Totalitarian Regimes: Fascism and Nazism in the Interwar Period

3. TOTALITARIAN REGIMES: FASCISM AND NAZISM
The interwar period saw the rise of totalitarian regimes in several states, fueled by economic, ideological, and political crises.

Characteristics of Totalitarianism

Totalitarian regimes share several key characteristics:

• Authoritarian Regime:
  • Charismatic leader with unlimited power, often seen as infallible. Examples include Adolf Hitler (Führer) and Benito Mussolini (Il Duce).
  • Lack of freedom or political plurality, with a single political party dominating.
  • Opposition suppressed through repression and violence, often by paramilitary forces or political police.
• Economic and Social Control:
  • The state controls the economy, often with anti-capitalist and anti-communist policies.
  • Society is manipulated through propaganda and censorship.
  • Totalitarian states indoctrinate youth to believe in the regime.
• Ideological Inequality and Fanaticism:
  • Certain groups are deemed superior to others, often based on race or ethnicity.
  • Symbols, uniforms, songs, and slogans are used to unite supporters.
• Nationalism and Militarism:
  • The greatness of the nation is used to justify territorial expansion.
  • Significant investment in weapons and military power.

Italian Fascism: Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini, a journalist, founded the Fascist National Party in 1921. Some members formed paramilitary groups known as the fasci (also called “black shirts”), who clashed with workers’ parties. The population was frustrated by the consequences of World War I, including unemployment, inflation, and the strength of revolutionary movements.

In 1922, the fasci successfully intervened in strikes organized by trade unions, becoming powerful enough to march on Rome. As a result, the king appointed Mussolini head of state, and he imposed a fascist dictatorship. With the help of the political police (OVRA), he banned trade unions, political parties, and any opposition.

Italian society was controlled through propaganda and censorship.

German Nazism: Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler, a former soldier who fought in World War I, founded the National Socialist Party in 1920. The party’s paramilitary section, called the SA, fought against communism. The party gained strength during the 1929 crisis, blaming the Jews, communists, and democrats.

In 1932, the party won elections with strong popular support. In 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. He ended the Weimar Republic and proclaimed the Third Reich, imposing a severe dictatorship and eliminating all opposition. With the help of the Gestapo (political police), he sent opponents to concentration camps.

Hitler created strong social unity around the idea of Aryan racial superiority, leading to the exclusion and persecution of Jews. He controlled education, art, and culture through propaganda and censorship. He adopted an aggressive militaristic policy, rejecting the Treaty of Versailles and claiming that lebensraum (living space) was necessary for the expansion and survival of the German nation. His actions ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II.