UNIT TWO: PROMISE AND COLLAPSE: GOALS FOR UNIT TWO

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1 : PROMISE AND COLLAPSE: GOALS FOR STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO: 1. Identify and discuss the elements of totalitarianism. 2. Identify and discuss the elements of fascism. 3. Identify and discuss the elements of democracy. 4. Identify and evaluate the forces which produced fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany. 5. Evaluate the impact of totalitarian fascism upon society and the individual. 6. Discuss the relationship between the exercise of imperial power and the desire for independence in the Middle East and in India. 7. Identify the major trends in American society during the 1920 s. 8. Identify and evaluate the causes and consequences of the Great Depression. 9. Identify the major elements of American foreign policy during the inter-war years. 10. Discuss the significance of each item on the list of terms for this unit. From time to time in history small groups with fixed ideas sufficiently ally themselves together to penetrate the political, economic, and social life of a nation. By taking advantage of some general disaster, they suddenly emerge as the force triumphant. Their real aims remain disguised until the very last moment and the population abruptly finds itself oppressed by special interest men holding all key posts and all forces. Readings For Unit Two Global Forces: pp , 37,39-49,51-55, Twentieth Century History: pp , 58-67, 71-72, , The World This Century: pp

2 List of Terms for Unit Two My Notes Totalitarianism 2. Ideology 3. Fascism 4. Democracy 5. Mussolini 6. Italia Irredenta 7. Blackshirts 8. March on Rome 9. Il Duce 10. Acerbo Law 11. Lateran Accords 12. Corporate State 13. Kapp Putsch 14. Munich Putsch 15. Nazi 16. Brownshirts 17. Lebensraum 18. Aryan myth 19. Hindenburg 20. Von Papen 21. Enabling Act 22. Night of the Long Knives 23. Nuremburg Laws 24. Gestapo 25. Herman Goering 26. Josef Goebbels 27. Heinrich Himmler 28. Shutzstaffel (SS) 29. Anti-Semitism 30. Treaty of Sevres 31. Sykes-Picot Agreement 32. Balfour Declaration 33. Mustafa Kemal/Ataturk 34. Reza Kahn 35. Wafd 36. Zaghlul 37. Montagu- Clemsford Reforms 38. Congress Party 39. Mohandas Gandhi 40. Jawaharalal Nehru 41. Ali Jinnah 42. Black Tuesday 43. Fordney-McCumber Act 44. Smoot-Hawley Tariff Bill 45. Autarky 46. Laissez-faire 47. Buying on Margin 48. John Meynard Keynes 49. Deficit Financing 50. Hoovervilles 51. Franklin Roosevelt 52. Fireside Chats 53. New Deal 54. Neutrality Acts 55. Cash and Carry 56. Lend Lease Act

3 My Notes I. TOTALITARIANISM Totalitarianism, in my view, is not an ideology. It is a method of political practice and the execution of power. While it may seem like a set of beliefs, it merely represents the techniques used by the ruling powers to enforce their ideology or beliefs. Thus, we can have a situation where fascism and communism, while opposites as ideologies, can look very similar because they both practise totalitarian methods. A. WHAT IS TOTALITARIANISM? A totalitarian government will have the following characteristics: 1. One leader, with absolute power - a dictator, hence totalitarian dictatorship 2. Only one ideology 3. Extreme use of the secret police 4. Use of terror to control the population 5. No respect for human rights 6. No dissent was allowed 7. Use of censorship and propaganda 8. The perversion of education 9. The use of the purge to cleanse the party and the population 47 Dictatorships were not invented in the twentieth century. What makes twentieth century dictatorships totalitarian was their ability to so completely control modern life. One of the main reasons for this new feature was modern technology. The use of mass media (radio and later television) gave leaders the ability to communicate with the entire population. Modern methods of espionage allowed dictatorial powers to spy on their own population in order to control them. The enormous firepower of modern weapons also helped dictators terrorize potential dissidents. The major totalitarian dictators of this century have been Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, and Lenin and Stalin in the Soviet Union. II. IDEOLOGY At its simplest level an ideology is a set of beliefs by which people live their lives. Applied on a national scale it becomes a set of beliefs by which the nation is guided or governed. Because some of the ideologies of the twentieth century have been somewhat brutal, the word itself has taken on a tainted meaning. It should be emphasized that one simple belief does not an ideology make. It is a set of beliefs, and also the way in which these beliefs interact with one another that create the whole ideology. This course requires that students become familiar with three of the most important political ideologies of this century. We have (in the previous unit)

4 already examined communism. This unit will deal with fascism and democracy as ideologies in conflict. My Notes A. FASCISM 48 Fascis is a Latin term which refers to a bundle of rods, firmly tied together, with a beheading axe protruding from the centre. This configuration symbolised the absolute authority of the state in ancient Rome. It is no accident that Mussolini chose such a symbol. Fascism is difficult to define because we do not have a definitive work to go to as we do with Marx s writings regarding communism, or a host of philosophers who attempted to define democracy. Fascism was largely defined by the actions, rather than the thoughts, of its principal proponents. The key ideas which began to define this ideology are as follows: 1. A belief in action over thought. This notion is also referred to as pragmatism. Put in everyday language we would say, If it works, do it. It is also helpful to note that this belief rules out moral or principled reasoning. 2. A belief in extreme nationalism. It is not good enough to refer to the fascists merely as nationalistic, we must add a superlative. In any case, remember that this is nationalism on an extreme level. In Germany this extreme nationalism took the form of racism when the Nazis proposed Aryan superiority. 3. Another fascist belief is that the purpose of the individual is to serve the state. The state does not serve the people. Obedience and service are the ultimate duties of the citizen. 4. In the end, the fascists promoted the idea that the ultimate goal of the nation is an imperialist war of conquest. 5. Fascism also firmly defines itself as anti-communist. We will gain further insights as to the meaning of fascism as we examine the events which fascism brought to Italy, Germany, and subsequently to the rest of Europe in the Second World War. B. DEMOCRACY In its purest form democracy is a form of government in which the people rule themselves. In the original Greek - demos (people) and kratos (rule or govern) the concept of democracy is self- evident. We all know that literally this is not possible in a large, modern, and complex society. Modern democracy is a product of the Enlightenment. Numerous political philosophers in Europe and America struggled to define its meaning. After several centuries of debate and practice democratic people have come to accept the following as the basic tenets of this political ideology: 1. The most fundamental precept of democracy is that both the government and the governed come under the rule of the constitution. This constitution is inviolate and can be changed only with great difficulty. 2. Regularly scheduled, bipartisan elections are held. 3. Universal suffrage is practised. This means that all adults can vote.

5 My Notes 4. Human rights are enshrined in the constitution. 5. The judicial and political roles of government are separated. 6. Freedom of speech, press, and religion are universally accepted. III. MUSSOLINI AND ITALIAN FASCISM A. BACKGROUND Italy was not a settled place after the First World War. Most Italians felt betrayed by the Allies. She had not gained all the territory she had hoped for at the end of the war. Italians referred to these regions in the north as Italia Irredenta (regions with ethnic Italian populations living outside of Italy). Her democracy was immature, having only achieved universal suffrage in In the northern regions, the industrial regions, workers were organizing to improve their conditions. Amongst these groups socialism was a growing threat to the wealthy. In the agricultural south, poverty stricken farmers were revolting against landowners. The general condition was one of unrest, with a revolution expected by everyone. These events occurred in somewhat of a vacuum because there was no organized opposition to the democratic state, only much dissatisfaction. Instability would serve as a one word description of Italian conditions immediately after the First World War. Many of these dissatisfied people blamed their problems on the democratic form of government. They saw democracy as a weak system, incapable of fulfilling national desires. Mussolini arrived in this vacuum. To his surprise he found strong support for a movement against the masses. Landowners, industrialists, and small business owners were willing to sacrifice democracy if someone would control the masses and eliminate the growing socialist movement. This is the beginning of fascism. It was anti-socialist, anti-liberal, and anti-mass democracy. The people had to be controlled. 49 B. BENITO MUSSOLINI Benito Mussolini Mussolini was born in 1883, and had been an early socialist. He broke with the socialists during the First World War because of their non-involvement. He founded his own party in 1919 called the Fascisti. The main goal of the early party was to restore law and order to Italian society. Their program was vaguely socialist, but the socialist elements were soon dropped when Mussolini realized that stronger, or at least more important, support could be gained for a movement against socialism and the rights of the masses. C. GROWTH OF THE FASCIST PARTY 1. GROWTH OF THE PARTY The growth of the party s popularity was amazing. Mussolini organized the party along paramilitary lines, drawing recruits from ex-servicemen, middle class youths and any anti-communist. These groups were put in uniform, the Blackshirts, giving the members a feeling of importance. The platform