Fascism embraced the need for a strong central government led by a single ruler with extreme emphasis on nationalism that entailed the purification of the body of a nation. As seen throughout history, nationalism played a key role in the consolidation of power and the rise of popularity as depicted from the rise of Nazism in Germany. In Benito Mussolini’s What is Fascism, he states, “For Fascism, the growth of the empire, that is to say the expansion of the nation, is an essential manifestation of vitality, and its opposite a sign of decadence.... But empire demands discipline, the coordination of all forces and a deeply felt sense of duty and sacrifice...” Mussolini emphasized the need for all individuals to unite as a nation and show strength …show more content…
People continued to believe in Hitler’s ideas as Adolf and his party gained further popularity. Also, Hitler justified his actions and got what he wanted through the tool of “Aryanization” – where Hitler created an Aryan race he considered superior to every other race to protect German blood and prevent the “racially inferior” from procreating. The formation of an Aryan racial state allowed the purification of national identity, which became another vital tool in the increase of Nazi popularity. Soon, the Nazi party won the Reichstag elections and Hitler consolidated his power through the capture of full legal authority, crushing of alternative political groups, and the purging of rivals within the Nazi Party itself. With conditions set for Adolf Hitler to shape Nazi power, the political climate readied for his
Events in his life made him adopt a strong discontent and animosity towards the Jews. In his speeches and writings, Hitler spread his beliefs of racial "purity" and of the superiority of the "Germanic race"—what he called an Aryan "master race." He pronounced that his race must remain pure in order to one day take over the world. As seen clearly from the ‘Nation and Race’ For Hitler, the ideal "Aryan" was blond, blue-eyed, and tall, any description in variance with this was not
Hitler blamed the Jews for the evils of the world. He believed a democracy would lead to communism. Therefore, in Hitler’s eyes, a dictatorship was the only way to save Germany from the threats of communism and Jewish treason. The Program of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party was the instrument for the Nazis to convince the German people to put Hitler into power. Point one of the document states, “We demand the union of all Germans in a great Germany on the basis of the principle of self-determination of all peoples.” 1 This point explicates the Nazi proposition that Germany will only contain German citizens and also, that these citizens would display his or her self-determination towards Germany to the fullest.
Did you know that even though Hitler had brown hair and blue eyes, his idea of a superior race was those with blond hair and blue eyes? He wanted this group of people to be superior to all other races because they represented a clean view of Germany. Hitler used his power to achieve this goal by enforcing many rules and creating many different projects. He wanted the people of Germany to believe that they were superior to all other races and they must do everything to maintain the standards of living in Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler and his Nazis created the perfect race by influencing the education of children and creating bride schools, the Hitler Youth Program, and Lebensborn birthing homes.
To understand why Fascism gained such popularity after WWI, it is essential to find a working definition of what Fascism actually is. According to Benito Mussolini and his document What is Fascism, Fascism is “the conception of the state, its character, its duty, and its aim.” It is concerned primarily and totally with the affairs of state rather than those of the individual. The chief duty of a man in a Fascist nation is to do what he can to elevate the state to higher power or assist the state in whatever means necessary in its goals. As is evident to anyone studying this period in history, Fascism “repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism…” meaning that it is most certainly not afraid to use force or war to accomplish its objectives. A Fascist, especially a male Fascist, aspires to be a hero to his country and an ally to the state or nation of which he is a part. A woman ...
In the years immediately after the First World War, a promising new era of democracy seemed to be unfolding. The autocratic regimes in Russia, Germany and Austria, were all overthrown and replaced by republics. The seven newly created states in Europe all adopted the republican form of government. Democracy seemed triumphant in the post-war world. Yet within two decades, many democratic countries in Europe were taken over by some kind of dictatorship. Italy became a fascist state.
Fascism is one of the great political ideology in the 20th century. It is a kind of authoritarian government that, according to Wikipedia, “considers the individual subordinate to the interests of the state, party or society as a whole.” Two of the most successful and to be in the vanguard of fascism government is Italian fascism – led by Benito Mussolini, and Nazi Germany – led by Adolf Hitler. Fascism in Italy and Germany, though in many regards very similar - have the same political ideologies, still have many aspects to them that make them different from each other.
After Germany lost World War I, it was in a national state of humiliation. Their economy was in the drain, and they had their hands full paying for the reparations from the war. Then a man named Adolf Hitler rose to the position of Chancellor and realized his potential to inspire people to follow. Hitler promised the people of Germany a new age; an age of prosperity with the country back as a superpower in Europe. Hitler had a vision, and this vision was that not only the country be dominant in a political sense, but that his ‘perfect race’, the ‘Aryans,’ would be dominant in a cultural sense. His steps to achieving his goal came in the form of the Holocaust. The most well known victims of the Holocaust were of course, the Jews. However, approximately 11 million people were killed in the holocaust, and of those, there were only 6 million Jews killed. The other 5 million people were the Gypsies, Pols, Political Dissidents, Handicapped, Jehovah’s witnesses, Homosexuals and even those of African-German descent. Those who were believed to be enemies of the state were sent to camps where they were worked or starved to death.
Fascism is defined as, “an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.” Peter Hyland reports that throughout the 1920s and the 1930s, an economic depression was growing and becoming widespread throughout the world. People were losing faith in their democracies and in capitalism. Leaders who gained power supported powerful militarism, nationalism, and initiated the return of an authoritarian rule. J.R. Oppenheimer says that the rise of fascism and totalitarianism in Europe and Russia instigated a “critical step on the path to war.” In 1922, Benito Mussolini held leadership in Italy, promising a proficient and militaristic nationalistic state. During his control as prime minister, he gained a large group of followers, banned the disparagement of government, and used extreme violence against his enemies within the parliament.
On 30 January 1933, the German president, Paul von Hindenburg, selected Adolf Hitler to be the head of the government. This was very unexpected. Hitler was the leader of an extreme right-wing political party, the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party. Hitler sought to expand Germany with new territories and boundaries. Hitler also focused on rebuilding Germany’s military strength. In many speeches Hitler made, he spoke often about the value of “racial purity” and the dominance of the Aryan master race. The Nazi’s spread their racist beliefs in schools through textbooks, radios, new...
Fascism is a form of counter-revolutionary politics that first arose in the early part of the twentieth-century in Europe. It was a response to the rapid social and political changes brought about by the devastation of World War I and the spread of socialism and communism. The name fascism originated in Italy. The term comes from the Italian word fascio, which referred to the names of radical new social and political organizations. “Fascism is a philosophy or a system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of aggressive nationalism”(Baradat pg.850). In other words, fascism is a form government that emphasizes a nation or particular race to rule over all other nations or races, simply because they are different. The fascism ideology will even use violent means to accomplish their goals and maintain the loyalty toward the fascist group. “Fascism approaches politics in two central areas, populist and elitist. Populist in that it seeks to activate “the people” as a whole against noticed enemies and to create a nation of unity. An elitist approach because fascism works by putting the people’s will on one select group, or most often one supreme leader, from whom all power precedes downward.”(Lyons pg.10)
Adolf Hitler came to power on February 28, 1933 (Rossel). He rose to power using inflammatory speeches and inspiring hope for the defeated Germans. He constructed a system to empower the German people and allow them to thrive in the period after the Great Depression (Noakes). Using keen acumen and decisive moves, he was able to turn Germany into a war machine bent on the creation of an Aryan utopian society, at the cost of all inferior races, especially the Jews ("The Period between 1933 and 1939"). At this time Germany was a defeated country. They had recently had numerous humiliating defeats in WWI, and the Germans no longer had the pride they once had celebrated (Laurita). Augmented by the fact that the Great Depression had ravaged the country and left many in a state of penury and impoverished, the Germans were desperate. As well, Germany was currently a country without any source of stability without a generally supported constitution. When Hitler promised a utopian society filled with hope and where the Germans would be exalted as the superior race, the Germans listened and obeyed his every word (Noakes). Hitler fed on the desperation and hopelessness of these German people to make a society driven by fear; this state of pity allowed Hitler to convince the Germans that he could provide a better future.
"The manner in which Mussolini and the Fascist Party gained possession of the government was regarded in most foreign circles as an illegal act of violence." (3) As the nation of Italy began to suffer great debts, Mussolini had been summoned by the King to form a government to aid in the economic needs. This marked the birth of the Fascist Party in Italy. In the beginning of his rise to the top, Mussolini was popular amongst his people. His popularity was high, and people began to trust in his judgment and ideas. (4) He was, in essence, saving the people from the turmoil that had ensued the nat...
Another reason that had a significant impact was the belief of fascists that their nations were superior to all other people. “Fascism was the governing ideology of Ge...
With a combination of poor leadership on the Weimar Government’s behalf, the signing of the hated Treaty of Versailles and an unattractive economic situation, Hitler, using his charismatic personality, was able to convince the majority of the public to resort to the extremist nazi party. There are many other factors that influenced the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism; In every case, however, Hitler’s manipulative skills and sophisticated behavior towards circumstances lead to the success of the Nazi Party. By successfully manipulating the above set of circumstances, Hitler was able to cause to the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi Party.
Around the world the ideology known as “fascism” is commonly related to two men, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. This tradition of political thinking has long been argued by political scientists and many others on what exactly defines a fascist state. According to Webster’s dictionary the term is defined as, “a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.” Although this definition would be contested by many scientists it is a good compromise.