The World at War: Benito Mussolini." Euronet Internet. 26 Mar. 2009 <http://www.euronet.nl/users/wilfried/ww2/mussolin.htm>.