authoritarian states - paper 2

factors that led to emergence of Hitler’s authoritarian states

WW1, Social Division, Weakness of Weimar Republic, Economic factors

stab in the back myth

the belief that the German military was winning the war and that the German people had been betrayed by the German gov’t (signed by the Weimar Republic which was the Treaty of Versailles)

Treaty of Versailles

• Reparations – Germany pays for war damages.

• War Guilt Clause – Germany takes blame for WWI.

• Military Limits – 100k soldiers, no subs or air force.

• Territorial Losses – No colonies, self-determination ignored.

  • Alsace-Lorraine – Split 50/50.

  • Sudetenland – Violates self-determination.

  • Polish Corridor – Poland gains sea access, despite German majority.

When & what was the social division in Germany?

1917-1918

Spartacist Uprising - Far Left - want to establish communism (before knowing the horrors) → Is appealing to Germans about gov’t providing citizens with jobs

why was Weimar Republic weak?

They were using democracy which wasn’t working.

→ no jobs

→ hyperinflation (due to reparations)

→ problems with structure of gov’t

• Using proportional representation = made it easier for extreme political parties to win seats in the Reichstag (their parliament)

Why did Article 48 cause a problem?

allowed the German president to take emergency measures without the Reichstag consent (this was after the Reichstag fire)

When an economy declines =

more extreme ideologies rise and become popular

methods to establish authoritarian states - 1918 - 1932 - Hitler

use of force, role of leaders, nazi ideology, persuasion and coercion and propaganda

use of force - Hitler

Brown shirts targeting communists and socialists

Beer Hall Putsch - 1923 - failed attempt by Hitler and his Nazis to overthrow the Weimar Republic.

He will no longer achieve power through force but through democracy

the role of leaders - Hitler

Speeches – Gained popularity by resonating with the Volksgeist (people’s mood and voice).

Nazi Ideology

• Third Reich – Vision of a new German empire.

• Lebensraum – Expansion for living space.

• Autarky – Self-sufficiency; reliance on imports weakened Germany.

• Hatred – Treaty of Versailles & Weimar Republic.

• Racial Superiority – Aryan dominance.

• Traditional Values – Gender, family roles.

• Strong Leader – Fuehrer principle.

Persuasion, Coercion & Propaganda - Hitler

• Joseph Goebbels – Led Nazi propaganda before Hitler's rise to power.

Legal ways to consolidate his power - Hitler

Reichstag Fire Decree, Use of Force, Ministry of Propaganda

Reichstag Fire Decree

1. emergency act in times of emergency and gave police power to arrests anyone

   → Target communist

   → Called a snap election - believing that communist leaders in jail will win him more seats. He won the election but still didn’t have the majority

Enabling act

issue laws without consent of Germany’s parliament (Reichstag)

• Newspaper are shut down

• All political parties are not permitted

Gleichschaltung

range of measures to consolidate Nazi’s control over Germany

Reichskonkordat

agreement with the catholic church (like Mussolini) guaranteed Catholic Church rights in Germany in exchange for Catholic Church non-intereference in Nazi policies

Use of Force - Hitler

• Night of the Long Knives (June 1934): Hitler eliminated SA leaders to gain the army’s support, prioritizing military loyalty over former allies. The German army later swore an oath to him.

• Concentration Camps: Established for political opponents and later used for mass persecution.

• Gestapo: Secret police enforcing Nazi rule through terror.

• Kristallnacht: After a German diplomat's assassination, Hitler incited violence against Jews.

Ministry of Propaganda - 1933

• Goebbels: Led Nazi propaganda.

• Hitler: Seen as Germany’s savior from the Depression.

• Outsiders: Jews, communists, etc., targeted; censorship & book burnings.

which groups were Hitler’s “opposition”

communists, Jewish people, socialists

German military - Kreisau Circle

Behind the group that tried to assassinate Hitler

White Rose group (youth)

1. moral opposition to Nazi policy specifically the Eugenics program

2. Passed out leaflets in opposition and eventually caught and executed

other youth groups that opposed Hitler

Edelweiss, Swing youth

Opposition in Catholic Groups

Catholic groups stayed quiet however individual priests did speak out and mostly against the Eugenics program.

March on Rhineland - 1936

Hitler remilitirazes the territory that was not allowed in Treaty of Versailles

Anschluss (1938)

German and Austrian uniting - forbidden of Treaty of Versailles

Sudetenland (1938)

Hitler wants Sudetenland back for military defense advantage as well as invading Czechoslovakia would be easier

Munich Agreement (1938)

French President, Britain Prime Minister, Hitler, and Mussolini (Czech President was missing)

Non-aggression pact (1939)

Molotov Pact, Germany and Russian Agreement

Hossbach Memorandum

Secret meeting where Hitler stated he would use diplomacy to achieve his goals, but wouldn't live up to his agreements and Germany needed to prepare for war.

What did these success enable? (sudetenland and anchluss)

strengthened Hitler’s power and the people of Germany viewed him as a hero

What were Hitler’s goals?

• To increase employment(i.e Autobahn)

• Balance of trade-more exports than imports.

Rearmement: Rearming German Military

guns before butter

The tension between consumer and prioritization of military products

What was the big goal of industries? and what was the problem? - Hitler

create replacements for imported goods - the goal of autarky (able to sustain themselves and not rely on others)

However, by 1939 they still relied on imports

Strength Through Joy

Policy that provide workers with rewards for their work (organization)

• Cheap holidays

• Fitness training (emphasis on health and fitness)

what was the problem with social policies? Hitler

workers freedom was more limited under the nazis. Ex. they couldn’t organize a strike

Hitler Youth

military organization

• membership was compulsory

By 1939 - 8 million boys were involved in it

League of German girls

domestic skills

• cooking

• raising kids

Kinder, Kuche, Kirche

Children, Kitchen, Church

During WWII, Women were… (Hitler)

get a factory job to support the military.

Nuremberg laws

Racists laws targeting Jewish people

— define a jewish person

— no intermarriage

— couldnt work for gov’t

— Jews had to display star of David

Kristallnacht

German diplomat killed and Hitler tells German people to take it out on the Jews

Final Solution/Holocaust

Genocide of Jews during WW2

Chinese Civil War

Chiang Kai-shek (General): — His party was known as: Nationalist Party (Kuomintang)

— Control: urban areas

Mao Zedong (Communists): — Control: rural areas

Because of Japan’s invasion…(1937)

came together (Nationalists - Chiang Shek) (Communists - Mao Zedong)

What was the weakness in China politically?

There was no clear political system in China which was a contrast to Hitler’s system

• No central gov’t, open door policy, etc.

what methods were used to establish Mao’s supremacy?

Ideology, Role of Leaders, Persuasion & Coercion, Use of force, Propaganda

Ideology - Mao

→ Marxist and communist ideals

→ Influence from Lenin

What was Mao’s focus?

agriculture, land reform

What was the difference between Hitler and Mao in gender equality?

Hitler ideology didn’t believe in gender equality, however with communism and Mao, women are just as able and should work at factories

Mao as a leader

Mao studied Karl Marx in university

• He was a military leader

• Made use of guerrilla warfare - fighting both nationalists and Japan

Long March (1934 - 1936)

although many communists were killed, he was able to survive - this war was against the nationalists party

Persuasion & Coercion - Mao

• Mao was very popular with farmers

• CCP had more people than the nationalist

  • Had policies such as land reforms, literacy campaigns, and medical programs

Use of force - mao

Mao’s ideology - there is an acceptance of use of force when it is necessary

Land Reform was usually done by force - often involved killing those land owners

Propaganda - Mao’s

Long March - growing of Mao’s cult of personality and his image was promoted by the CCP

1950 - reunification campaign

1. Consolidate China’s borders and weaken any borders (Tibet), eliminating their movements

2. Use of legal methods

What happened in 1954 China and Mao?

constitution of People’s Republic of China

Anti-campaigns

anybody against the CCP, people’s rights were limited

speak Bitterness Campaign

encourage people to speak out against land-owners (1 million landlords have been killed)

What other actions were enabled under Mao’s rule?

• Encouragement to spy on neighbours and on each other

• Christian and Buddhists were targeted

Laogai

reeducation camps (like gulags)

Hundred Flowers Campaign 1956-1957

it allowed for open criticism of the party, some people criticized Mao

Anti-rightist Campaign

Mao believes these are american spies that want to take him down and that they are from the far right. (use of force)

Propaganda - Mao

• Posters were used to spread his propaganda

• Mao’s cult of personality: Mao’s little red book

• Loudspeakers were used

Charismatic Leadership - Mao

• Leader of the CCP - image seen throughout China

• Distanced himself from the failure of the Great Leap Forward and his famine

examples of treatment of opposition (Mao)

Anti-campaigns, speak bitterness campaign, hundred flowers campaign, and anti-rightest campaign

Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship - 1950, and what was the consequence for that w China

Includes society loans to China = China heavily relied on USSR for money

Khrushchev vs. Mao

Mao didn’t like Khrushchev because of de-stalinization (decreasing Brutality from Stalin era)

Peaceful co-existence

Shared borders

1964 - China achieves nuclear capability, raises tension

China and U.S Tensions

Beginning: U.S supported Chiang Kai-Shek (nationalists party)

U.S recognizes Taiwan

Korean War - proxy, undeclared war between China and U.S

What did the Korean War mean for Mao?

It was a huge victory for him which maintain his power

Shift with relations w/ U.S and China

President Nixon visits China (Rapprochement) and begins economic trade between the two

Five year plan - Great Leap Forward

a campaign to industrialize China while fostering a communist society

what were the communes and what were its problems?

Communes (where they would eat) were set up: women were expected to farm not just cook and clean. This was an extreme forced collectivization

→ meat production decreased from 4.2 million (1958) to 1.3 million to (1960)

what happened between 1959 - 1961 with the workers in China?

4 million people died from starvation

• Communists/gov’t official positions was that it was due to bad weather

what was the result of this Great Leap Forward by Mao?

weakened Mao’s hold on power

what was Mao’s goal with his cultural revolution?

• re-establish absolute control over China

• identify western spies

• identify counter-revolutions

• attack the Four Olds

what was the four olds?

old thoughts, culture, habits, and customs

What did the Little Red Book represent and how is it similar to Hitler?

Mao’s authority was promoted because creation of Little Red Book (famous sayings and speeches)

• Like Hitlers Mein Keimpf

Red Guards

young enthusiastic followers of Mao who were encouraged to physically attack anyone opposing Mao and the Four Olds

Like Hitler Youth

Up to the mountain down to the village - Red Guards

These guards we’re from the cities and encouraged to move to the villages

When was the end of the cultural revolution?

1976 - when Mao died

What happened after 1949 in China in terms of social policies?

most religious practices were banned from China

1. included Christianity, Buddhism, and Confusicism (this was specifically seen as one of the Four Olds)

What was one of Mao’s policy on minorities?

Mao’s policy was to encourage ethnic Hans to settle in these areas (Tibet and Uyghurs)

Role of women under Mao

• Believe in gender equality

Like Marx, Mao believed in gender equality

What stance did Mao take compared to confucianism?

Instead of the traditional family, he created the marriage law

Marriage Law

• Women could own and sell land

• Women in the workplace quadrupled between 1949 - 1976

  • 8% to 32%

• Divorce became easier

  — However, few women in the communists party

How did the communes undermine the traditional family idea?

families were separated into different living quarters

How else did Mao maintain his power in terms of kids and parents?

• Love for parents was replaced for Mao and communists party

  • Children were instructed to denounce their parents if their parents were seen as being against Mao