The Rise of Fascism

Background

• After WWI, Europe spent the next 5 years

rebuilding

• Germany made huge reparations - hurt the

German economy

Fascism: A New Movement

• Characteristics

– Nationalism

– Reaction against

Liberalism

– Unity of Social

Classes

– All Powerful leaders

– Extreme Militarism

Nationalism

• Highest value was the

nation

• Claimed that the

nation was superior to

all others

Reaction against Liberalism

• Opposed liberal ideas

such as:

– Democracy

– Labor unions

– Socialism

– Strikes

• Strong anti-

Communist

Unity of Social Classes

• A single national party

should unite all social

classes

• Believed that the

strong had a natural

right to dominate the

weak

All Powerful Leaders

• A single all-powerful

ruler could best

represent the national

will and lead the

nation.

Extreme Militarism

• Used violence to

defeat their political

opponents

• Prepared to use war

to expand their

nations

• Saw war as a glorious

experience

Roots of Fascism

• Anti-Semitism: hatred

of Jews

• Racism: hatred of

other races

• Social Darwinism

Europe: Interwar Years

• Germany: Kaiser forced

out after WWI – Weimar

Republic established –

Nazis overthrow this

• Russia: Communist

radicalism scares other

European governments

• Italy: Mussolini copies

Stalin’s methods but

denounces communism

in general

Nazi Germany

Until the Nazis used this symbol,

the swastika was used by many

cultures throughout the past 3,000

years to represent life, sun, power,

strength, and good luck.

In 1920, Adolf Hitler decided that the Nazi Party needed its

own insignia and flag. For Hitler, the new flag had to be "a

symbol of our own struggle" as well as "highly effective as a

poster." (Mein Kampf, pg. 495)

Because of the Nazis' flag, the swastika soon became a

symbol of hate, anti-semitism, violence, death, and

murder.

This man represents

the Red Swastika

Society a voluntary

association founded in

China in 1922, who’s

mission was broadly

based in philanthropy

and moral education.

They were not NAZIS!

What most don’t know

is that there are two

kinds of swastikas

which are broken

down below.

Others Uses

As you can see a

multitude of cultures and

religions have at one

point used the swastika

to represent themselves.

The true meaning of a

swastika is not death,

hatred, and intolerance.

It’s real meaning is light,

love, life, good luck,

peace, balance, and

universal harmony!

In places like Asia the swastika is widely

used on Buddhist temples and Buddha's

themselves. The last thing they use the

swastika for is to project anything negative.

Background

• Leaders of Weimar

Republic blamed for

signing Treaty of

Versailles

– Humiliated Germany

– Forced to pay

reparations

Rise of the Nazi Party

• Adolf Hitler- leader

of the Nazi (National

Socialist) Party.

• Hitler’s Vision for

Germany

– Destruction of the

Weimar Republic

– Aryan Supremacy

– Anti-Semitism

Aryan Race

• Believed that Germans were the superior

“Aryan” race who should rule the world

• Planned to wipe out the Slavic peoples to

make room for German settlers in Eastern

Europe

Nazi Anti-Semitism

• Called Jews an “evil

race” that should be

destroyed for causing

Germany’s defeat in

the WWI

• Saw Communism as

a Jewish plot to

control the world

Germany Under the Nazis

• The Nazi party took over every aspect of German social, economic and political life

• Hitler’s Germany was called the Third Reich and was a totalitarian state.

• In Hitler’s “Third Reich” the following changes took place – Human rights violations

– Control of education

– Persecution of Jews

– Economic Changes

– Secret Police

Human Rights Violations

• People were arrested

and executed without

trial

• Rival political parties,

unions and

newspapers were

closed and replaced

by pro-Nazi ones

Control of Education

• Schools taught Nazi

ideas

• Newspapers, radio,

and films broadcast

Nazi propaganda

• No other sources of

information were

permitted

Persecution of Jews

• German Jews lost their citizenship

• Thrown out of government jobs

• Forced to wear yellow stars on their clothes

• Jewish shops were vandalized

• Synagogues were burned

Economic Changes

• Made use of public

works projects

– Building of highways

– Military rearmament

• Goal: to achieve full

employment

• Economic prosperity

returned to Germany

Secret Police

• Nazis used threats and

violence to control society

• The Gestapo (secret

police) arrested

suspected opponents

• Opponents were placed

in concentration camps

where they were tortured

and killed