Comparing The Factors of the Rise of Mussolini to Those of Hitler

Comparing The Factors of the Rise of Mussolini to Those of Hitler

A. Similarities:

Benito Mussolini

Adolf Hitler

Decisions of the Paris Peace Conference

Italy joined the First World War in 1915. Yet after the war Britain,

France and other victorious allies did not fulfill their territorial

promises as stated in the Treaty of London. Italians felt cheated.

Since the Italian government failed to fight for the gains, it was

deemed incompetent. Mussolini who promised revival of the glory of the

ancient Roman Empire naturally got popular support.

Germany was the major defeated country of the First World War. She was

forced to sign the harsh Treaty of Versailles. She was to lose large

pieces of lands, pay an indemnity of £6.6 billion; her army had to

include 100,000 men only; her navy included 6 battleships only.

Germany could not have an air force, tanks and submarines. She could

not be united to Austria; she had to accept the "war-guilt clause".

The treaty was humiliating. The Weimar government who signed the

treaty was deemed a "traitor". Hitler who posed to be the "enemy of

the Versailles Diktat" naturally popular support.

Failure of Democratic Experiment

In Italy there had been no capable prime minister after Cavour's death

in 1861. After the First World War the Italian Parliament adopted the

system of proportional representation. There were too many parties but

none could get overall majority in the Parliament. So coalition

governments were formed. Yet party conflicts led to frequent collapses

of the coalition governments. There were 5 cabinets in 1921-22. No

postwar political and economic problems were solve...

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...efore the Great Depression.

Hitler's rise to power was largely due to the Great Depression.

International Circumstances

Mussolini had come to power in 1922. At that time, collective security

had not collapsed yet.

In the late 1920s the U.S. had been crippled by the Great Depression.

The Soviet Union was busy with internal reforms. Both Britain and

France suffered from economic hardship. The League of Nations was

unable to stop the aggression of Mussolini. All these encouraged the

revival of German ultra-nationalism. Hitler found it easy to spread

his Nazi ideas.

Becoming Dictator

Mussolini was never a complete dictator. Above him there was the king.

Even the Pope could check his behaviour.

In 1934 Hindenburg died. Hitler concentrated all power into his own

hands. He became a complete dictator.