Maria Ota

Prompt:
Compare the rise to power of fascism in Italy and Germany.

Thesis: In both Italy and Germany, the fear of social, economic, and political disorder created a path for Fascism to rise under the rule of Mussolini in Italy and Fascism/Nazism under Hitler in Germany.


Fascism/Nazism: Authoritarian, action-oriented, leader identified with state

Italy
  • Mussolini
  • No coalition between socialists, liberals, and popolari (Christian democracts)
    • Fear of communist revolution, socialism, and disorder made people look up to Fascism
    • Mussolini goes from left to right politics
  • Squadristi
    • armed Fascists attacked socialist offices and newspapers
    • used lots of violence, wore black shirts
  • March on Rome
    • Bluff that scared government into giving Fascists power
  • Acerbo Law
    • any party that wins 25% of votes in the next election would gain 2/3 of the seats in parliamentOVRA
  • Young Fascists
  • Lateran Accords
    • the papacy recognized the state of Italy, with Rome as its capital
    • also recognized Catholicism as "sole religion of the state" with the return of the church urging support of the fascist regime
Germany
  • Weimar republic
    • German democratic state didn't have good strong leaders
    • couldn't change basic structure of Germany
    • inflation, economic losses, & Great Depression set up the stage for Nazism/Hitler
  • Hitler
    • Mein Kampf
    • 4 major influences on Hitler
      • Georg von Schoherer: urged the union of all Germany into 1 national state
      • Karl Lueger: anti-sentimism
      • Lanz von Liebenfels: anti-sentimim
      • Richard Wagners: made operas that spoke of a boundless will to power and a need to dominate
  • Enabling Act
    • government can dispense without consitutional forms for 4 years while it issued law that would deal with the countries problems

Sources:
http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/hist/jpetropoulos/holocaust/laterantreaty.htm