Fascism - W4

Was liberal democracy universal before WWI?

No; many states remained authoritarian and much of the world was under colonial rule.

How did democracy's fortunes change after WWI?

It expanded immediately after the war, then retreated during the interwar decades.

In the lecture, did the main interwar threat to liberal democracy come from the Right or Left?

The Right: authoritarian conservatives, reactionaries, and fascists.

Why was Soviet Russia not the principal force overthrowing interwar liberal democracies?

It was isolated, the revolutionary wave had subsided, and communist parties were usually minorities.

What political system did social-democratic movements increasingly accept?

Parliamentary democracy.

What happened to Japan's moderate liberal regime during the 1920s–1930s?

It gave way to nationalism, militarism, and authoritarian government.

Which Turkish leader pursued modernisation while keeping political democracy limited?

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Which two states in Asia, Africa, and Australasia maintained consistently democratic systems in the lecture's account?

Australia and New Zealand.

Name three traits authoritarian conservatives could share with fascists.

Anti-communism, nationalism, and authoritarianism.

Does sharing authoritarianism and anti-communism automatically make a regime fascist?

No; not all authoritarian conservatives were fascists.

Which country was associated with Miklós Horthy?

Hungary.

Which country was associated with Carl Gustaf Mannerheim?

Finland.

Which country was associated with Józef Piłsudski?

Poland.

Which country was associated with Francisco Franco?

Spain.

What is corporatist or 'organic' political representation?

Representation through organised social groups rather than equal individual voting citizens.

What political features accompanied corporatist authoritarianism?

A strong bureaucratic state, limited or abolished electoral democracy, and anti-socialist politics.

Which country was ruled by Salazar?

Portugal.

Which country was ruled by Dollfuss?

Austria.

When was Rerum Novarum issued?

1891.

Name two principles emphasised in Rerum Novarum.

Workers' rights and private property; family and social responsibility also mattered.

Did Catholic criticism of capitalism imply support for socialism?

No; Catholic social thought criticised aspects of capitalism without embracing socialism.

Why could the Catholic Church cooperate with fascists without being identical to fascism?

They shared enemies, especially communism and liberal secularism, but had distinct doctrines.

When was Quadragesimo Anno issued?

1931.

What economic ideal did Quadragesimo Anno reinforce?

A socially responsible economic order.

Which later political tradition drew on Catholic social thought?

Christian Democracy.

Name two political characteristics common to fascist movements.

Anti-liberalism and anti-communism; dictatorial leadership and hostility to parliament were also central.

What distinguished fascist mobilisation from merely preserving traditional authority?

Mass mobilisation, political violence, and a radical nationalist promise of transformation.

What is irrationalism in the lecture's account of fascism?

Emphasis on instinct and will rather than Enlightenment rationalism.

Name two cultural values glorified by fascists.

Sacrifice and militarism; national unity and political mythology also mattered.

Where did the first major fascist movement emerge?

Italy.

Who led Italian Fascism?

Benito Mussolini.

What had Mussolini been before becoming a radically nationalist fascist leader?

A socialist journalist.

What did 'mutilated victory' express in Italy?

Nationalist resentment that Italy had not received the rewards it expected from WWI victory.

When was the March on Rome?

1922, not 1933.

Which king appointed Mussolini prime minister in 1922?

Victor Emmanuel III.

Did Mussolini seize power through a successful revolutionary overthrow in 1922?

No; pressure and fears of civil war led the king and existing elites to bring him into government.

What does Mussolini's appointment show about traditional elites and fascism?

Traditional elites could help fascists gain power through the existing political system.

In what year did Hitler come to power in Germany?

1933.

How did Hitler's victory change fascism internationally?

It made fascism a major international movement with Germany as its centre.

Which country was associated with the Arrow Cross?

Hungary.

Which country was associated with the Iron Guard?

Romania.

Which movement was associated with Croatia?

The Ustaše.

What did the Nazi regime do to democratic institutions?

Rapidly dismantled them and destroyed political opposition.

Which fire was used as a pretext for repression by the Nazis?

The Reichstag Fire.

What did the Enabling Act allow Hitler's government to do?

Make laws without normal parliamentary approval, enabling dictatorship.

What does Gleichschaltung mean in the Nazi context?

Coordination and Nazification of institutions.

Name two coercive features of early Nazi rule.

Persecution of Jews and concentration camps; suppression of political opponents also mattered.

Which post-WWI treaty did Hitler seek to overturn?

The Treaty of Versailles.

What military goal did Hitler pursue?

Restoring German military power through rearmament.

What did Hitler want for Germans living outside Germany?

To bring them within an expanded German state.

What does Lebensraum mean?

Living space: territorial expansion, especially eastward, for Nazi Germany's racial-imperial goals.

Did Hitler's goals alone make war in September 1939 inevitable from 1933?

No; international responses and political decisions also mattered.

What is anti-Semitism?

Hostility, prejudice, or discrimination directed against Jews.

What contradictory accusations did the radical Right make against Jews?

It falsely blamed them for both capitalism/finance and revolutionary politics, among other scapegoating claims.

Were older forms of anti-Semitism identical to Nazism?

No; Nazism radicalised older prejudices into an extreme racial-political ideology.

Which social groups formed fascism's most consistent base?

The middle and lower-middle classes.

Name two occupations in fascism's core social base.

Small-business owners and white-collar workers; civil servants and students also featured.

Between which two forces did many middle-class fascist supporters feel trapped?

Big business and organised labour.

What did these supporters fear socialism would abolish?

Private property.

How did WWI's 'front-line soldier' culture encourage fascism?

It normalised discipline, violence, uniforms, sacrifice, military hierarchy, and nationalism.

What proportion of early Italian fascists were ex-servicemen in the lecture?

57%.

How did fear of the Russian Revolution help fascism?

It encouraged support for anti-communist right-wing movements.

Which German economic crisis occurred in 1922–1923?

The great inflation or hyperinflation, distinct from the later Great Depression.

How did German hyperinflation affect the middle classes and Weimar Republic?

It destroyed economic security and undermined confidence in the republic.

Which later economic crisis was critical to fascism's expansion?

The Great Depression beginning in 1929.

Name two political conditions favouring fascist success.

Collapsing institutions and weakened traditional elites; disillusionment and elite cooperation also mattered.

Why could a strong socialist movement help fascists gain elite support?

Elites feared social revolution and turned to the radical Right.

Why does the lecture question whether fascism was a genuine social revolution?

It preserved capitalism and the importance of traditional elites despite revolutionary rhetoric.

What is the lecture's verdict on fascism's relationship to the Right?

A radical transformation of the existing Right rather than a genuine social revolution.

Which economic outcome was Nazism particularly effective at achieving?

Reducing unemployment.

Name two tools used in Nazi economic recovery.

Government spending and public works; rearmament and state direction also mattered.

Why was Nazi economic recovery connected to the road to war?

Recovery was closely tied to militarisation and preparation for war.

How did fascist economics differ from both laissez-faire capitalism and Soviet socialism?

It retained private property while imposing strong state direction and suppressing organised labour.

How did destroying independent trade unions benefit employers?

Workers lost independent bargaining power and management gained control.

What happened to labour's share of income under Nazism in the lecture?

It was reduced.

Besides suppressing the Left and unions, how did fascism benefit business?

It strengthened management and promoted industrial modernisation, especially in Germany.

[Sequence] Order these: Hitler comes to power; Rerum Novarum; March on Rome; Quadragesimo Anno.

Rerum Novarum (1891), March on Rome (1922), Quadragesimo Anno (1931), Hitler comes to power (1933).

[Sequence] Order these: German hyperinflation; Biennio Rosso; Great Depression; Hitler comes to power.

Biennio Rosso (1919–1920), German hyperinflation (1922–1923), Great Depression begins (1929), Hitler comes to power (1933).

[Distinction] Which leader's rise is marked by 1922, and which by 1933?

Mussolini in Italy, 1922; Hitler in Germany, 1933.

[Distinction] Traditional authoritarianism versus fascism: what overlap must not erase the distinction?

Both could be nationalist, authoritarian, and anti-communist; fascism also emphasised mass mobilisation and radical nationalist transformation.

[Connection] Recall the broad route from postwar crisis to fascist rule.

Postwar resentment and unrest, fear of communism and economic insecurity, mass right-wing mobilisation and elite cooperation, fascists enter power and destroy democracy.

[Connection] How did Nazi economic policy link domestic recovery to foreign aggression?

State spending and rearmament reduced unemployment while building the capacity for expansion and war