• Political/Economic Problem

○ 1920 – Workers went on strike and occupied Factories

○ Landless Peasants seized the property of wealthy landlord.
○ Popularity of the socialist party worries middle class Italians, Socialists had more
seats in office than any other party.
○ A communist party was formed, Italians feared a revolution.
• Fascist – Glorification of the state.
• Characteristics of Fascism:
○ Single-Party System
○ Single Strong Ruler
○ Despised socialism and communism
○ defended private property and private enterprise
○ Regulated by the government
○ Aggressive Nationalism
○ Glorified military sacrifice.
• Appeal of Fascism:
○ Veterans of WWI liked emphasis on militarism.
○ Italian nationalists liked reviving the glories of ancient Rome.
○ Middle/Upper Class Italians supported private property.
• March on Rome:
○ Black Shirts – Attacked communists, socialists and union members.
○ Reason for March on Rome – It was to “Defend the capital from a communist
revolution.” and hopefully frighten the government into surrender with his
Blackshirts.
• Fascist control:
○ Mussolini was granted emergency powers fro one year.
○ Pushed a law that gave the fascist party majority in parliament.
○ Fascists controlled all elections and outlawed all opposition.
○ Party members held all important government jobs and leading posts in the army
and police.
○ They owned all leading newspapers.
• “Il Duce” – The term meaning, the leader, given to Mussolini.
• Youth Control:
○ Children were taught fascist idea.
○ They wore black uniforms.
○ Learned discipline, duty and obedience.
• How Fascism differed from communism:
○ It supported private enterprise.
• Corporative System
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 ○ No Independent unions
○ Corporation controlled wages and prices in its industry.
○ Employer and employees joined a government sponsored corporation.
• Foreign Policy
○ Mussolini dreamed of Italian empire.
○ Propagate its race over the face of the earth.
• Why Ethiopia:
○ Clash on the border between Ethiopia and Italian colony of Somaliland was his
excuse for war.
○ League of Nations: Delayed action, cut off economic sanctions (wouldn’t sell
arms or lend money to Italy). After Ethiopia was invaded, exiled emperor went
• Problems of Weimar Republic
○ Discredited in the eyes of Germans because they signed treaty of Versailles.
○ High German officials felt like they were stabbed in the back by communist, Jews
and liberals in the Weimar Republic.
○ Political extremists: Far left were communists; far right were Fascists and
extreme nationalist.
• Early Adolf Hitler:
○ Born in Austria
○ Son of a customs official.
○ Dropped out of high school in 1905
○ Two years later he went to Vienna to become an artist, he did NOT succeed.
• Hitler’s Views learned in Vienna
○ Anti-Semitism
○ Close ties between Germany and Austria
• Hitler in WWI
○ Emerged an extreme nationalist.
○ Became a dispatch runner
○ awarded several patches for honor and bravery
• Hitler gained control of National Socialists German Workers party a.k.a. the Nazi’s.
• Growth of Nazi’s
○ 6000 members in 1921
○ The inflation of 1922 and the great depression caused great growth for the Nazi’s.
○ French occupation of the Ruhr valley weakened support for Weimar Republic;
Hitler then attacked the Weimar to weaken them further.
○ 1923 – The Nazi’s had 50000 members.
• Beer Hall Revolution (putsch)
○ November 8, 1923 – The army quickly crushed Hitler’s uprising. He was arrested,
tried and found guilty of treason.

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• Details of Mein Kampf
○ Germans belonged to a superior “Aryan” race that was destined to control inferior
races and rule the world
○ Blamed Jews for Germany’s economic problems.
○ Said Jews conspired with Communists to further a world revolution.
○ Soviet Union was an obstacle to German Expansion.
• How the Great Depression helped Nazi’s
○ Unemployment rose
○ Nazi party provided free food and companionship for desperate people.
○ Found hope in Hitler’s ideas.
• 1932 – Nazi’s were largest political party.
• Paul Von Hindenburg was president. Hitler was asked to be chancellor by
Hindenburg.
• Reichstag Fire
○ The Nazi’s used this to their advantage by saying that the communists set the fire
in an attempt to take over Germany.
• Enabling Act
○ After getting Emergency orders abolishing freedom of speech and assembly.
○ The enabling act gave Hitler dictatorial power for four years.
• Solidify Powers & Hindenburg’s Death
○ Hindenburg dies in August 1934
○ Hitler combined president and chancellor.
• Fuhrer – “Leader”
• Third Reich – Successor to the Holy Roman Empire and the German empire would last
1000 years.
• Stalin and Mussolini Methods
○ Rounded up rivals in Nazi party and political opponents and had them murdered.
○ Established secret police, Gestapo, who hunted and arrested anyone suspected of
opposing the Nazi rule.
○ Won the loyalty of army officers.
• Hitler’s Youth
○ Taught military discipline, patriotism and obedience to the Fuhrer.
○ Helped round up “Non-German” books, they were then burned.
• Hitler’s Non-Violent acts against Jews
○ Expelled Jews from all government jobs.
○ Expelled from teaching position
○ Forbidden to practice professions as law and medicine.
○ Nuremberg laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship, banded marriages
between Jews and non Jews.

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 ○ All Jews had to register with the government and wear a yellow Star of David.
• Yellow star of David
○ So they could be easily identified.
• Excuse to Carry out violent acts against Jews
○ 1938 – Jewish youth murdered a German diplomat in Paris
• Economic Recovery Programs
○ Launched vast building programs including housing, highways and sports arenas.
○ Rebuilding the German military to employ people for munitions factories.
○ Increased taxes and imposed strict controls on wages and prices.
○ Banned strikes and outlawed unions. National Labor front.
○ Very successful, unemployment dropped from 6 million to 1 million, standard of
living rose.
• German Military Limit – 100,000 Men
• Great Depression on Japan
○ Economy reeled from the effects of shrinking trade.
• Japanese Military takes control
○ Military occupied an important place in Japanese society.
○ Army defied the government and attacked Manchuria.
○ Prime Ministers successor asked the emperor to place the army under civilian
control; He was assassinated by a group of army officers.
○ By May 1932 the military was in control of Japan. It established a fascist state led
by a small group of military leaders.
• Japan’s Government After Military Control
○ Japan exhibited features of totalitarian state.
 Arrested critics
 Imposed censorship
 Dismissed liberal professors from universities. Secret police searched and
punished enemies of the state.
 Press and schools taught
 Extreme nationalist glorified war and the empire.
• Establishing Overseas Empire – To gain more resources, obtain foreign markets, outlet
for surplus population.
• Manchuria – Rich coal and iron supply
• 1930 – Assumed a new role in Asia, leader of people who opposed western imperialism.