Fascism

Fascism

Benito Mussolini Hitler

Where?

• Italy• Germany• USSR

Why?• Economic crisis of 1929• Crisis of the democratic system. (Unable to solve

the economic crisis).• Radicalisation of the society: Radical left and

Radical Right.• Fear of Communism by bourgeoisie (who

preferred and financed the radical right).• Frustration of soldiers of WWI – There were thousands of war amputees.– The soldiers were used to military ways for solving the

problems.

• Desire of revenge by the Germans. (Because of the humiliation caused by the Treaty of Versailles)

• Imperialism– Italy wanted to expand and control the Adriatic

coast, including Albania.– Germany wanted to control Central Europe.

Italy claimed the territories of: -Nice, Tizzino and Dalmatia-Malta-Corsica-Savoy and Corfu-Albania

Extension of Germany 1935 – 1939. Author: JMPerezhttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alemania_nazi#mediaviewer/Archivo:Extension_of_Germany_%281935-1939%29-es.svg

Crisis of 1929 in GermanyDevaluation of the Deutsche Mark

Communist Party in the elections of 1924, Germany

Socialist office fired by the black shirts of Mussolini. December, 1922.

What?• The term of fascism can only be applied to

political systems with specific characteristics:• Cult of the leader– Duce (that means Duke)– Fuhrer (that means leader)

• Control of the propaganda• Use of violence (special and trained forces)• Use of symbols of the workers movement.• Persecution and illegalisation of other political

parties.• Racism

Fascism is also called a negationist movement because the were:•Anti-Communist•Anti-Capitalist•Anti-Democratic (they wanted to destroy the democratic systems).

Example of Nazi propaganda made by Leni Riefenstahl:• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCUun_2z4dk

How?ITALY-Benito Mussolini in 1922 threatened with a march on Rome of all the black shirts.-The king Victor Emmanuel III named him Prime Minister.-By 1925 Italy was converted into a dictatorship. All the political parties and trade unions were illegal.

- Only one political party was allowed: National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista)

-Repression was spread all over Italy.-They used the violence in order to apply their ideas and repress other political parties and ideas.

How?Germany•The Republic of Weimar was incapable of solving the crisis.•Society was very radicalised.•In 1933 Hitler was named Chancellor (30th, January, 1933)•Hitler is going to manipulate the politic situation in order to achieve a complete dictatorship. These are the different steps:

• Reichstag fire (February 1933) => he accused the communists of this fire and declared the “state of emergency”. (Nowadays it is well-known that the fire was made by the SA, the especial assault division of the Nazi party).

• Hitler forced the President and new elections were convoked.

• In the new elections Hitler had 44% of the votes• Night of the Long Knives (30th June – 2nd July, 1934). In

these days a series of political murders inside the party were committed by the SS and the Gestapo. (Internal purge).

• Illegalisation of other political parties.• Persecution and repression was carried out against

all non-nazi.• Concentration Camps.• Terror Policy (spies, physical aggressions, arrests,

concentration camps, censorship…)• Kristallnacht / Night of Broken Glasses / Crystal Night

(9th – 10th November 1938)Pogroms against the Jews.91 Jews were assassinated, 30.000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. The houses, hospitals and synagogues were destroyed.

Physical Damage after Kristallnacht

Interior of Berlin synagogue after Kristallnacht

Broken shop windows after Kristallnacht

ConclusionTHEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics,

and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.THEN THEY CAME for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Pastor Martin Niemöller(Text wrongly attributed to Bertol Brecht).