Lecture Notes Flashcards: Charisma, Fascism, and Nazi Totalitarianism (Weeks 4-5)

A set of question-and-answer flashcards drawn from the provided lecture notes, covering themes of charisma, totalitarianism, Nazi and Italian fascist regimes, historiography debates, and key events.

What does Ian Kershaw's concept 'working towards the Fuhrer' imply about how Nazi policy developed?

It suggests that many social actors pursued Hitler's ideological goals through their own actions, creating a system of personal leadership where diverse motivations were channelled to further Hitler's aims and radicalise policy.

How does Kershaw treat the idea of 'totalitarianism' in comparing Nazism and Stalinism?

He treats it as a descriptive concept with limited explanatory power, useful for comparison but not a full theory; despite superficial similarities, the two regimes were in essence more unlike than alike.

According to Kershaw, how did Hitler's leadership style differ from Stalin's in terms of governance?

Hitler's leadership was noninterventionist and personalistic, leading to administrative disorder, whereas Stalin was highly interventionist and bureaucratic.

What is Max Weber's 'charismatic authority' and how does it relate to Hitler?

Charismatic authority rests on the leader's exceptional qualities and mission; it legitimates power through personal charisma, which in Hitler's case helped undermine impersonal law and sustain his domination.

How does Emilio Gentile characterize Mussolini's charisma and its impact on Fascism?

Mussolini is viewed as the prototype charismatic dictator; charisma often becomes a myth, transforming the leader into an emblematic hero, with 'derived charisma' shaping movements even when mass personal charisma is limited.

What is Mussolinianism and how does it relate to Fascism in Italy?

Mussolinianism posits that Fascism is a totalitarian Caesarism with the Leader as a permanent institutional figure, independent of Mussolini as a person, suggesting the regime could outlive its founder.

What role does OVRA play in Fascist Italy?

OVRA was the Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell'Antifascismo, a secret police organization created in 1927 to suppress antifascist opposition.

What was 'confino' and how was it used by the Fascist regime?

Confino was internal exile, sending opponents to remote or underdeveloped areas (often with harsh conditions) to isolate them from political life.

What was the Matteotti crisis and why was it significant?

The assassination murder of socialist Giacomo Matteotti in 1924 led to a crisis that accelerated the consolidation of Mussolini's dictatorship and the suppression of opposition.

What did the Reichstag Fire Decree (28 February 1933) enable?

It suspended civil liberties and allowed mass arrests and detentions, facilitating the suppression of political opponents.

What did the Enabling Act (23 March 1933) accomplish for Hitler's power?

It granted Hitler emergency powers and legal authority to rule, effectively enabling the collapse of democracy and the establishment of a dictatorship.

What is 'polycracy' in Longerich's view of the Third Reich?

Polycracy refers to power being distributed among multiple centers (e.g., SA, SS, cabinet, bureaucracy, party), leading to chaotic, evolving decision-making and shifting power relationships.

Who is Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and what is the significance of the title 'the Captain'?

Codreanu was the leader of Romania's Iron Guard; 'the Captain' signified a cult of personality and charismatic leadership that mirrored comparisons with Mussolini.

What does 'Mussolinianism' refer to in the discussion of Fascism?

The idea that Fascism is a system that can exceed Mussolini as a person, with the leader becoming a permanent institution—'Fascism' as Caesarism independent of Mussolini.

What is De Felice's concept of 'Consenso' (consensus) and its importance?

Consenso argues Mussolini's regime maintained wide support and legitimacy through manufactured consensus rather than coercion alone, challenging purely orthodoxy views.

What are the three historiographical positions on fascism discussed in the notes (Orthodoxy, Revisionism, Post-revisionism)?

Orthodoxy: fascism as repression; Revisionism (De Felice): 'consenso' and consensus dynamics; Post-revisionism (Corner): combines dictatorship with social history to reassess how consensus operated.

What does 'Volksgemeinschaft' mean in Nazi Germany and what was its function?

'People's Community'—a mobilising ideal that promoted inclusion and solidarity while justifying exclusion and persecution, forming the basis for the 'community of perpetrators'.

What does Hall's essay say about the Gestapo's reach and methods?

The Gestapo did not depend on an 'army of spies'; it relied on denunciations, voluntary information, and a relatively small permanent staff, supplemented by informers, to police vast areas of life.

What is the central debate between Gellately and Evans & Wachsmann regarding the Gestapo?

Gellately argues for a 'self-policing' society with broad popular compliance; Evans & Wachsmann counter that denunciations and fear, mediated by the Gestapo and other agencies, were essential to regulatory control.

What are the three phases of pre-war concentration camps described in the Reading 1 notes?

1933-34: early camps; 1934-37: formation of the central SS camp system (Dachau, Lichtenburg, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald); 1937-39: expansion; from 1942: camps become sites of the Holocaust.

Who were Himmler and Theodor Eicke in the camp system?

Himmler consolidated police control and oversaw the camp system; Eicke, as Inspector of Concentration Camps, coordinated early camps and established Dachau as a model.

What is the significance of the pre-war camps' relation to the Holocaust, according to the Reading 1 notes?

While not initially designed to murder, the camps evolved into a system that enabled the Holocaust, with organizational development, ideological enforcement, and tightening repression shaping later genocide.

Which European dictatorships are listed as 'dictators without charisma' and which are 'charismatic leaders without power'?

Dictators without charisma: Miklós Horthy (Hungary), Primo de Rivera (Spain), Józef Piłsudski (Poland), António de Oliveira Salazar (Portugal); Charismatic leaders without power: Franco (Spain), Metaxas (Greece), Petain (France).

What is a key element of the 'Hitler myth' in post-war culture?

Hitler became an archetype of evil in post-war popular culture, often depicted as an 'evil genius' or madman; later decades saw debates about humanizing him and the risks of normalization.

What is the significance of Hitler's use of army-front soldier imagery in constructing his leadership, according to the notes?

He employed veteran-front-line symbolism to appeal to the masses and create a heroic image, even though he was not a front-line veteran, aiding acceptance and myth-making.