Dang 1

1) Authoritarian States
a) Conservative authoritarianism
i) Authoritarian states were severely weakened from traditional European history. ii) Conservative authoritarianism revived after the First World War esp. in Eastern Europe. (1) Lacked a tradition of self government (2) Torn by ethnic conflicts (3) Totalitarian dictators appealed to nationalists, large landowners, and the church as a way to soothe tensions and repress large sweeping reforms.

b) Radical totalitarian dictatorships

i) Dictators emerged in the Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy ii) Mobilized their people to action iii) Fascism, Nazism, communism seen as feuding brothers with a common father: the nature of modern war. iv) Nothing existed out of the state v) Went entirely against the Classical liberalism i) Fascism (1) Extreme expansionist nationalism. (2) Anti socialism (3) Alliances with powerful capitalists (4) Violent leaders; Glorification of State

2) Stalin's Soviet Union

a) Stalin established goals through ambitious five year plans. His regime Eliminated all political opposition through purges and assassinations. b) From Lenin to Stalin
i) By 1921, Lenin had won the civil war, Russia left in utter chaos. ii) Introduced New Economic Policy (NEP) iii) Essentially allowed limited capitalism among peasants iv) Heavy industries (steel, lumber, etc.) remained nationalized. v) Power struggle when Lenin dies in 1924 (Trotsky loses, later assassinated) vi) Stalin's policy focused on "socialism in one country;" Trotsky's focused on spreading the revolution throughout Europe. ii) Stalin Achieve supreme power between 1922 and 1927

Dang 2 (1) Allied with Trotsky's personal enemies and turned them against him. (2) Aligned with the moderates to suppress Trotsky's radical followers (3) After destroying the radicals, he turned against the moderates

c) The Five-Year Plans

i) The first five year plan worked to increase output by 250% ii) Stalin collectivized the peasants land causing massive starvations and little economic change iii) Targeted Kulaks, privileged peasants, stripping them of land and attacking them iv) Five year plans created massive growths in industry (1) 4 times as much in 1937 from 1928

d) Life and culture in Soviet society

i) Nonfarm wages fell to about 60% in 1937 from 1928. ii) Massive housing shortages iii) The key to success was specialized skills and technical education. iv) Women were given greater opportunities (1) 1917 declared equality of rights for women (2) 1920 divorce and abortion made easily available v) Stalin played down familial and sexual liberation. vi) Many opportunities were equally available in labor, education, and medicine. vii) Stalin became utterly idolized at the cost of the retardation of Russian Culture

e) Stalinist Terror and great purges

i) 1930's Stalin initiated a system of terror (French Rev.?) ii) Millions died or never returned from Soviet labor camps. iii) Recruited new and more loyal followers in order to replace those who were purge

3) Mussolini and Fascism in Italy

a) Mussolini hated liberalism; Original fascist b) The seizure of power
i) Early 20th century Italy was generally liberal with civil rights and constitutional monarchy. ii) Much of the pop. was poor and many peasants did not care for the state. iii) Socialist party gained leadership in 1912 iv) Working class felt cheated by the modest gains at the Treaty of Versailles v) Russian Rev. inspired socialist actions. vi) Mussolini's Black Shirts terrorized political opposition.

Dang 3 iii) Marched on Rome in 1922 after government begins breaking down. Mussolini stepped forward, demanded the resignation of the king. Granted power for one year

c) The Regime in Action

i) Mussolini's Fascists twisted elections, murdered the Socialist opposition, Matteotti. ii) 1924 -1926 Built his fascist dictatorship. Remained untotalitarian. iii) Lateran Agreement of 1929, Recognized Vatican as independent state. iv) Suppressed women entirely, outlawed divorce. Jews not persecuted until late.

4) Hitler and Nazi Germany

5) The roots of Nazism

a) German Nazism was a product of Hitler, of Germany's social and political crisis, and the general attack on liberalism and rationality.
i) Hitler became a fanatical nationalist while in Vienna, where he absorbed antiSemitic and racist ideas. ii) Blamed Jews and socialists entirely for the loss of World War one. iii) By 1921, he had reshaped the tiny extremist German Workers' group into the Nazi party, using the mass rally as a particularly effective tool of propaganda. (1) The party grew rapidly. (2) Hitler and the party attempted to overthrow the Weimar government, but he was defeated and sent to jail (1923).

b) Hitler's road to power

i) Hitler became enormous attention after the Weimar Republic debacle ii) Wrote Mein Kampf outlining his plans and his beliefs on the "master race." iii) The depression made the Nazi party attractive to the lower middle class, who were seized by panic as unemployment soared and Communists made election gains. iv) 1932, 43 percent of the labor force was unemployed. v) Hitler favored government programs to bring about economic recovery. vi) 1932, the Nazi party was the largest in the Reichstag--having 38 percent of the total. vii) Hitler wisely stressed the economic issue rather than the anti-Jewish and racist nationalism issues. viii) He appealed to the youth. 40 percent of the Nazi party were under 30 years of age.

ix) The communists welcomed Hitler as the last breath of monopoly capitalism. x) Government had already begun to break down by the time he seized power.

Dang 4

c) The Nazi state and society

i) The Enabling Act of March 1933 gave Hitler absolute dictatorial power. ii) Germany became a one-party state--only the Nazi party was legal. (1) The Nazi government was full of rivalries and inefficiencies, leaving Hitler to act as he wished. (2) Strikes were forbidden and labor unions were replaced by the Nazi Labor Front. (3) The Nazis took over the government bureaucracy. (4) The Nazis took control of universities, writers, publishing houses; democratic, socialist, and Jewish literature was blacklisted. iii) By then, only the army retained independence which Hitler crushed in 1934. iv) The Gestapo used a system of terror to enforce obedience. v) Hitler began to oppress the Jews (1) The Nuremberg Laws (1935) deprived Jews of their citizenship. (2) 1938, 150,000 of Germany's 500,000 Jews had left Germany. (3) Kristallnacht was a wave of violence directed at Jews and their synagogues and businesses.

d) Hitler's popularity
i) Hitler promised and delivered economic recovery through public works projects and military spending. ii) Unemployment dropped steadily. Produced results unlike many other governments. The s.o.l increased moderately between 1932 and 1938. iii) Those who were t Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, communists, or homosexuals experienced few opportunities or equality. iv) Hitler reduced Germany's traditional class distinctions. (1) Yet few historians believe that Hitler brought on a real social revolution. Women still held in stereotypical positions. v) He reminded Germans of their expansionist heritage: Bismarck. Nationalism increased as his supporters did. vi) Many Christians opposed him, Trade unions and socialists were demolished by SS terror groups. Some high-ranking army officers plotted against him and failed.