The Interwar Period and the Rise of Fascism

World War I and the Russian Revolution

Russian Revolution (1917)

  • February Revolution (March 1917):
    • Strikes in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). Led by the Soviet (workers' group).
    • Duma committee formed a provisional government.
    • Tsar Nicholas II abdicated due to lack of army support.
  • Provisional Government:
    • Led by moderate bourgeoisie (Milyukov, Kerensky).
    • Established civil liberties, amnesty, religious freedom.
    • Delayed addressing key social issues.
  • Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks:
    • Bolsheviks (Lenin): Ultra-organized revolutionary group.
    • Mensheviks: Larger party of part-time revolutionaries.

November Revolution

  • Lenin's Return:
    • Germans facilitated Lenin's return to Russia.
    • Lenin supported "Peace, Land, and Bread" and "All Power to the Soviets".
  • Overthrow:
    • November 6th, Lenin seized power in Petrograd and Moscow.
    • Congress of Soviets replaced parliament with Central Executive committee.

Communist Russia

  • Initial Decrees:
    • Land, livestock, and equipment nationalized.
    • Worker's committees controlled factories.
    • Ranks abolished.
  • Nationalization:
    • Railroads, banks, foreign trade nationalized.
    • Cheka (secret police) established.
  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918):
    • Russia ceded territory to Germany.
  • Political Structure:
    • Russia declared a federation.
    • Power given to local soviets; Communist party controlled Politburo shared power with the Council of People's Commissars.
  • Red/White Civil War (1918-1921):
    • Communists vs. opposition.
    • Red Army won, led to War Communism (food requisitioning from peasants).
  • New Economic Policy (NEP):
    • Introduced by Lenin as a retreat to capitalism.
    • Encouraged private enterprise; peasants could sell grain.
    • Improved economy.

Stalin’s Rise to Power

  • Power Vacuum:
    • Lenin's stroke in 1923 created a power vacuum.
    • Key figures: Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin, Stalin.
  • Stalin's Ascent:
    • Stalin became Secretary of the Party.
    • Formed alliance against Trotsky.
  • Ideological Debates:
    • NEP vs. Collectivization.
    • Permanent Revolution vs. Socialism in One Country.
  • Trotsky's Downfall:
    • Forced to step down and exiled by 1927.

Russia Under Stalin

  • Totalitarianism:
    • Stalin controlled all aspects of life.
  • Cult of Personality:
    • Elevated Lenin and himself to god-like status.
  • Collectivization:
    • Forced peasants onto state-run farms.
    • Increased industry but decreased agriculture.
  • Purges:
    • Eliminated political opponents.

The Definition of Fascism

  • Fascism:
    • Rose in Italy and Germany after World War I.
    • Glorified violence, prioritized the state over individual rights, emphasized nationalism and militarism.
    • Sought a dictatorship embodying "the people."

The Rise of Fascism in Italy

  • Post-WWI Italy:
    • High unemployment, inflation, and social unrest.
  • Mussolini's Fascists:
    • Denounced liberalism and Marxism.
    • Used propaganda and violence (Black Shirts).
  • Seizure of Power:
    • Marched on Rome in 1922; Mussolini became prime minister.

Italy Under Mussolini

  • Consolidation of Power:
    • Eliminated opponents; controlled the press.
    • Declared himself Duce (leader).
  • Corporate State:
    • Established 22 corporations but lacked autonomy.
  • Lateran Agreement (1929):
    • Recognized Vatican City as independent; improved relations with the Catholic Church.

Germany after World War I

  • Weimar Republic:
    • Established after WWI but faced challenges.
    • Agreed to armistice (seen as a failure).
  • Economic Crisis:
    • Hyperinflation in 1923.
  • Beer Hall Putsch (1923):
    • Failed attempt by Hitler and Ludendorff.
  • Golden Era (1925-1929):
    • Economic recovery under Stresemann.
    • Germany admitted to the League of Nations.
  • Great Depression impact:
    • Economic collapse; rise of extremist parties.

The Rise of Fascism in Germany

  • Nazi Party:
    • Led by Adolf Hitler.
    • Attacked democracy and promoted war.
    • Used SA, SS, and propaganda.
  • Rise to Power:
    • Exploited the depression; promised rearmament and anti-communism.
  • Seizure of Control:
    • Appointed chancellor.
    • Exploited Reichstag fire; outlawed KPD.
    • Passed Enabling Act.

Germany Under Hitler

  • Consolidation of Power:
    • Eliminated opponents.
    • Outlawed other parties.
    • Created the Night of the Long Knives.
    • Declared himself Führer.
  • Policies:
    • Gestapo infiltrated society.
    • Economic recovery through public works and deficit spending.
    • Propaganda promoting Aryan supremacy.
    • Anti-Semitism: Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht.

1933-1935

  • 1933: Hitler dropped out a disarmament conference.
  • 1934: Hitler formed a 10-year non-aggression pact with Poland.
  • 1934: Failed attempt to create the anschluss.
  • 1935: Hitler announced he will build an air force, navy and a 12 million man army.
    ## 1936-1937: Things Get Worse
  • 1936: Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland.
  • 1936: Spanish Civil War breaks out.
  • 1937: Hossbach Protocol
  • 1938: A Horrible Year
  • Hitler decides he wants the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Munich Conference (9/29/38)

  • Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier, and Mussolini met.
  • Germany got ½ of Czechoslovakia.
  • By 1939, Hitler had taken all of Czechoslovakia.