💣European History – 1890 to 1945 Unit 7 – Rise of Fascism and Nazism in Europe

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology that emphasizes the superiority of the nation and the need for a strong, centralized government led by a dictatorial leader
• Totalitarianism refers to a political system in which the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life
• Ultranationalism is an extreme form of nationalism that promotes the interests of one's own nation above all others, often at the expense of other nations or groups
• Authoritarianism is a form of government characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting
• Corporatism is an economic system in which the state controls and directs the economy, often through the creation of state-controlled trade unions and business organizations
• Lebensraum (living space) was a key concept in Nazi ideology that referred to the need for Germany to expand its territory to accommodate its growing population and secure its future prosperity
• The Führerprinzip (leader principle) was a fundamental principle of Nazi ideology that held that the Führer (leader) had absolute authority and that all members of society owed him unquestioning obedience

Historical Context and Preconditions

• The aftermath of World War I left many European countries politically and economically unstable, creating conditions that facilitated the rise of fascist movements
  • The Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh reparations and territorial losses on Germany, fueling resentment and nationalism
  • The Great Depression of the 1930s led to widespread unemployment and economic hardship, further destabilizing European societies
• The perceived threat of communism and the fear of socialist revolutions contributed to the appeal of fascist ideologies, which presented themselves as bulwarks against Marxism
• The failure of liberal democracies to address the social and economic challenges of the interwar period led to a growing disillusionment with democratic systems and a desire for strong, decisive leadership
• Nationalism and imperialism were deeply ingrained in European political culture, providing a foundation for the ultranationalist and expansionist aspects of fascist ideologies
• The legacy of 19th-century romantic nationalism, which emphasized the unique cultural and historical identity of nations, influenced the development of fascist thought
• Social Darwinism, which applied the concept of "survival of the fittest" to human societies, provided a pseudoscientific justification for fascist ideas about racial superiority and the need for struggle and conquest

Ideological Foundations

• Fascist ideologies are characterized by a rejection of liberal democracy, Marxism, and internationalism in favor of an ultranationalist, authoritarian, and often racist worldview
• Fascists believe in the supremacy of the nation and the need for a strong, centralized state led by a charismatic leader who embodies the will of the people
• Fascist ideologies often incorporate elements of social Darwinism, advocating for the survival and dominance of the strongest nations and races
• Fascists reject individualism and emphasize the subordination of the individual to the state and the collective national interest
• Fascist ideologies are often characterized by a glorification of violence, war, and militarism as means of national regeneration and expansion
  • Benito Mussolini, the founder of Italian Fascism, declared that "war is to man what maternity is to a woman" and that "only war can carry all human energies to the maximum of tension and give a seal of nobility to the peoples who have the virtue to face it"
• Many fascist movements, particularly Nazism, incorporated racist and antisemitic ideas, viewing certain races or ethnic groups as inferior and a threat to the purity and strength of the nation
• Fascist economic policies generally involve a form of corporatism, in which the state directs and controls the economy in collaboration with business and labor organizations, prioritizing national interests over individual or class interests

Rise of Fascist Movements

• The first fascist movement emerged in Italy under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, who founded the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (Italian Fasces of Combat) in 1919
  • Mussolini's Fascist Party capitalized on the social and economic turmoil of post-World War I Italy, attracting support from disaffected veterans, the middle class, and industrialists
  • The Fascists used violence and intimidation to suppress political opponents and gained power through the March on Rome in 1922, leading to Mussolini's appointment as Prime Minister
• In Germany, the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party) emerged under the leadership of Adolf Hitler during the Weimar Republic
  • The Nazi Party exploited the resentment and economic hardship caused by the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression, gaining popular support through a combination of nationalism, antisemitism, and promises of economic revival
  • Hitler attempted to seize power through the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 but was arrested and imprisoned, during which time he wrote his manifesto, Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
  • The Nazis gained political legitimacy through electoral successes in the early 1930s and Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, subsequently consolidating his power and establishing a totalitarian dictatorship
• Fascist movements also emerged in other European countries during the interwar period, often drawing inspiration from the Italian and German models
  • In Spain, the Falange Española (Spanish Phalanx) was founded in 1933 by José Antonio Primo de Rivera and played a significant role in supporting Francisco Franco's Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
  • The Arrow Cross Party in Hungary, led by Ferenc Szálasi, promoted a virulently antisemitic and pro-Nazi ideology and collaborated with the Germans during World War II
  • The Iron Guard in Romania, also known as the Legion of the Archangel Michael, combined fascist ultranationalism with Orthodox Christian mysticism and violently persecuted Jews and political opponents

Key Figures and Their Roles

• Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was the founder of Italian Fascism and the first fascist dictator to come to power in Europe
  • Mussolini served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943 and established a totalitarian regime that suppressed political opposition, controlled the media, and pursued an aggressive foreign policy
  • He formed an alliance with Nazi Germany and led Italy into World War II, but was eventually deposed and executed by Italian partisans in 1945
• Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was the leader of the Nazi Party and the dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945
  • Hitler's charismatic leadership and oratorical skills were crucial to the rise of the Nazi Party and the establishment of the Third Reich
  • He implemented a radical and genocidal ideology based on racial supremacy, antisemitism, and expansionism, leading to the Holocaust and the outbreak of World War II
  • Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker in April 1945 as Allied forces closed in on the city
• Francisco Franco (1892-1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces to victory in the Spanish Civil War and ruled as the dictator of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975
  • While not a fascist himself, Franco's regime was supported by the Falange and incorporated many elements of fascist ideology and practice, including authoritarianism, nationalism, and the suppression of political dissent
• Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) was the Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany and one of Hitler's closest associates
  • Goebbels played a key role in shaping Nazi ideology and propaganda, using mass media and public events to promote the cult of the Führer and to mobilize popular support for the regime's policies
• Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945) was the head of the SS (Schutzstaffel) and one of the main architects of the Holocaust
  • Himmler oversaw the construction and operation of the Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers, as well as the implementation of the "Final Solution" to the Jewish question
  • He committed suicide in May 1945 after being captured by British forces

Fascist Regimes in Power

• Once in power, fascist regimes sought to establish totalitarian control over all aspects of society, eliminating political opposition and dissent
  • In Italy, Mussolini's government banned all non-Fascist political parties, censored the media, and created a secret police force (OVRA) to monitor and suppress opposition
  • The Nazi regime in Germany used a combination of legal measures, such as the Enabling Act of 1933, and extra-legal violence, carried out by the SA (Sturmabteilung) and SS, to consolidate Hitler's power and eliminate political opponents
• Fascist regimes often pursued aggressive foreign policies aimed at expanding their territory and influence, leading to international conflicts and war
  • Mussolini's Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, annexed Albania in 1939, and entered World War II as an ally of Nazi Germany in 1940
  • Hitler's Germany remilitarized the Rhineland in 1936, annexed Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938, and invaded Poland in 1939, triggering the outbreak of World War II
• Fascist regimes implemented racist and discriminatory policies, particularly targeting Jews and other minority groups
  • The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 in Nazi Germany stripped Jews of their citizenship rights and prohibited marriage and sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews
  • The Holocaust, the systematic murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators, represents the ultimate manifestation of fascist racism and genocide
• Fascist economic policies generally involved a form of state-directed capitalism, with the government controlling key industries and directing economic activity to serve national interests
  • In Italy, the Fascist regime established corporations that brought together employers, workers, and the state to manage different sectors of the economy and suppress class conflict
  • The Nazi regime pursued a policy of autarky (economic self-sufficiency) and rearmament, using state control and slave labor to boost industrial production and prepare for war

Impact on Society and Culture

• Fascist regimes sought to transform society and culture in line with their ideological vision, promoting conformity, obedience, and the subordination of the individual to the state
• Fascist ideologies often glorified traditional gender roles and the family as the foundation of the nation, while also mobilizing women in support of the regime's goals
  • In Nazi Germany, the ideal woman was portrayed as a mother and homemaker, and women were encouraged to bear children for the Aryan race through programs like the Lebensborn
  • At the same time, women were also recruited into auxiliary roles in the military and the workforce to support the war effort
• Fascist regimes used education and youth organizations to indoctrinate young people and shape them into loyal and obedient citizens
  • The Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany and the Opera Nazionale Balilla in Fascist Italy were mass organizations that provided paramilitary training, ideological indoctrination, and social activities for young people
• Art and culture under fascist regimes were often characterized by a rejection of modernism and a promotion of traditional, nationalist, and heroic themes
  • The Nazi regime condemned modern art as "degenerate" and promoted a neo-classical style that glorified the Aryan race and the German nation
  • Italian Fascism embraced the Futurist movement, which celebrated technology, speed, and violence, but also promoted a monumental and neo-classical style in architecture and the visual arts
• Fascist regimes suppressed intellectual and cultural dissent, censoring or banning works that were deemed subversive or contrary to the regime's ideology
  • Many artists, writers, and intellectuals who opposed fascism were forced into exile, imprisoned, or killed, while others chose to collaborate with the regime or withdraw from public life

Global Reactions and Consequences

• The rise of fascism in Europe during the interwar period initially met with a mixed response from the international community
  • Some Western leaders, such as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, pursued a policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany in the hopes of avoiding another war
  • The Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, viewed fascism as a threat to communism and sought to build alliances with Western democracies against Nazi Germany, leading to the formation of the Popular Front in the 1930s
• The aggressive expansionism of fascist regimes, particularly Nazi Germany, ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II in 1939
  • The war resulted in the deaths of millions of people, including six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and caused widespread destruction and suffering throughout Europe and beyond
  • The defeat of the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) by the Allied forces in 1945 marked the end of fascist rule in Europe and the beginning of a new era in international relations
• The legacy of fascism continued to shape European and global politics in the post-war period
  • The Nuremberg Trials, held between 1945 and 1949, brought Nazi leaders to justice for their crimes against humanity and established important precedents in international law
  • The division of Europe into Western and Soviet spheres of influence during the Cold War was in part a response to the trauma of fascism and the desire to prevent its resurgence
  • Neo-fascist and far-right movements have continued to emerge in various countries, often seeking to revive elements of fascist ideology and practice
• The experience of fascism also had a profound impact on intellectual and cultural life, leading to a renewed emphasis on human rights, democracy, and the importance of resisting authoritarianism
  • Philosophers, writers, and artists grappled with the meaning and consequences of fascism in their work, seeking to understand how such regimes could arise and how to prevent their recurrence
  • The study of fascism has become an important field of academic inquiry, with scholars from various disciplines examining its historical, political, social, and cultural dimensions