Rise of Totalitarianism: Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany
Classified in History
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Development Causes Totalitarianism: Liberal System Failure
Several factors contributed to the rise of totalitarian regimes in the early 20th century, highlighting a perceived failure of liberal systems:
- Policy: Government instability resulting from the struggle between parties.
- Economic: The economic collapse of European countries following the U.S. crisis led to a dramatic rise in unemployment.
- Social: Ex-combatants returning from the war and the unemployed found work, swelling the ranks of paramilitary organizations.
- Nationalism: Nationalists never ceased ethnic and border conflicts. These conflicts led many countries to question the liberal system and implement autocratic systems.
Fascist Italy
Despite being on the winning side of World War I, Italy did not receive any of the territories that had been promised. Moreover, the war caused great debt, high inflation, and a high unemployment rate, which led to continuous nationalist protests.
In 1920, Italy experienced a real revolutionary situation. The democratic parties were unable to find a solution. In March 1919, the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento was formed, a group composed of ex-combatants, unemployed workers, and some elements of leftist and anarchist revolutionaries. It was founded by Benito Mussolini, whose opposition to the Socialists appealed to the bourgeoisie, who began funding it, and gave hope to the middle class.
In 1921, the fascists were renamed the National Fascist Party and abandoned the whole idea of democracy, revolution, and anti-capitalism. In 1922, the March on Rome of the Blackshirts took place, and the king ordered Mussolini to form a new executive.
Nazi Germany
The effects of the economic crisis reached Germany in 1930. By 1932, unemployment and poverty had significantly increased. Governments succeeded one another without overcoming the crisis. In this situation, the bourgeoisie pressured President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, who had spent years claiming that he and his party were the only solution for Germany.
Hitler was part of the DAP paramilitary group, which became the Nazi Party. In 1924, he was jailed for plotting a coup. As the situation worsened in Germany, the Nazi Party increased its allies. In 1932, Hitler secured the support of big capitalists for Hindenburg to appoint him Chancellor. On February 27, 1933, following the Reichstag fire, he decreed the suppression of individual rights and freedoms and began the destruction of the republic. When Hindenburg died, Hitler took over as Head of State, proclaimed the birth of the Third Reich, and the Nazi dictatorship began unopposed.