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
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