The Great Depression: Causes, Consequences, and Rise of Totalitarianism

The Great Depression ruined millions of people, from banks to farmers, industries, and foreign trade. The crisis spread from the United States to the world.

Consequences of the Crisis

• Demographic: Population growth and transoceanic migrations stopped as recipient countries limited immigration to reduce internal unemployment.
• Economic: Agricultural and industrial production decreased, as did foreign trade due to protectionist policies adopted by various countries.
• Social: Unemployment grew, and the middle class and impoverished workers developed a strong rejection of the capitalist system and mistrust in progress.
• Political: The crisis discredited democracy, which initially failed to provide solutions.

To find solutions, Franklin D. Roosevelt launched a recovery program known as the New Deal. This program addressed agricultural and industrial surpluses, set minimum wages, implemented measures against unemployment, and provided unemployment insurance, which improved the economic situation.

The Rise of Totalitarian Systems

Several factors favored the establishment of totalitarian systems:

• Weakly consolidated democratic systems
• Severe economic crisis
• Social polarization
• The formation of ultra-nationalist groups

Social Supports of Totalitarian Systems

The social supports of totalitarian systems included the middle class (threatened by proletarianization due to the crisis), big business, the unemployed, disaffected ex-combatants, and conservative social sectors.

Characteristics of Totalitarian Systems

• Authoritarian political system where the state concentrated all power and exercised it through a leader.
• Absence of freedoms and political pluralism; only a single party existed to crush the opposition with violence.
• State control of the economy and society.
• Rejection of social equality.
• Irrational thinking.
• Ultra-nationalism: Exalting the greatness of one's nation and making territorial claims to achieve unity or provide living space for survival.
• Defense of militarism, force, and war as instruments of power, prestige, and progress.

Examples of Totalitarian Regimes

Italian Fascism

Italian Fascism arose in Italy around Benito Mussolini, who organized a march on Rome with his black shirts. Subsequently, he was entrusted with forming a new government. As Duce, he proclaimed a fascist dictatorship and repressed all opposition.

German Nazism

German Nazism arose in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany and proclaimed the German Third Reich, implementing an iron dictatorship that eventually led to World War II.

Cultural Developments

Science progressed with the formulation of the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein (1916), the emergence of quantum physics, and the development of psychological theories.