Road To WWII Flashcards
Fascism: Anti-Communist
Fascism is of the far right
Communism is far left.
Fascism
Seen as the "third way" Emerges in Italy. Alternative to the failure of liberalism and the horror of Marxism. Far right of the political spectrum. Picks up after Great Depression
Fascism: Anti-Marxist
Protect state from Marxism because it advocated communism.
Gained support from middle-class.
Fascism: Militaristic
War is the grounds on which the power of a nation is proved.
Fascism: Antidemocratic
Believed to be inefficient; a single ruler is more efficient
Fascism: One Party Rule
Ban rival parties, ensures that there won’t be a revolution.
Only very similar parties with different names allowed.
Fascism: Glorification of the State
The state is all powerful and the face of its historical evolution.
Furher principle
The face and the physical embodiment of a country is its leader
Benito Musssolini
Started as a socialist but when WWI comes along he abandons this ideology.
Father of fascism
Dictator of Italy from 1922-1943
Avanti
Socialist newspaper that Mussolini was an editor for.
Il popolo d’Italia
Translates to “People of Italy”
Newspaper created by Mussolini.
Addresses the issue that Italy got nothing out of war.
Expresses discontent with Versailles.
D’Annunzio
Vocal Italian nationalist. Invades Fiume (Austrian territory) and takes over.
Social Turmoil
Manufacturing decreases
Workers strike and occupy factories
Peasants seize uncultivated land from landowners.
Bourgeoisie afraid of Marxist revolution.
Political Turmoil
Government (Chamber of Deputies) is in gridlock.
Socialist party has a plurality.
Gave ministers ability to rule by decree.
Fasci Di Combattimento
WWI veterans which are hired as the military arm for fascists.
Squadristis
“Black Shirts”
Enforcers taken from Fasci Di Combattimento.
Attack socialists, governments turns blind eye bc scared of communism.
Italian election of 1921
Fascism becomes more popular
35 seats out of 500.
March on Rome
October, 1922
Black shirts preform marches in Rome.
Marks the emergence of fascism.
Mussolini as Prime Minister.
October 29th, 1992
Mussolini becomes Prime Minister, promising to use power to stop the marches.
Mussolini as Dictator
November, 1922
Mussolini is given dictatorial power for a year.
Appoints fascists to political offices.
Makes a law so that the party receiving a plurality gets 2/3 of Deputies seats.
Italian election 1924
Fascists receive a plurality of votes and are awarded 2/3 of the seats.
All other parties dissolve, leaving only fascists.
Giacomo Matteoti
Leading socialist, member of Deputies.
Non-communist.
Criticized Mussolini, squadristi assassinate him.
Lateran Accord of 1929
Stops cultural war between the Vatican and Italy.
Vatican City becomes its own state.
Legitimizes Mussolini.
Women in a Fascist Society
Encouraged to have children.
Generous maternity leave.
Discouraged and eventually outlawed information regarding and practice of abortions and contraception.
Women still make 25% of labor force
Problems with the Weimar
Proportional representation: allowed for extremist minorities (fascists)
Article 48
Article 48
If there is an emergency then the President or a presidential designee can take dictatorial power.
Tension in Germany
Discontent over Versailles
Loss of Alsace & Lorraine
Economic downfall due to loss of the Rhur and war reparations.
Doubt toward the SDP
Kapp Putsch
March 1920 Attempted overthrow of Weimar Republic. Workers strike German army puts it down, saves gov. Doesn't succeed.
Great Inflation of 1923
Government pays Germans in Ruhr to stop working.
Farmers charge higher prices for grain.
Everything gets expensive
Adolf Hitler
Started as an Austrian artist
Receives nationalist, anti communist, and anti Semitic views from Catholic Popular Party.
Joins WWI, becomes leader of Nazis.
National Socialist German Worker’s Party
Nazi party or “Brown Shirts”
Anti-Semitic, Nationalist, and Anti-Communist.
25 points, The Nazi Platform
Rejection of Versailles
Unification of Austria and Germany
Exclude Jewish community from German citizenship.
Nationalization of industry
Strumabteilung “SA”
“Storm troopers”
Military arm of Nazi party.
Led by Ernst Roehn
Bierputsch/ Beer Hall Putsch
November, 1923
Hitler and Ludendorff start fights in beer halls around Germany hoping that the chaos would allow them to take over.
Fails, everyone is arrested for treason.
Hitler in Jail
Gains publicity.
Writes “Mein Kampf” where he outlines his ideology.
Mein Kampf
Claims Weimar is ruled by the worst (Jews, democrats, ect…)
Explains ideology including Anchluss and Lebensraum.
Lebensraum
Translates to living space.
Explains that Hitler wants to expand Germany’s borders into Poland to accommodate population growth.
Anschluss
The idea that Germany and Austria should unite.
German Election of 1928
Nazis get less than 3% Nazis decide to target middle class for support and tailor their speeches.
Party of the Young & Energetic
Propaganda in order to get support from the youth and middle class.
Hitler over Germany
Hitler insisted 50 cited in 15 cities.
This is due to effective use of technology such as commercial flights and radio.
Election of 1932
37% of the vote goes to Nazis
Weimar Republic is falling apart.
Conservative’s attitude toward Hitler
Thought he could be given power and then used as a puppet.
Reichstag Fire
February, 1933
“A communist” set fire to the building where the Reichstag meets.
Communism is seen as a threat to the nation and is banned.
**probably staged by nazis
Hitler as Chancellor
January, 1933
Conservatives convince Hindenburg (president) to make Hitler Chancellor.
Bruning is dismissed and Hitler becomes Chancellor, immediately consolidates power.
Election of 1933
Nazis get 45% of vote
They form a coalition with another party, giving them a simple majority.
Enabling Act
March, 1933
Gives Hitler dictatorial power for 5 years.
Hitler then suspended all civil liberties
Civil Service Act of 1933
All government employees must swear an oath of loyalty to the Furher.
Hitler: One Party Rule
(1934) Hitler bans all parties, except those that parallel the Nazi party.
Federal system is dissolved, leaving a single national government.
Blood Purge/ Night of the Long Knives
June 30th, 1934
Hitler orders for the assassination of the SA at the request of the military.
Also eliminates political enemies
Schutzstaffer/ SS
Black uniforms, “Black Shirts”
Elite military units.
Chief instrument of terror.
Control death camps.
Gestapo
Geheime Staatspolizei
Secret police for the Nazi.
Eliminated any person that opposed the Nazi party and sent people to Death camps.
Fuhrer of the Third Reich
Hindenburg dies; Hitler combines the role of President and Chancellor and seizes complete control.
4 Year Plan
Works toward self sufficiency; especially in fuel processing and rubber.
Gestapo
Geheime Staatspolizei
Secret police for the Nazi.
Eliminated any person that opposed the Nazi party and sent people to Death camps.
Fuhrer of the Third Reich
Hindenburg dies; Hitler combines the role of President and Chancellor and seizes complete control.
4 Year Plan
Works toward self sufficiency; especially in fuel processing and rubber.
National Labor Front
The only labor union allowed.
All independant labor unions are dissolved.
Autobahn
One of Hitler’s major projects.
The federal-controlled access highway- system.
Hitler Youth
Male youth organization of the Nazi party.
Emphasized physical and military training.
Seen as a stepstone to becoming an SS.
League of German Maidens
Female youth organization of Nazi party.
Groomed women for marriage and domestic life.
Nuremberg Laws
(1935) Clarified who was/ what classified being a Jew.
Stripped Jews of citizenship.
Forbade them of sexual relation with Aryans.
Kristallnacht
“Night of Breaking Glass” Nov. 1938
Synagogues burned
Thousands of Jews murdered/arrested
Homes and businesses destroyed.
Sterilization & Euthanasia
How people deemed “unfit” were handled.
Sterilization: removes ability to reproduce.
Euthanasia: lethal injection.
T-4 program
1939-1941
Administered “mercy death” (euthanasia) to anyone deemed “incurably sick”/
Elliminated 200,000 undesirables.
