(warmup tuesday 10/20/26) Rise of Dictatorial Regimes and the Nazi State

Vocabulary study cards covering the rise of dictatorial regimes in Italy and Germany, including Mussolini's fascist state, Hitler's ascent to power, and the Nazi state policies.

Totalitarian State

A form of government in which the leader has total control over all aspects of life.

Fascist Party

A political party formed in 1917 by Benito Mussolini that placed absolute authority in the hands of the state and held that the needs of the nation were more important than the needs of the individual.

Black Shirts

Supporters of Benito Mussolini who promoted fascism and forced people to accept and vote for the Fascist party by threatening them.

King Victor Emmanuel III

The King of Italy who appointed Benito Mussolini to the position of Prime Minister after Mussolini threatened to march on Rome.

Syndicates

Groups of employers and workers formed by Mussolini after the Fascist party gained control of the Italian parliament.

OVRA

The secret police force established in Italy by Benito Mussolini.

Il Duce

A title meaning "leader," under which Benito Mussolini ruled Italy by the end of 1926.

Brown Shirts

The followers of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party during the interwar period.

Mein Kampf

A book written by Adolf Hitler while in prison, meaning "My Struggle," which detailed an account of his movement and basic ideas.

Master Race

The concept presented in Mein Kampf asserting that Germans constituted a superior racial group.

Lebensraum

A concept emphasized by Adolf Hitler meaning "living space," asserting the right of superior nations to expand.

Reichstag

The German Parliament, in which the Nazi party became the largest party by 1932.

Chancellor

The German government office that Adolf Hitler assumed in 1933 before consolidating total control over the state.

Führer

The title Adolf Hitler assumed in 1934 after the President of Germany died and Hitler abolished the presidential office.

Rome-Berlin Axis

The diplomatic and political alliance formed between Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in 1936.

SS

The organization under Heinrich Himmler utilized by Adolf Hitler to control the German nation.

Heinrich Himmler

The Nazi leader who directed the SS in maintaining control over the state.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws passed in 1935 that stripped Jewish people of their rights by denying them citizenship, banning marriage to non-Jews, and requiring them to carry ID cards and wear a yellow Star of David.

Kristallnacht

Meaning "the night of broken glass," an event on November 9, 1938, during which Nazis burned synagogues, destroyed businesses, and sent thirty thousand Jewish men to concentration camps.