RISE OF DICTATORSHIP

IN
ITALY, GERMAN AND JAPAN

M. GH. MUHAMMED

UWELENI SECONDARY SCHOOL

2019
(1ST Edition)

Published by:

M. GH. MUHAMMED
Uweleni, Mkoani – Pemba
TANZANIA

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© M. GH. MUHAMMED 2019

This publication or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form or by any means
without written permission from M. GH. MUHAMMED
 DICTATORSHIP IN GERMANY (NAZISM)

Nazism refers to the totalitarian ideology and policies espoused and practiced in Germany
by Adolf Hitler and his NAZI Party between 1933-1945. Under the leadership of Adolf
Hitler, the so-called NAZI Party grew into a mass movement and ruled Germany through
totalitarian means from 1933 to 1945.
As already said above, the bitterest impact of World War One was the rise of dictatorial
regimes in Europe. The period following the world war one was the period of confusion in
Germany. On one hand, the defeated Germany was in a severe economic situation;
unemployment, hyperinflation, and on the other the postwar Versailles treaty had mercilessly
humiliated her.
One of the most important reasons why the Nazi Party gained in popularity in the 1920s was
because of the worsened economic and social situation in Germany. People will always vote
for or join a political party that they believe will increase their wealth, power, and prestige.
The Nazis realized that if they were to gain and keep mass support from the German people,
they would have to tackle these serious issues. Thus the Nazi Party had taken advantage of
the political unrest in Germany to gain majority approval. These conditions provided the
chance for the rise of a new leader, Adolf Hitler, and his party, the National Socialist German
Workers' Party, or NAZI Party.

HITLER IN THE POWER

Once Hitler gained control of the government, he started his struggles of restoring
Germany’s standing in the world. He began implementing several policies which put it clear
that his government was dictatorial. These were;

1. Anti- Semitism.
Anti-Semitism was at the core of Nazi ideology. In all times the aim of the Nazi Party was
the gradual social, legal and physical exclusion of the Jews from German society. It wanted
to make life so difficult for the Jews that they would leave Germany. Part of Hitler’s plan
for Germany was to make the country racially pure. In 1933, he ordered all non-Aryans out
of government jobs. In 1935, new laws hurt the people who were Hitler’s main target: the
Jews. They lost their civil rights and property. In 1938, the Nazis terrorized Jews in a night
of attacks.

2. Anti-communism.
The Nazis very quickly began a campaign of violence and terror against Communists and
other opponents. Their campaign also involved banning opposition newspapers, leaflets and
meetings. Most problems could be solved, he explained, if communists and Jews were driven
from the nation.

3. Foreign invasion.
Germany had lost land to Poland under the Treaty of Versailles. Many German-speaking
people lived in areas that were now part of Poland. Again Germany lost Alsace and Lorraine
to France. On 1 September 1939 Hitler ordered the German army to invaded Poland. Many
other areas were invaded. This was to expand their nation. Citizens of occupied countries to
the east of Germany, particularly Poles and Russians, were persecuted and sometimes killed
because their countries were to be absorbed into the new German empire.

4. One party state.

After Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany 1933, he moved quickly to turn Germany
into a one-party dictatorship so as to put conducive environments to enforce Nazi policies.
He slowly started replacing elected officials in state governments with Nazi appointees. In
July 1933 all political parties, like Communist Party, and Catholic Central Party, except the
Nazi party were dissolved. The Nazi party is the only political party permitted in Germany.

5. Rearmament.
Hitler’s aims could not be obtained without armed forces so he worked to make them suitable
for war. Hitler had to rearm to be able to succeed. The Treaty of Versailles reduced army to
100,000 men few warships. No submarines or air force. In March 1935, Adolf Hitler
announced that he would rearm Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler’s
desire was always to turn Germany into a world power through the development of its
military. As soon as when he got into power, Germany withdrew from the world
disarmament conference, and started rearing Germany.

6. Strict Censorship of Medias.

In NAZI Germany all medias, being radios, televisions, newspapers, and public events were
strictly censored. Attempts were also made to censor private communications, such
as mail and even private conversation. The Nazis controlled all media outlets and carried on
a continual propaganda campaign to maintain support for their programs and for their
ideology. The aim of censorship under the Nazi regime was simple: to reinforce Nazi power
and to suppress opposing viewpoints and information.

7.He limited the people’s freedom.

He persuaded his Cabinet to declare a state of emergency and end individual freedoms,
including freedom of press, speech, and assembly. Individuals lost the right to privacy, which
meant that officials could read people's mail, listen in on telephone conversations, and search
private homes without a warrant.

8.Racism.
For years before Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, he was obsessed with ideas
about race. In his speeches and writings, Hitler spread his beliefs in the superiority of the
"Germanic race" what he called an Aryan "master race." He pronounced that his race must
remain pure in order to one day take over the world. When Hitler and the Nazis came to
power, these beliefs became the government ideology and were spread in publicly displayed
posters, on the radio, in classrooms, and in newspapers. He did everything to make Aryans
superior over other races in Germany.

9. Strict control of education.

School curriculums were rewritten to inculcate Nazi ideology. Kampf” (My Struggle) in
which he laid out his plans for restoring Germany’s reputation and transforming German
society into one based on race.
Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi
Party, grew into a mass movement, more popularity and eventually Hitler was appointed the
chancellor of Germany by President Paul Von Hindenburg. Here is when the so called NAZI
REGIME officially started in Germany.

Note: Hitler came to power legally; he did not overthrow an existing government or
seize power through the military. Hitler was approved by the German people, and
appointed by president Hindenburg hoping he would solve problems faced postwar
Germany, and restore Germany to the position it had before war. And when rose into
power, he enforced policies which made NAZI-regime be termed as Dictatorial regime.
FACTORS FOR THE RISE OF NAZISM IN GERMANY

1. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

The unfair Versailles Peace Treaty is and will always blamed to cause totalitarian regimes
in Germany. Firstly, the representatives of Germany and the other defeated Central Powers
were not allowed to sit at the conference table until the terms of the Treaty had been agreed
upon. This lack of consultation angered Germans, but had no choice, as the Allies declared
that war would resume if the German government did not sign the treaty they had agreed to
among themselves. Thus, they realised that if they did not sign, then the Allies would invade
Germany, which was powerless to stop them. On 28 June 1919, the peace treaty was signed
and Germany forcefully accepted the terms of the treaty. Secondly, the treaty harshly treated
Germany.
With various provisions of the treaty, perhaps the most humiliating portion of the treaty for
defeated Germany was Article 231, commonly known as the "War Guilt Clause," which
forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War I. They
all (participating powers) agreed on one point, that Germany was the causative of the first
world war, thus was to accept punitive meassures. Among others, outcomes of the treaty
were that;

 Germany had to pay an amount of 6,500,000,000 pounds for the damage which she
had caused in the war. Since the treaty forced Germany and her allies to take full
responsibility for starting the war, it was agreed that it was Germany's responsibility
to meet the damage and warfare costs of the Allies. This was yo be paid in terms of
money, coal, iron, and other valuable minerals.
 Germany had to surrender alsace and Lorraine to France. They agreed that Germany
had to lose 10 perceny of her land. Thus the Germans returned Alsace and Lorraine,
annexed in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, to France.
 Germany was orderd to disarm. Germany was not allowed to have submarines or an
air force. Its army was to be limited to 100,000 soldiers, and a navy of only 6 ships.
The Germany was not allowed to have submarines or an air force. She was prohibited
from bulding war tanks, warships and other destructive weapons.
 Germany had to lose all her African colonies. Germany lost all her colonies in Africa,
which were transferred to the League of Nations which allowed the victorious powers
such as Britain, France, Belgium, and South Africa, to rule over them as Mandates.
 Germany was not allowed to join the League of Nations. As Germany had started the
war, according to the Treaty of Versailles, one of her punishments was that she was
not considered to be a member of the international community and, therefore, she
was not invited to join. However, in 1926 the League accepted Germany’s
membership. In 1933, Hitler left the League again.

Shortly, the treaty injured Germany territorially, militarilly, economically, and politically.
This proved the weakness on the ruling government (Weimar Republic) and in turn made
Hitler who promised to denounce the treaty, gain popularity and rise into power.

2. The Great Depression.

Though the depression started in the United States of America, it had profound effects also
on Europe. The world war had already created an unstable economy that was overly
dependent on financial support from the United States, thus the 1929 crisis dragged
Germany down with the American economy. For example by 1932, millions of Germans
were unemployed, which played right into Hitler's hands. With good policies, Hitler
promissed, once in the power, to restore the ruined economy of germany, something which
made him gain support from the majority, and hence the rise of NAZISM.
 3. The threat of communism taking over the German government.
The period after the First World War witnessed the strong communists movements in
Europe. Perhaps because of the effects of the war that had worsened the lives of the people.
Communist agitators were very active. They were determined to create a communist state in
German. Many of Hitler's speeches decried the threat of communism. In order to defend their
properties, many capitalists decided to ally with Hitler hence he came into power.

4. Effects of the First World War.

As World War One ended with Germany defeated it left the German people feeling very
unhappy.Germany faced a difficult moment for some years in 1920’s, even before the great
economic depression. Problems such as weak industry, mass unemployment, hyperinflation
and the loss of their coal and iron industry were very common. Shortly, the First World War
was a calamity for Germany and Europe. All of these were consequences of the war. Hitler
became the new hope of germans as he promissed economic glorification of the country.

5. The role of Adolf Hitler himself.

Had it not been the good slogans, to convince the majority disappointed germans, hitler
would have not succeded to come into power. One of Hitler’s greatest strengths was his
speech making. Although he was largely uneducated, Hitler was a charismatic speaker who
captivated audiences with his eloquence, able to incite entire crowds and the masses and
force his views on them. He was charismatic, loud, and impassioned. Audiences knew he
would make a good leader with those traits. This belief held true since Germany was in tough
times and the Weimar Republic had collapsed. Hitler was so hot with the success of his
country, and thus gained people’s confidence.

6.Weaknesses of Weimar republic.

After World War I, the German ruler, Kaiser William I, abdicated and fled to Holland. The
republican democratic governmemnt then was set up in Germany. The democracy that
governed Germany met at the town of Weimar. It is because of this that it became known as
the Weimar Republic. Perhaps because it was born in a time of serious economic and
political instability, the Republic was seen weak from the beginning. The inflation rate rose
so dramatically that the German currency lost virtually all value, and it caused many people,
especially in the middle classes to fall into poverty. Many never trusted the Republic again.
This gave hitler power.

IMPACTS OF NAZISM
It cannot be doubted that Nazi Germany was the most destructive political regime of the 20th
century, not only because it unleashed World War II or instigated the holocaust but because
of its impact on German society and Europe at large.

1.Assassination of many people.

Many people lost their lives during the Hitler’s reign, between 1933-1945, especially
those who opposed his policies. It is impossible to know exactly how many people died as
the deaths were comprised of thousands of different events over a period of more than ten
years. It for example argued that, ot 9 milions jeews living in europe, 6 millions were killed
in concentration camps as hitler ordered. All of those who were opponent to him were to
leave the country, and find somewhere to live, otherwise were subject to death.
2. Forced migration of people.
There were many people fleeing the Nazis in the 1930s, to escape persecution or
discrimination, a lot of them Jewish. Mostly these people were welcomed by Britain and
America. And German citizens fled Germany in the 1930s Some among them got jobs in the
industry, or other potentially sensitive positions. For example, With Hitler on the
rise, writers like Thomas Mann, and the brililiant scientist Albert instein and his family fled
their native Germany and emigrated to America.

3. Economic success of Germany.

Hitler notably revived the German economy by launching a number of policies which
restored several economic sectors, and caused the unemployment figures to drop. Hitler was
not merely a politician, once got into power took different meassures to rebuild the economy
of germany. For example, unemployment droped from six million in 1933 to only three
hundred thousands by 1939.

4.Nazism burried communism in Germany.

The Nazis arrested and silenced any citizens who disagreed with their policies, and the
communists were the special target.as one of the strongest political parties in germany before
1934, communists were the major opponents of the Nazis. Large number of comunists were
arrested and sentenced to prison. It is estimated that 340,000 communists were imprisoned
within six months of the Nazi regime. Thus comunism totally disappeared in Germany with
the rise of Adolf.

5. Loss of democracy.
When Hitler was appointed in January 1933, Germany was a democratic. Nazi
Germany under the leadership of Hitler soon became a dictatorship. Hitler banned all
opposition parties, abolished election, restricted the freedom of expression, and many other
elements of democracy.

6. Outbreak of the second world war.

World War Two began in September 1939 when Britain and France declared war on
Germany following Germany's invasion of Poland. Hitler was undoutedly once again
responsible for instigating the second world war. Obviously the second world war was the
battle between Democrats (Britain, France and USA) against Dictatorial powers (Germany,
Italy, Japan).

DICTATORSHIP IN ITALY (FASCISM)

Fascism is a dictatorial ideology formulated by Benito Mussolini soon after the First World
War. It is in other words, a governmental system led by a dictator having complete
power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism. As said previously, the first successful
Fascist takeover was in Italy under Benito Mussolini around 1920’s, and spread to other
European nations some decades later. The word 'fascism' draws its root from the Roman
word 'Fasces' which means a bundle of rods around an axe, which was once the symbol of
the power and authority during Roman Empire.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF FASCISM IN ITALY.

The period between 1914 and 1918 witnessed the occurrence of the world’s first global
conflict, fought between two military camps; triple entente and triple alliance, which ended
with the victory of Britain with her allies (triple entente). The confusion in Italy started in
1914, when the war started. A debate developed in Italy between the nationalists who
wanted to enter the war and the Socialists and others who were against the war. The
socialists, greatly opposed Italy’s decision to join the war, on ground that the war was
planned by capitalists, and thus their nation would achieve nothing rather that suffer the
consequences. The following year, in 1915 the Allies convinced Italy to join them, thus Italy
had signed the secret Treaty of London[1]. In this treaty Britain and France wanted Italy to
join in on their side promising her large sections of territories only if she supported entente
in the war.

Italy therefore, was a victorious, not defeated power at the end of the First World War.
However, although spent a lot to finance the war, and emerged victorious at the end, Italy
was not given the promised by the triple entente in the 1915 agreement. Thus after World
War I, Italy was like other defeated nations, rocked by economic problems, the rise of
communist movements, political turmoil. The Italian civilian government proved weak to
deal with the problems resulted from war. It was around these circumstances, when Benito
Mussolini with his fascist party came into power, gaining majority support after promising
to deal with the situation.

BIOGRAPHY OF BENITO MUSSOLINI (1883–1945)

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born in Predappio on July 29, 1883 in Italy. His
father was a blacksmith and his mother was a schoolteacher. After his education life, he
became a schoolteacher and journalist. He was active member of Italy’s socialist
party before becoming a fascist, and the editor of the party's daily paper, Avanti. He
basically supported his country to join the war, and he himself entered the Army and served
in the war. Because he supported Italy’s decision to join the war, Mussolini was expelled
from the Socialist Party. With these new ideas, Mussolini established a new paper called Il
Popolo d'Italia (People of Italy).
After the end of the war, the socialists were becoming popular with their movements, and
Italy was politically very instable. As Italian government proved failure to overcome the
situation, in 1919Mussolini established the Fascio Italiani di Combattimento (Italian
Combat Squad) consisting of ex-soldiers - known for their black shirts. Engaged in violent
attacks on strikers in cities and engaged in violence with the socialist groups in the
countryside. Mussolini's squads were more famous for their violence than their policies. The
combat group turned into a political party (Fascist Party), and became official political party
in 1921.

Italy seemed to be slipping into political chaos during 1920’s, and the newly formed
political party by Benito seemed accepted by the majority Italians. In October 1922, Benito
Mussolini who presented himself as the only man capable of restoring order, and his
supporters of the National Fascist Party, popular as “The Black Shirts” marched on Rome
to demand the resignation of liberal Prime Minister Luigi Facta and the appointment of a
new Fascist government. As the marching approached Rome, Prime Minister had resigned
and King Victor Emmanuel III invited Mussolini to form a government, andnamed him as
the head of government.

ITALY UNDER MUSSOLINI

As shown above, Mussolini was appointed the prime minister of Italy in 1922 following the
Rome march. After becoming prime minister, Mussolini demanded and obtained dictatorial
powers from the parliament. He concentrated all the power in his hands, he made himself
absolute ruler with the final say over all governmental affairs.

1. He took control of education.

He controlled all educational institutions by appointing fascist teachers in schools, colleges
and universities. University professors for example, were forced to take an obedient oath and
teach in accordance with the fascist policies. Kids on the other side were taught to sing songs
of praising fascist government, so that grown with the fascist mentality, thus wouldn't have
the will to rebel against the government.

2. All opposition parties were banned.

In his speeches he often said 'I and I alone assume the political, moral and historical
responsibility for all that has happened'. Thus, soon in November 1926, all rival political
parties were banned in Italy, making Italy a single-party state. The leaders of the opponent
parties were forced out of politics or into exile. This was to make his government
comfortably exercise its duties, without any inconveniences from the opponents.

3. Strict censorship and control of all mass media.

The Fascists also gained control of the press by persuading newspaper owners to sack anti-
Fascist editors and replace them with friendly ones. Opposition newspapers were banned in
Italy.

4. He ordered the arrest of all anti-fascists.

All the people who opposed the fascist policies were killed, tortured or sent to exile or to
small villages in Italy where they didn't have any possibility to speak up against him. It is
true to say that Mussolini’s rule was nowhere near as cruel and brutal as Hitler’s Germany.

5. Foreign invasions.
Like Hitler, Mussolini also wanted to rebuild a Roman Empire by taking over other lands.
In 1935, Mussolini invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) a poor country in Africa. Abyssinia
appealed to the League of Nations for help. The League placed economic sanctions on Italy
but these were ineffective and failed to stop Italy.

6. He limited the people’s freedom.

He viewed that this would open the new room for people’s criticism over his government,
thus during his reign people in Italy had no of press, speech, and assembly. Individuals lost
the right to privacy, which meant that officials could read people's mail, listen in on
telephone conversations, and search private homes without a warrant.

7. Anti-communism.
Mussolini rose into power during the fear of communist takeover. Thus fascists very quickly
began a campaign of violence and terror against Communists and other opponents. Their
campaign also involved banning opposition newspapers and meetings.

REASONS FOR THE RISE OF FASCISM IN ITALY

1. The effect of the First World War.

The modern historians do agree that the problems Italy faced after world war one was the
cause of the rise of Fascism. Although Italy’s involvement in the war was less far-reaching
in comparison with that of Britain and France it did have devastating effects on the lives of
many Italians.
The post-war Italy was dominated by the economic collapse, and the political instability.
The problem of unemployment increased, as aggravated by the return of millions of ex-
soldiers to Italy. Moreover, inflation added to the sufferings of the Italians. This resulted to
political instabilities in the country, since hungry mobs organized a number of uprisings and
there were frequent riots. Even the middle classes who were greatly impoverished by the
war, lost confidence to their existing democratic government, that was considered to be too
feeble to tackle the numerous problems confronting the country. Under this situation, people
thought that only a strong and powerful government could take the country forward. This
provided the room for the success of Benito who came up with strategies to overcome the
situation.

2. Weakness of existing government.

The failings of the Liberal governments creating another significant long-term factor in rise
of Fascism. The existing government proved failure in different areas, one, it failed to solve
problems caused by the first world war like mass unemployment, inflation and social unrests.
The war and its after effects proved the government’s incapability of dealing with the
disastrous social and economic problems of the country. The sufferings of people in post-
war period, made many people to lose hope in their government, thus the rise to power of
Benito with his Fascist Party, seen as more competent in comparison.

3. Dissatisfaction of the Versailles Peace Treaty.

As discussed above, Italy fought on the side of the victorious Allies in the First World War
(triple entente), following the 1915 London Agreement in which she was promised several
territories upon the end of the war. She was not happy with the terms of peace settlement
because she was not given what had been promised to her. This proved that the existing
democratic government was weak as failed to defend the interests of Italy against other
nations, especially those betrayed it at Paris. Benito convinced people that strong
government was needed to fight for these Italy’s benefits, thus used this to make himself
with his party popular.

4. The role of Benito Mussolini.

In discussing factors gave to the rise of fascist party, Mussolini’s own role was also
important. The pragmatic character of Benito Mussolini, an Italian fanatic fighter, who was
born in 1883, played a significant role in forming and organizing the national fascist party,
and finally accession to government. The success of fascist party resulted from his ambitious
nature and political ability, plus good slogans he made, which convinced majority’s support.

5. Threat of communism.
The end of the world war one on the other hand, raised majority’s faith over socialism. The
successful Bolshevik Revolution was spreading socialism worldwide, thus the socialist party
became very popular after the war, due to its advice to unadvisable Italian government of
not joining the war. Honestly, Italians were not economically and militarily prepared for a
world war and they therefore suffered harder in comparison to other victorious
countries. There was the fear that socialist revolution would at any point occur in Italy. One
of the ultimate agendas, and successes, of the fascists was to suppress communist movements
and create a strong and stable middle class. Benito claimed his Fascist Party to be the only
political group who would ward off a socialist revolution. This made them supported
especially by the middle class.
 JAPANESE MILITARISM
A military dictatorship is a form of government in which a member of the military
holds authoritarian control of the governement. The military had a strong influence on
Japanese society even before the actual occurrence of military dictatorship in 1930’s. There
was an ideology in the Empire of Japan thatmilitarism should dominate the political and
social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a
nation.
The period after the WW1 was the period of confusion to all nations participated in the war.
Japan participated in World War I in an alliance with Entente Powers and played an
important role. Thus Japan's economical situation in post-war period was to some
extent worsened, and was more intensified by the world wide depression of 1929. The
civilian government was severely criticized by the military which believed that the party
politicians only worked for self-interests and thus destroyed national harmony. Moreover,
the government failed to implement any socio-economic reforms to improve the living
condition of the Japanese, therefore the people turned their support to the military which
called for patriotism and overseas expansion. Few ultra-nationalist groups formed with the
purposes of rejecting a party-based political system. The army officers held secret
movements seeking to establish a military dictatorship.

The Japanese system of party government finally met its demise with the 1932 incident ,
when a group of military officers assassinated Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi. Many other
political enemies were assassinated, and communists persecuted. Soon 1930s, the military
established almost complete control over the government, military-dominated cabinet was
established and Viscount Makoto Saito became Japan's premier. Navy and army officers
occupied most of the important offices, including the one of the prime minister.
Although Japan had an emperor, Hirohito, the military had taken control of the
government. Emperor Hirohito could not stand up to the powerful generals; however, he
was worshipped by the people who often fought in his name.

FEATURES OF JAPANESE DICTATORSHIP

1.Militarism.
A dictatorial nation is always a violence and aggressive state. Its objects cannot be obtained
without armed forces. Dictators’ desire was always to turn their countries into a world giant
power through the development of its military.

2. Anti-communism.
The military government in Japan very quickly began a campaign of violence and terror
against Communists and other opponents. Internally the communists were suppressed, and
internationally Japan signed Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany and Italy, to react against
the communist policy known as Comintern Policy.

3. Foreign invasion.
One feature of nay dictatorship nation is invasion. It tends to expand beyond its boarder by
annexing other weaker states. While Germany invaded Poland, Italy invaded Ethiopia, Japan
invaded in several times invaded China. In 1931 and 1936 for example Japan invaded
Manchuria, a province of China. When the League of Nations said that Japan was wrong,
Japan simply left the league.
4. Anti-democracy.
All democratic elements disappeared in Japan during Japanese militarism. No freedom of
speech, Strict Censorship of medias, and many other actions which showed that Japan was
nno longer a democratic nation.

FACTORS THAT BROUGHT MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IN JAPAN

1. Great Economic Depression.

The great depression affected Japan greatly, and led to a rise in militarism. Japan was a good
exporter of luxury industrial goods to other countries such as America and many others
which because they were now affected by the depression, they could not afford them
anymore. For example, the raw silk as well as rice. This proved the failure of the existing
government. The army officers were attracted by fascism and decided to seize power and
introduce a strong national government.

2. The issue of Manchuria.

As i twas the Chinese province, chinese were trying to squeeze out japanese trade and
investments from manchuria. It was also believed in Japan that Manchuria was rich in
minerals, forestry and rich agricultural land. With the problems that Japan was experiencing
at home, Manchuria seemed an obvious solution to these problems. To preserve
their interest, the japanese army in 1931 launched an attack on Manchuria without even
permission from the government. Within a few days Japanese armed forces had occupied
several strategic points in South Manchuria. Thus militarism was seen necessary to continue
defending the interests of Japan.

3. Weakness of the civilian government.

After the First World War in 1918, there was a rise of Party government in Japan. To a
certain, the weakness of the party government did contribute to the coming of militarists in
1930s. While the majority were starving, the government officials were corrupt,
extravagantly spending government resources. Series of political scandals undermined
confidence in the government and thus allowed the military to take power.

4. Influence of fascist systems from italy.

Many countries observed the success of italy and germany after creation of police state, they
started to ignore the constitutional government and step towards police state as germany and
italy. Mussolini and hitler influencd much on the japanese militarism.

5. The role of military.

It is military in japan that which took over the governmment from the weak civilian
government, by assassinating Prime minister Inukai in 1932. The role of army and navy was
therefore crucial in establishing fascist system in Japan.

IMPACTS OF JAPANESE MILITARISM

 1. Many people lost their lives.
Dictatorial government is always a violent state, and always acts violently to those opposing
it. Many people lost their lives between 1932-1945. It is impossible to know exactly how
many people died as the deaths were comprised of thousands of different events over a period
of more than ten years. The notable example of people assassinated was Prime Minister
Inukai in may 1932, the event which marked the begining of ilitarism. Many other people
were killed.

2. Economic success of Japan.

Military government in Japan notably revived the economy by launching a number of
policies which restored several economic sectors. For emaple, their successful invasion of
Manchuria, that was economically very potential to japan, helped their economy.

3.Total suppression of communism in Japan.

Like Italy and Germany, Japanese military government was also not interested with
communism. Japan allied with Italy and Germany to form Anti-comintern Pact to combat
the spread of communism within and outside their countries. Large number of comunists
were arrested and sentenced to prison. Thus comunism totally disappeared in Japan with the
rise of militarism.

4.Loss of democracy.
Before military took power in japan, japan was a democratic. As the army seized power,
japan became a police state. All democratic elements dispappeared with the rise of
militarism.

5.Outbreak of the second world war.

Undoubtedly the second global conflict resulted from the rise of totalitarian, militaristic
regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan. The allied democratic powers (Britain, France, and
USA) claimed that they were struggling to combat dictatorship in world. Obviously the
second world war was the battle between Democrats (Britain, France and USA) against
Dictatorial powers (Germany, Italy, Japan).

ALL IN ALL,
It is obvious that fascist ideology arose out of the trauma of WWI. These men rose to power
essentially because their countries had in some way been made unhappy by the outcome of
that war. After World War I, defeated Germany, disappointed Italy, and ambitious Japan
were anxious to regain or increase their power; all three eventually adopted forms of
dictatorship. These three countries also set themselves up as champions against
Communism, thus gaining at least partial tolerance of their early actions from the more
conservative groups in the Western democracies, like Britain, USA and France which were
also against communism. However dictatorship in these three states had its end. The western
powers failed tolerating Hitler’s expansion and other aggressive policies, thus invaded
Germany in 1939, what brought the Second World War between democrats (Britain, France,
and USA) and dictators (Japan, Italy and Germany). This initiated World War II (1939-1945)
can be said to have ended the era of dictatorship in these three countries. While Mussolini
was captured in 1943 and executed in 1945 with his wife, Hitler committed suicide. This
brought Nazi dictatorship in Germany to an end. In Japan dictatorship came to an end in
1945 and Japan was put under Douglas MacArthur, an American general.