Key Historical Movements: Roaring Twenties, Fascism, Bolshevism

The Roaring Twenties: Prosperity and Collapse

The Roaring Twenties refers to the period of significant economic prosperity in the U.S. from 1922 to 1929, marking an expansive phase of an economic cycle. This widespread prosperity benefited society, driving unprecedented economic growth that ultimately led to a speculative bubble. However, this prosperity was short-lived, culminating on October 24, 1929, known as Black Thursday, with the onset of the Crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression.

Fascism: Ideology of Totalitarianism and Crisis

Fascism was an ideology that emerged after World War I amidst a scenario of profound crisis. Fascists advocated for:

• Totalitarianism
• A dictatorial one-party system
• Anti-democracy and anti-liberalism
• Anti-capitalism and anti-Marxism
• Militarism and ultra-nationalism
• The cult of a charismatic leader
• The use of propaganda and state terror
• Racism and xenophobia
• The exaltation of traditional masculine principles, relegating women primarily to child-rearing and domestic roles

The Bolshevik Party: Lenin's Revolutionary Vision

The Bolshevik Party was a radical political faction within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, in opposition to the Mensheviks. They advocated for:

• The struggle for the dictatorship of the proletariat as a necessary instrument of revolution to advance towards socialism.
• The alliance of the working class with the peasantry to overthrow the Russian autocracy, completing the democratic goals of the revolution and countering the vacillations and betrayals of the bourgeoisie.
• The liquidation of large landed estates and the distribution of land to peasants.
• The recognition of the right to self-determination for nations oppressed by Russia.
• The condition of belonging to a party organization to be considered a member.
• The need to build a party whose internal organization was based on democratic centralism, comprising professional revolutionaries. These revolutionaries were intended to ensure ideological homogeneity and organizational discipline, acting as the vanguard to lead the proletariat in conquering political power (the dictatorship of the proletariat) and carrying out the revolution.