Italian Fascism and the Rise of Nazism in Germany

Italian Fascism

Postwar Italy

The end of the Great War left Italy with serious human and economic consequences. 700,000 men were killed, many industries were unserviceable, and foreign debt and high inflation had increased. The peace accords were a big disappointment, as the Allies agreed to the surrender to Italy of the Trentino, Trieste, Istria, and Dalmatia, but not Fiume, as agreed in the Treaty of London (1915). There was great political instability since between 1919 and 1922, five different governments were formed. The economic crisis created strong social tension.

The Rise of Fascism

In this critical situation, Benito Mussolini appeared. In 1919, he created the Fasci fighters, called Blackshirts. In 1921, the Fascists were transformed into the National Fascist Party, which presented itself as more effective in action against the revolutionary movements in Italy. In the elections of 1922, the Fascist party won only 22 of 500 seats. But that same year, 300,000 Blackshirts crushed strikes by trade unions and socialist anarchists. Mussolini demanded the government and organized a march on Rome with his Blackshirts. The king, under pressure, named him head of government.

The Fascist Dictatorship

Between 1922 and 1925, Mussolini developed a process of restriction of freedoms and persecution of his opponents. After the 1924 elections, he established an authoritarian regime, vested himself with full powers, and called himself Duce. The political parties were banned, their leaders imprisoned and persecuted, and Parliament was replaced by a Chamber of Fasci.

The Establishment of Nazism in Germany

Weimar Republic

In 1918, the Kaiser abdicated from his position, and the Republic was proclaimed. He established his capital in the city of Weimar. Germany had to take the defeat and accept the harsh peace terms imposed by the victors. The postwar years were, for Germany, a time of economic crisis, poverty, and unemployment. Thus, in the early years, it was threatened by left-wing revolutionary movements and attempted coups from the extreme right.

Hitler and the Nazi Party

Adolf Hitler was a demobilized soldier of the First World War who had not accepted the defeat of Germany. In 1920, he founded the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) and became its leader. He also acquired a paramilitary organization, the Sturmabteilung (SA). In his book Mein Kampf, he expressed his contempt for democracy. Hitler defended antisemitism, the superiority of the Aryan race, and the creation of an empire that would unite all German-speaking peoples.

Nazism to Power

In the period between 1924 and 1929, there was an improvement in economic and social stability. But the consequences of the crisis of 1929 were harsh for Germany. In 1932, there were more than 6 million unemployed. Social unrest inclined much of the population towards the proposals of extremist parties. So, in the 1932 elections, the Nazi party won 13 million votes, and in January 1933, President Hindenburg named Hitler chancellor. Soon after, the Nazis started a fire in the Reichstag (Parliament) and accused the communists. Then, in 1934, after the death of Hindenburg, Hitler was proclaimed Führer and chancellor of the Third Reich.