Rise of Fascism and Nazism: Italy and Germany

The Rise of Fascism in Italy

The end of the Great War left Italy with serious human and economic consequences. The peace accords were a disappointment because the Allies did not give Italy the territories agreed upon in the Treaty of London (1915). Political instability ensued, with five different governments in three years. The economic crisis generated strong social tension.

In 1919, Benito Mussolini created the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, commonly known as the "Black Shirts." These paramilitary groups aimed to violently suppress the labor movement. In 1921, the Fasci became the National Fascist Party, presenting itself as the most effective way to stop revolution in Italy.

The party had the support of the petty bourgeoisie, large landowners, industrialists, the Catholic Church, and King Victor Emmanuel III. After the March on Rome by Mussolini's Black Shirts, the King appointed Mussolini head of government.

Between 1922 and 1925, Mussolini maintained the fiction of a parliamentary system. However, after the 1924 elections, he announced the establishment of an authoritarian regime and proclaimed himself Duce.

The Rise of Nazism in Germany

In 1918, after Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, the Weimar Republic was proclaimed in Germany. Following its defeat in World War I, Germany was forced to accept the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

The postwar years were marked by economic crisis, poverty, and unemployment due to war debts. The Republic was threatened by revolutionary movements on the left and right-wing coups.

Adolf Hitler, a soldier who had not accepted Germany's defeat, founded the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), adopting the swastika as its emblem. He also established a paramilitary organization known as the Sturmabteilung (SA), or "Storm Troopers."

Hitler used demagoguery, railing in his speeches against those he blamed for the crisis: Jews, Communists, and Democrats. After the crisis of 1929, many Germans turned toward extremist proposals. In the 1932 elections, Hitler became Chancellor, and the Nazis soon transformed Germany into a dictatorship of terror.

The Nazis considered the Aryan race superior and pursued "living space" (Lebensraum). Women had a marginal role. The Nazis persecuted Jews, abolished all parties except their own, and, from 1933, established concentration camps.