World War II Notes Part I The Rise

World War II Notes Part I The Rise of Dictators Mrs. Deming US History

Main Idea o Dictators in the Soviet Union, Italy, Germany and Spain formed brutal, repressive governments in the 1920 s and 1930 s. o They were motivated by their political beliefs and a desire for power.

Fascism o Government philosophy o Emphasized the importance of the nation or an ethnic group and the supreme authority of the leader o Adolf Hitler--fascist

Adolf Hitler o Totalitarian leader of Germany—exerts total control over a nation n Dominates every aspect of life, using terror to suppress individual rights and silence all forms of opposition n People who disagreed with Hitler were silenced, beaten or killed

Adolf Hitler o Enraged by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles—stripped Germany of land, huge war debt, forced to accept blame for war

Nazi Party o The Nationalist Socialist German Worker’s Party o Fanatical ideas about German nationalism and racial superiority o Powerful public speaker about Germany’s humiliation

Nazi Party o Thrown in jail for trying to overthrow the government o Hitler writes Mein Kampf “My Struggle”, which outlines the Nazi philosophy, views of Germany’s problems and his plans for the country

Nazi Party o Blamed Jews, gypsies and homosexuals for Germany’s defeat in the war (wanted them removed from society) o Proposed strengthening military and expanding its borders o German people facing poverty looked to political leaders for help

Nazi Party o Hitler promises to stabilize the country, rebuild the economy and restore the empire o Hitler appointed head of German government o Suspends freedom of speech, freedom of the press o Spent money on secretly expanding the armed forces o Teams up with Italy’s fascist lead Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini o Italy’s totalitarian government rose from the failures of World War I o Believed the Treaty of Versailles should have granted Italy more territory o Promised to end Italy’s economic problems o Invaded Ethiopia

Joseph Stalin o Plan to dominate Soviet Union with communism n Communism seeks to establish a classless society where the government owns everything— companies, goods, housing, etc. o Convinced Soviet farmers to turn their privately run farms into government collective farms. n Punished those who did not conform o Rid all of his opponents by executing millions and forced them into labor camps