Fascism/ Post WWI Germany - WordPress.com · 2017. 10. 24. · Italy in tatters after the war Mussolini ‘Il Duce’ and his militia ‘Black Shirts’ gain control Establish a totalitarian

Fascism/Post WWI Germany

Fascism● Form of radical authoritarian nationalism● Suppression of opposition● Control of industry and commerce● Benito Mussolini was considered the

father of Fascism○ Italy in tatters after the war○ Mussolini ‘Il Duce’ and his militia ‘Black

Shirts’ gain control○ Establish a totalitarian fascist state

● Current day fascist referred to as neo-nazi/post-fascist

● Naturally opposed to:○ Liberalism○ Communism/Marxism○ Anarchism

Historical Context - Post WWI GermanyTreaty of Versailles

● German guilt clause● Reparation payment ● Demilitarized Rhineland● Military Restricted

○ 100,000 soldiers○ No U-boats

● Less national and international land

Historical Context - Post WWI GermanyWeimar Republic

● Took over for the Hohenzollern Empire● Formed a new liberal constitution

○ Universal suffrage for Reichstag(Parliament) members

○ President appointed chancellor (head of cabinet/PM)

○ Complex proportional representation system

■ Allowed for minority parties to get seats

● 11 different governments in 13 years● Article 48 of constitution:

○ President can rule by decree in an emergency

● First 5 years we very violent between far left and far right

Historical Context - Post WWI GermanyHyperinflation

● Mark is devalued by debt and deficit spending

○ 1914 - 4.2 marks to $1○ 1921 - 64 marks to $1

● Paid reparations through the printing off of more money

● Unemployment at this time caused a stress on the amount of tax collected

● Lower class and middle class hit hardest

Hitler’s Early Career● After fighting in the war he moves to

Munich● Stab-in-the-back myth

○ He believed that Jews were to blame for the loss of the war

■ Jews caused the social and economic discontent

■ Jews were all Marxists● 1920 - Joined National Socialist German

Worker’s Party(Nazi Party)○ Nationalist○ Anti Semitic

Hitler’s Early Career● 1920 - Nazi Swastika Flag introduced as a

unifying symbol○ Symbolized their aryan purity and

nationalist pride■ Red - Social Movement■ White - Nationalism■ Swastika - reps the struggle for

victory of the Aryan race● Sturmabteilung(SA) formed(1921)

○ Para-military○ Brown shirts○ Contributed to the violent times in the

Weimar Republic● Due to Hitler’s organizational and

oratorical skills he quickly became leader of the party

Nazi PlatformHand out sheet of 25 key points

Beer Hall Putsch● Hitler believed he could gain power by

setting the stage for revolt○ Inspired by mussolini

● His attempt to start the revolution in a beer hall was a failure

● Highly publicized trial was a great platform for hitler to get out his ideas

○ This helped gain momentum for the NAZI party

○ He becomes seen as a national political figure

○ Law and order candidate● 5 year sentence/released within a year

○ Weimar republic was soft on crime

Mein Kampf● In jail Hitler was able to comprise his

thoughts in a book● Main Points within Mein Kampf were:

○ Anti Jewish■ Jews were to blame for Germany’s

failure■ Jewish wanted to gain world

leadership○ Denounced Communism

■ Marxist & social democrats are working for the jews

○ Lebensraum■ More land for the Germans■ Take from the ‘inferior’ slavs

○ Aryan people were the perfect race - ‘Master Race’

■ Inferior people should be whipped out

● More humane to kill them then to keep them alive

○

Inspirations for Mein KampfSocial Darwinism

● Society must be a state of nature where the superior would thrive

● Must cleanse itself of inferior blood● Eugenics - controlled improvement of

human race/genetics(selective breeding)

Friedrich Nietzsche

● Anti-Democracy, Anti Communist● Wrote about there being a ruling race

○ Ideas aligned with the great man theory● Hitler and Mussolini drew inspiration from

Nietzsche’s writing● Although:

○ Nietzsche was not anti-semitic○ He was anti-’plebeian’ volkisch

(nationalism)

Hitler Comes to Power● 1929 - great depression hits Germany● 1932 - Nazi’s gain most seats in the

Reichstag● 1933 - Hitler appointed Chancellor by

President Hindenburg● 1933 - Reichstag set on fire

○ Claimed to be communist who set the fire○ Communist plot to seize the state

● 1933 - Enabling Act○ Due to the ‘state of emergency’ Hitler

gained full control of the state■ Banned all opposition parties■ Communists rounded up and sent to

concentration camps