Rise of Totalitarian Regimes in History

Dec 13, 2024

Lecture: Dictatorships - History 1101

Introduction

  • The US entered WWI with the aim of promoting democracy.
  • Post-WWI saw the emergence of democratic regimes in Germany and Eastern Europe.
  • However, the interwar period led to the rise of authoritarian regimes promising solutions to social and economic crises.

Totalitarianism

  • Characteristics of Totalitarianism:
    1. Active Loyalty: Requires active loyalty and commitment from citizens.
    2. Mass Communications: Utilizes propaganda to indoctrinate all age groups.
    3. Total Control: Demands control over both actions and thoughts (e.g., thought crimes in Orwell's "1984").
    4. Single Leader: Cult of personality around a god-like leader.
    5. Rejection of Democracy: Opposes liberal democracy and parliamentary systems.
    6. Subordination of Individual Freedom: Individual freedoms are secondary to the collective will.
    7. Secret Police: Relies on secret police and surveillance, fostering suspicion and paranoia.

Fascist Italy

  • Benito Mussolini:
    • Led Italy from 1922-1943; killed in 1945.
    • Former socialist, WWI veteran turned nationalist.
    • Founded the Fascist Party in 1919, anti-communist and anti-democratic.
    • Used Blackshirts to disrupt strikes and political opposition.
    • Became Prime Minister in 1922, eventually establishing a one-party state.
    • Despite intentions, didn't achieve a total state due to other power sources (monarch, army, Catholic Church).

Nazi Germany

  • Adolf Hitler:
    • Austrian-born, extreme nationalist, decorated WWI veteran.
    • Founded the Nazi party; anti-Weimar, anti-Versailles, anti-Semitic.
    • Attempted power seize in 1923 (Beer Hall Putsch), wrote "Mein Kampf" in prison.
    • Became Chancellor in 1933, established a one-party state by 1934.
    • Promoted anti-Jewish laws leading to the Night of Broken Glass in 1938.
    • SS and Heinrich Himmler pivotal in enforcing regime policies.

Soviet Union

  • Joseph Stalin:
    • Succeeded Lenin, consolidated power by 1928.
    • Launched the first Five-Year Plan for industrialization and collectivization of agriculture.
    • Propagated against Kulaks, leading to mass collectivization and terror famines.
    • Purged Communist Party and military, resulting in millions arrested and over a million killed.

Next Lecture Preview

  • Examination of WWII, the Holocaust, and the roles of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.
  • Analysis of why WWII was more destructive than WWI.