Early 20th c. “-isms” of the InterWar Period

Authoritarianism

A political system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a leader (dictator) or a small elite that is not constitutionally responsible to the public.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible.

Communism

A political and economic ideology that aims for a classless society in which all property and resources are communally owned, eliminating personal wealth distinctions.

Joseph Stalin

A Soviet political leader who governed the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, implementing policies of industrialization and collectivization.

Fascism

An authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the good of the nation, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

Fascist Italy

The authoritarian, nationalist, and corporatist political system that was established in Italy under the leadership of Benito Mussolini from 1922 to 1943.

Nazism

An ideology and practice associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, which emphasizes extreme nationalism, racism, and the dictatorial assertion of state power over individual liberties.

Militarism (in Imperial Japan)

Influenced societal values by embedding military ideals such as discipline, loyalty, and sacrifice into everyday life.

Pan-Asianism

A term for a set of 19th- and early 20th-century ideas that held that all people in Asia—under the leadership of the Japanese nation—should band together to reduce Western influence in the region.

Authoritarianism (13-word definition)

Power is concentrated in a dictator or elite not constitutionally responsible to the public.

Totalitarianism (13-word definition)

State holds total authority and seeks to control all aspects of public private life.

Communism (13-word definition)

Ideology aiming for a classless society where all property and resources are communally owned.

Fascism (13-word definition)

Authoritarian ultranationalist movement characterized by a dictatorial leader and the suppression of political opposition.

Militarism (13-word definition)

Societal values embedding military ideals like discipline, loyalty, and sacrifice into everyday civilian life.

Stalin's regime of terror

Using purges and show trials to eliminate opposition.

Goal of Fascist Italy

Creating a new Roman Empire.

Goal of Nazism

To establish a unified and racially pure Germany through aggressive expansion and extermination.

Fascist regimes in the 1920s & 30s

Anti-communist.

Totalitarianism vs Communism/Fascism

Totalitarianism served as an umbrella for regimes that controlled all aspects of life.

Primary focus of interwar authoritarian ideologies

Systems that demanded absolute state loyalty.

Impact of Japanese militarism on education

Emphasized values of national pride and duty to the state.

Shared trait of interwar -isms

Maintained distinct views on social class, race, and economic structure despite rejecting democracy.