Italian Fascism

Totalitarianism:

Fascism:

Promise to radically improve the lives of their followers.

Extreme expansionist nationalism and antisocialism.

Social engineering with horrific consequences.

Dynamic, violent leader and glorification of war and military.

Strive for total control that was never fully achieved.

Consequence of WW1 (1st total war).

Similarities VS differences.

Create a new community: (racially “pure”) nation.

Liberal Italy:

Italian state: liberal constitutional monarchy with universal suffrage.

Problems: a weak and uninspiring national state, and local other identities.

WW1: experience of violence, territorial expectations were not fulfilled.

Economic crisis and poverty.

Biennio Rosso (19-20): strikes, self-management experiments, workers’ councils, guerilla conflict.

Benito Mussolini:

Socialist, expelled for advocating for WW1, wounded in WW1.

Black Shirts: private militia.

Vanguard party: not Socialist, but Fascists.

1919 National Fascism organization - 1921 National Fascist Party.

Violence and chaos.

He wrote this about the Black Shirts: “The men of the squads to those who want to cover the revolution isn’t finished but in personal habits and behaviour, in social view, it has hardly begun… You are not my bodyguard. Above you all are (...)

He talks about revolution used in fascism (not only in communism!).

Instauring pride into his supporters by giving them a place where they can achieve something.

1922:

• Demands resignation of government.

• He becomes bolder and bolder in his demand and wants to be the new Italian leader.

• March on Rome.

• Emmanuel III supported Mussolini.

• Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister.

1924:

• Electoral victory (Acerbo Law).

• Giacomo Matteoti murdered => chaos and fear.

• No one is safe if they talk against fascism.

1926:

• One-party state was established under Mussolini.

• Very totalitarian characteristic, so there is no opposition.

• Popular support (Mass support: mass rallies).

1938:

• Anti-Jewish racial laws.

• Less but still suppressive than what the Germans eventually do.

Spain: semi-fascist:

Unlikely candidate.

Nationalism is weak and doesn’t hit Spain as hard as other countries.

Strong left organized workers.

Great Depression wasn’t as disastrous as in other countries.

Independent military

Neutral in WW1 (no veterans).

Right-wing nationalism: anti-communism.

1923:

General Miguel Primo de Rivera.

1931:

Second Republic.

30s:

• Small Fascist party emerge: Falange Espanola Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (Traditionalist Spanish Phalanx of the Juntas of the national Syndicalist Offensive) under José Antonio Primo de Rivera (1937-77).

• Not a Parliament elected by the people, it was a democracy. It was the 1st Spanish Republic.

Civil War and Rise of Fascism:

Conservative elites believe that Spain is moving towards a Soviet style regime.

Spanish Civil War (1936): General Francisco Franco emerged as military leader of the right.

Smaller fascists groups established.

Semi-fascism: Fascism takes over trade unions to some extent, economic system, it has the aesthetics (with the uniforms), a single-party system.

Germany: National Socialism:

National Socialism: A movement and political party driven by extreme nationalism and racism, led by Adolf Hitler; its adherents ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 and forced Europe into WW2.

Antisemitism thinking was rooted in European tradition and popular among the right, Social Darwinism.

Adolf Hitler: Fürher (German word for leader) with unlimited power.

WW1 veteran.

Strong hatred against Jewish population.

Adolf Hitler:

“What sort of impression did he make? Always a crackpot, with his haircut and little mustache.”

“Nobody will vote for him; such ranting can’t convince anybody.”

Charismatic to its followers and he becomes his own trademark.

The need for the right circumstances, not only charism to take over the state, and the people helped him to do this.

NSDAP:

NSDAP:  

The National Socialist German Workers’ Party.

German Workers’ Party (1919) => National Socialist German Workers’ Party (1920) => Hitler in control (1921).

Party created to draw workers away from communism.

Beer Hall Putsch (1923): failed violent coup d'État.

Gives up membership cards to citizens.

This coup brought A.H to the attention of the G nation for the 1st time (front-page headlines in newspapers around the world).

The movement wanted to appear bigger than they actually were.

Prison: Mein Kampf (1925): Lebensraum.

It was composed of 500 members and they slowly grew over time.

Hitler: skilled demagogue with appeal among his followers appeal through Anti-Marxism.

In comparison, G Parliament had 10k members.

Slowly growing, but not powerful.

Mussolin became subdued to Hitler and their relationship changed.

Focus on gaining electoral support (1924-1929) also maintained political violence.

Hitler’s Rise:

1932: Hitler denied chancellorship (although biggest party in Reichstag).

The communist got more votes.

Hitler was not an organizational genius, NSDAP not exceptional but supportive circumstances:

Economic crisis: Great Depression (1929) with inflation and people losing their jobs.

Gov didn’t know how to respond and put austerity measures, putting a state crisis.

Disintegration of liberal and conservative parties.

Strong division on the left (very strong socio-democratic party in Germany which was the strongest mass movement).

1933: Hitler appointed as chancellor.

Consolidation of Power:

1933:

Coercion and consent.

Hitler appointed chancellor.

Hitler uses a combination of consent of conservative elites who think that they control him.

Ban on freedom of press (4th February). 

Arrogance of conservative elites, they believe in an almost royal thinking.

Attack on political rights for communists (28th February, after Reichstag fire).

So they appointed Hitler as their puppet, but they underestimated him.

Enabling Act (24th March): Control of state institutions for gov rather than parliament.

Persecution of workers associated with left-wing parties, Jews, Sinti, Roma, homosexuals, Jehova’s Witnesses, people considered handicapped, beggars and other “anti-social groups”.

Regime of fear.

WWII: Aggressive Expansion of Territory:

Nazi G: aggressive expansion of territory.

Withdrawal League of Nations, stop of disarmament attack on demilitarized Rhineland.

States unwilling and unable to stop Hitler.

Appeasement (Britain).

No capacity because they were the biggest player in WW1 (FR).

Cooperation: Axis: Italy and Japan (vs. Allies).

Giving in: Austria.

Munich Conference: Sudetenland 1938.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia 1939.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 1939. Secret and private Treaty.

Attack on Poland 1939.

1941:

• Attack on SU.

• G troops stopped just before Moscow.

• The populations of the occupied territory suffered first.

• Pearl Harbour.

1943:

• G declares total war (Goebbels).

• G cities fully bombed by allies.

• 2nd front in Italy (1st front in SU).

1944:

• D-Day.

• Paris liberated.

1945:

Allied forces meet in Torgau Berlin capitulation.

1933-1939:

Persecution and plans for emigration.

1935: 

Nuremberg Racial Laws.

1938:

Kristallnacht: organized pogroms.

1939:

World War II: 259k Jews fled to Germany. Ghettos in Poland. Plans to emigrate Jews to Poland and SU. Behind military liens (east): execution of Jews.

1941-43:

Extermination camps: Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka.

1942:

Wannsee Conference is when the plan to move the Jews to extermination camps turned into an official planning.

1942:

Mass deportation to Auschwitz for the purpose of murder. 5.6-6.3 M Jewish people murdered.