Authoritarianism and Its Historical Experiments

Authoritarianism

The enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom

What did fascist leaders experiment with during unstable times?

The extremes of authoritarianism.

What historical event is highlighted as a consequence of rising authoritarianism?

The Holocaust during the Second World War.

Who were two prominent fascist leaders mentioned in the notes?

Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

What did Mussolini promote regarding Italians and outsiders?

He promoted the ideas of la razza and la stirpe, claiming Italians were superior and outsiders were not part of the nation.

What was the concept of Spazio Vitale in Mussolini's policy?

It referred to the need for Italians to have more space to live, leading to deadly consequences for Africans.

What aggressive actions did Mussolini take in the 1920s?

He attacked the Greek island of Corfu and supported the brutal suppression of anti-colonial resistance in Libya.

What harsh tactics did Mussolini's military leaders use in Libya?

Chemical weapons, forced starvation, concentration camps, and mass resettlement of African Libyans.

What did Mussolini's 'Manifesto of Fascist Racism' declare in 1938?

It declared a state policy of overt discrimination against Africans, Arabs, and Jews.

What does Lebensraum mean in the context of German imperialism?

It means 'living space' and was a theory of colonial growth popular before and during Nazi rule.

How did the Nazis use concentration camps in South West Africa?

They used them between 1904 and 1908, employing techniques that would later be used against Jews and Soviet prisoners during WWII.

What was the purpose of Hitler's eugenic forced sterilization program?

To sterilize individuals judged to be socially deviant or disabled.

What were the Nuremberg Laws, passed in 1935?

They defined who had 'German' blood, regulated marriage and sexual intercourse, and stripped citizenship from Jews and Roma.

What was the Holodomor?

A catastrophic man-made famine in Ukraine during 1931-32, resulting in millions of deaths.

What was Stalin's approach to identifying enemies in the Soviet Union?

He identified enemies politically and socially, rather than racially.

What was the Great Purge of 1936-38?

A campaign where about one-third of the Communist Party's members were killed and many sent to Gulags.

What was the Japanese government's stance in the 1930s regarding territorial expansion?

They were heavily influenced by military and industrial leaders who wanted to expand into Asia.

What did Japan call its empire in Asia?

The Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.

What event marked the beginning of Japanese aggression in China?

The invasion of Manchuria in 1931.

What was the Nanjing Massacre?

A massacre where Japanese troops killed as many as 300,000 Chinese civilians.

Who was Francisco Franco and what was his political alignment?

He was a fascist leader in Spain who took power with the help of Germany and Italy.

What was Mussolini's promise to the Italian people?

To revive the economy and restore the glory of the Roman Empire.

What was Hitler's scapegoat for Germany's problems?

The Jewish population, whom he blamed for various societal issues.

What territories did Hitler take before WWII?

The Rhineland, Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia.

What was the role of Gen. Hideki Tojo in Japan?

He was the Prime Minister who, along with militarists, controlled the country.

What was the outcome of the Soviet Union's agricultural policies under Stalin?

They led to famine and the persecution of kulaks, resulting in millions of deaths.

What was the ideological stance of communism under Stalin compared to fascism?

Communism was explicitly internationalist and anti-racist, while fascism promoted nationalism and racial superiority.