After First World War Totalitarian Dictatorship expanded.

Countries like Russia,

Spain, Italy and Germany refused to work with League of Nation.

FASCISM
The word 'Fascism' has been derived from the Italian word
“fascio” which means union or league. It also means ‘Fasces’
was a bundle of sticks bound to an axe.
Fascism' means autocracy or dictatorship where the power of
the State is vested in one man only; and it is compulsory for all the
others to obey his orders.
How Mussolini Rise to power ?
He was socialist in the beginning but later became anti socialist. He formed
Fascios to organise violence. His party workers wore Black shirt called as
Fascist Party. He attacked Rome. The Government didn’t fought back.
Emperor Victor Emmanuel III invited him to form the Government. Reign of
Terror started and became absolute Master by plain order. He captured
rhodes, fiume and Albania and Abyssinia. Italy lost WW2. He was
executed.

CAUSES FOR THE RISE OF FASCISM

Fascism emerged as a movement in the post World War I.
1. Discontentment after the Treaty of Versailles: Italy joined the Allies in the First
World War to gain territories of Turkey and Germany. But by the Treaty of
Versailles, she could get only Southern Tyrol and Trentino, and the Coastal
Regions of Dalmatia. She could get no part of the German and Turkish colonial
empire.
2. Economic Crisis: Italy suffered heavy losses in terms of life and property in the
First World War. After the War, many soldiers became unemployed. Trade and
commerce were ruined leading to large-scale unemployment. There was a
shortage of food grains.
3. Political Instability: Democracy was introduced in Italy for the first time in 1919.
Elections failed to give a clear majority to a single party. As a result, there was
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complete instability in the country and between 1919 and 1922 six coalition
governments were formed in Italy. They were unable to deal effectively with the
problems of unemployment, strikes and riots which took place during 1921-22.
4. Class Conflicts: Class conflict increased in many countries after the First World
War. The common man had been promised, during the War, that he would be
rewarded by greater attention to his economic needs. These promises were
ignored and the common man was angry.
5. Threat of Socialism or Communism: The Socialists who included the Anarchists,
the Communists and the Social Democrats created conditions conducive for the
growth of Fascism in Italy. Inspired by the Russian Revolution, the Communists
inflamed the atmosphere with revolutionary ideas. Peasants took away the land
from landlords; workmen organised strikes, damaged machines and took hold of
the factories. The communists began to devise new plans of overthrowing the
government and capturing power. The industrialists viewed the growing strength
of the labour unions with alarm and provided financial support to Fascism.
6. Failure of the League of Nations: After the First World War, the League of
Nations proved weak and failed to achieve its aims. It failed to check the rise of
dictatorships. Had it acted well in time, the ambitious plans of Mussolini and Hitler
would not have fulfilled.
7. Leadership Provided by Mussolini: Mussolini played an
important role in the history of Italy. He had a charismatic
personality. His speeches praised the past glories of Italy
and won the faith of his countrymen. Mussolini was
called 'Duce' which means the Leader.

AIMS OF FASCISM
The main aims of Fascism were the following:
(i) Fascism was the antithesis of democracy. Fascists believed that democracy
was not suitable for the country because it widens the gulf between the poor and
the rich.
(ii) Fascists supported one party and one leader. They believed that the country
could make progress only under one leader. According to the Fascists,
dictatorship was the best form of government.
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(iii) Fascists favoured equal control over all sections of society. They wanted to
control capitalists, industrialists, labourers, landlords, peasants and artisans.
(iv) Fascists laid stress on nationalism and not on individual institutions.
(v) They believed that the interests of the State must get precedence over
individual interests because an individual gets all the rights from the State.
(vi) Fascists favoured aggressive foreign policy and regarded war as an instrument
for furthering national interest.

Rise of Fascism in Italy

➤ Mussolini led a march to Rome. Emperor Victor Emmanuel III invited Mussolini
to form the new government.
➤ Mussolini became a dictator with military and civil powers.
➤Under Fascism, law and order was established, steps were taken to improve the
economic conditions of the people.
➤ Schools, colleges and libraries were established to spread education. Military
training was made compulsory.

IMPACT OF FASCISM
Initially, Italy benefitted a lot under the Fascist regime but in the longer run, it
proved quite disastrous for Italy and her people. The following were the
consequences of Fascism:
(i) Mussolini devoted himself to make Italy a powerful nation and carried out
administrative and economic reforms. He took measures to stall further
devaluation of the Italian currency. He set up hydroelectric power plants to
overcome the shortage of coal. He brought more lands under cultivation and tried
to improve and expand the transport system.
(ii) A number of measures were undertaken to reduce unemployment. All factories
and mills were nationalised to improve the lot of workers. Various syndicates were
established to improve relations between the capitalists and the workers.

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Mussolini started an impressive public works programme which included the
building of roads, bridges, canals, railways, schools, hospitals, etc.
(iii) All efforts were made to eradicate illiteracy by making elaborate provisions for
education. Many new schools, colleges and libraries were set up.
(iv) Various steps were taken to increase the military might of the country. Military
training was made compulsory and efforts were made to enhance the naval power
of Italy to match it with the naval power of France and Germany.
(v) A Pact (Treaty of Lateran) was made with the Pope by Mussolini in 1929. By this
Pact the Pope agreed to accept a subordinate position to Mussolini and
recognised the Italian government over Rome. In return the Pope was permitted to
keep in his possession the Vatican and the St. Peter's Cathedral. Under the pact,
the Fascist Government recognised Roman Catholicism religion as the state
religion.
(vi) Mussolini embarked upon an aggressive foreign policy to revive the past
glories of the Roman Empire and to make Italy a great nation.
(vii) Besides these positive impacts, there were many negative effects of Fascism
in Italy. All efforts were made to curb political freedom. After gaining power,
Mussolini became a dictator and took all the military and civil powers into his own
hands. All political parties except the Fascists were banned. The system of Jury
was abolished and special courts were set up where the Fascist civilian and
military officers were empowered to decide political cases. Press was censored.
The freedom of speech and organising meetings was also prohibited Mussolini
crushed his opponents brutally.

NAZISM
The body of political and economic doctrines held
and put into effect by the Nazis in Germany from 1933
to 1945 including the totalitarian principle of
government, predominance of especially Germanic
groups asssumed to be racially superior, and
supremacy of the führer.

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Nazism, properly termed National Socialism, was the ideology of the German Nazi
party. The term 'Nazi' (National sozialist) was an insult coined by opponents, hence
Nazism.

NAZI DICTATORSHIP IN GERMANY

Background: After their defeat in the First World War, the Germans revolted
against their King, Kaiser Wilhelm II who was forced to abdicate. Free and fair
elections were held to a new Parliament soon after. The new Parliament met in
January 1919 at Weimar and adopted a new Constitution which made Germany a
democratic republic. None of the parties commanded the support of the majority in
the Reichstag (Lower House of the Legislature). Between 1919 and 1933, there
were as many as 21 Ministries headed by 12 Chancellors (Prime Ministers). The
successive coalition cabinets were unable to cope with the problems faced by the
country. There was growing popular discontent expressed through riots and
attempts to seize power.

How Adolf Hitler rise to Power ?

Austrian by birth fought WW1 as corporal. Found a political party The German
Workers Party but changed name as National Socialist Party or “Nazi Party”.
He tried to capture power but was imprisoned. He lost the elections still
President Hindenburg Offered him Chancellorship. He declared himself as
President and later Dictator.

Fall of Hitler: In the Second World War Germany was totally defeated by the Allied
powers. In 1945 Hitler committed suicide. With his death, Nazism came to an end in
Germany.

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CAUSES FOR THE RISE OF NAZISM
The factors which contributed to the growth of
Nazism were the following:
1. Humiliating Treaty of Versailles: Defeat in the
First World War and the conditions imposed by
the Treaty of Versailles made the Germans feel
humiliated and helpless. Germans looked down
upon the Weimar Republic which had signed
such a disgraceful treaty. Germany was forced
to gave large chunks of her territory to France, Belgium, Poland and Denmark. Her
overseas possessions (colonies) were divided by the Allies in the War among
themselves. Germany was forced to pay heavy reparations to the tune of 33 billion
dollars and the total strength of the German army was fixed at one lakh. The terms
of this treaty were greatly resented by the Germans who eagerly looked for an
opportunity to avenge the same. These sentiments were exploited by Hitler. He
openly encouraged the Germans, to throw the Treaty of Versailles into the waste-
paper basket, to rebuild the empire of Germany, and to recapture the lost colonies.
2. Growing Fear of Communism: After the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the
Communist influence in Germany increased considerably. The Communists
organised themselves effectively and succeeded in capturing a number of seats in
Reichstag. Hitler warned the people that Communists of Germany would become
the servants of their Russian masters and would follow the dictates of
Communists. He, therefore, tried to persuade the people in Germany that Nazism
alone could check the growing influence of Communism.
3. Economic Crisis: As a result of the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles,
Germany had to suffer in agricultural production, colonies, foreign investment,
trade contracts, etc. The foreign countries raised tariffs against the German goods.
The number of unemployed people increased. The condition of the farmers
became miserable. He won over the Capitalists by assuring that industries would
not be nationalised.
4. Resurgence of Militant Nationalism: The Germans could not reconcile with the
democratic parliamentary system prevailing in their country. They preferred
prestige and glory to liberty and freedom. They felt that only a strong man could
restore the past prestige of Germany and check the rising popularity of
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Communism. When Hitler promised them all glory, they welcomed him with open
arms.
5. Anti-Semitic Propaganda: The anti-Semitic propaganda carried on by the Nazi
party also contributed to Hitler's popularity. The Nazis described the Jews as
traitors. They said that the Jews had conspired with the Allies during the War and
could again commit treason against Germany.
6. Absence of Strong Opposition: The rise of the Nazi Party in Germany was
facilitated by the absence of any strong opposition party. As a result, the Nazi
Party did not encounter any effective resistance and its popularity achieved great
heights.
7. Charismatic Personality of Hitler: Hitler had a charismatic personality. He had all
the qualities required for a popular leader. He was a shrewd politician and a brave
soldier. He knew the art of moulding public opinion in his favour according to the
circumstances. He was a gifted orator who captivated the Germans by his
emotional speeches. He told the Germans what they wanted to hear i.e., the
betrayal of Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and the Jewish-Communist plot to
conquer the world.

AIMS OF NAZISM
In Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle') Hitler expressed the aims of the Nazi Movement as
follows:
(i) To exalt nationalism;
(ii) To advocate the rule by a great leader from a single party;
(iii) To despise internationalism, peace and democracy;
(iv) To use force and brutality;
(v) To extol war;
(vi) To uphold the racial supremacy of the Germans and to hate Jews.

IMPACT OF NAZISM

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1. Established a Totalitarian State: Hitler had no faith in the parliamentary system
of government. He, therefore, eradicated all those elements which offered
opposition to his authority.
He concentrated all power into his hands, suppressed all opposition and
propagated the ideology of Nazism. He changed the federal government into a
unitary government. Hitler himself became the Governor of Prussia. All provincial
legislatures were dissolved in 1934 and the sovereign power of the central
government was established.
Various political parties were abolished. A ban was imposed on the press, public
speeches and writing of articles. Even the members of the Nazi party who
challenged Hitler's authority were severely dealt with. A secret police known as the
Gestapo, kept a check on the activities of citizens. Those suspected of disloyalty
to the State were arrested or executed without trial.

2. Economic Reforms: Hitler introduced various reforms to meet the economic

crisis after the War. He launched the first Five- Year Plan to have greater
production. The economic life of the country was organised with the objectives of
removing unemployment and making the nation self-sufficient. For this, the
following measures were taken:
• Factories were set up to provide work to the labourers.
• Industrial and agricultural production and trade were encouraged.
• A Food Corporation was established to control food production, its pricing and
distribution.
• Price controls were introduced and incentives were provided for workers.
• Capitalists were encouraged to increase production and strikes were banned.
• Imports and exports were controlled to maintain favourable trade balance.
• The production of heavy armaments, aeroplanes and naval ships on a large scale
was increased.
• Projects of public works, building government offices, stadiums, art galleries;
housing development, etc., were undertaken.

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• The trade unions were dissolved. All the workers were put under one union
whose chief was a harsh Nazi leader. He assured the workers of safeguarding their
interests and rights.
Thus, Hitler freed Germany from the economic crisis and put to an end the
problem of unemployment. The industrial production almost doubled and the
foreign trade also expanded.

3. Militarism and Compulsory Military Training: Special efforts were made to

increase the military force of the country. Military training was made compulsory
which again created more employment.
Hitler believed that nations could become great only by defeating other nations in
war. He started rearmament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. This pleased
the army officers who had felt humiliated by the terms of the Treaty.
4. Repudiated Peace Treaties: The main objective of Hitler's foreign policy was to
reject the Treaty of Versailles, which had humiliated Germany. Hitler openly
condemned the Treaty of Versailles. He refused to pay the war indemnity as
stipulated under the Treaty of Versailles. He even resorted to the policy of
territorial expansion and fortification of Germany in complete violation of the
Treaty.
5. Acquisition of Territories: Hitler tried to acquire more territories for the surplus
German population. Hitler said, "Germany within her existing frontiers could attain
only limited self- sufficiency in raw materials and none at all in foodstuffs. The only
remedy lay in the acquisition of greater living space....". Hitler tried to expand in
South and East of Europe because that region was economically useful for
Germany as it possessed huge potential for wheat, oil and coal. To attain this
objective, Hitler made use of force and rejected all compromises. He entered into a
non-aggression treaty with Poland for a period of ten years in 1934 for the safety of
his eastern frontiers. He reclaimed the territory of Saar and Rhineland from France.
In 1938, he annexed Austria by force. He concluded a non-aggression pact with
Russia.
6. Racial Supremacy: Hitler believed in the doctrine of racialism which presented
Germans as the "master race" with the right and destiny to dominate the world.
This race, he said, would rule all other inferior races. For this, he wanted Germany
to cleanse itself of the contamination by Jews, Christians and Communists.
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7. Negative Aspects: Hitler put an end to civil liberties. Those who were suspected
of opposing him were treated harshly. Strict censor was imposed on books, the
press and the cinema. All anti-Nazi books and magazines were consigned to fire.

SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE CAUSES OF FASCISM AND NAZISM

1. Discontent after the Treaty of Versailles.
2. Economic crisis unemployment and decline in production in agriculture and
trade.
3. Hatred for democratic principles and preference for totalitarian system and one-
party rule.
4. Fear of the spread of Communism.
5. Political instability and class conflict between the aristocrats and the common
people.
6. Failure of the League of Nations.

SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE IDEOLOGIES OF FASCISM AND NAZISM

1. To have faith in the totalitarian rule.
2. To despise democratic political systems.
3. To hold that the state is supreme and it could suppress the fundamental rights
and freedoms of individuals.
4. To uphold One-Party and one leader.
5. To believe in aggressive nationalism and imperialism.
6. To regard war as an instrument for furthering national interests.
7. To uphold intensely nationalistic, anti-communist, anti-democratic rule.

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