Rise of Dictatorships

What factors led to the rise of dictators?

Post-war instability, economic crisis, Treaty of Versailles, weak democratic institutions, charismatic leaders.

What was the impact of the Great Depression?

It created unemployment and loss of faith in democracy, paving the way for dictators.

How did cultural crisis influence the rise of dictators?

People feared decline and revolution, and dictators promised renewal.

How did Stalin rise to power in the USSR?

By defeating political rivals after Lenin's death and consolidating power through terror and policy.

How did Mussolini rise to power in Italy?

Exploiting post-war dissatisfaction, using propaganda, violence, and being appointed PM after the March on Rome.

What conditions enabled dictatorships to rise after WWI?

Political instability, economic hardship, Treaty of Versailles, and weak democracies.

How did cultural crisis contribute to dictatorship?

Fears of decline and revolution led to calls for strong leadership and national renewal.

What role did the Great Depression play in the rise of dictators?

It caused mass unemployment and disillusionment with democracy.

Why did parliamentary democracy fail in many countries?

Proportional representation led to fragmented legislatures and unstable governments.

What was Stalin’s economic policy?

Centrally planned economy with Five-Year Plans and forced collectivisation.

What was Mussolini’s ideology?

Flexible, nationalist, anti-liberal, corporatist, glorifying Italy’s imperial past.

How did Mussolini come to power?

Appointed PM after the March on Rome in 1922.

What was the role of terror in Stalin’s USSR?

Show trials, purges, gulags, secret police (NKVD).

What was the OVRA?

Mussolini’s secret police used to monitor and suppress opposition.

How did Tojo rise to power?

He gained influence after suppressing the Kodo Ha faction and became Prime Minister in 1941.