Fascism and Nazism: Origins, Characteristics, and Expansion
Italian Fascism
The causes of the rise of fascism.
Italy entered the First World War without parliamentary consent. At the end of it, the large external debt triggered rising inflation, and the demobilization of the army increased unemployment.
The traditional political parties had to cope with this delicate situation, and much of the population began to support extremist parties: the Communist Party and the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, led by Benito Mussolini.
Characteristics of Fascism
It has six main features:
- An ideology undemocratic and contrary to the parliamentary regime. The state was directed by a leader who was all-powerful (the Duce) and relied on a single party, so there were no free elections.
- The State intervened in the economy.
- The State dominated society through control of education and information, as well as repression of those with different opinions.
- Fierce nationalism and expansionism, which required the creation of a colonial empire for Italy.
- Anti-communism, which ensured the suppression of revolutionary ideas.
- The cult of violence and militarism, and it was not intended to convince otherwise, but removed by any method.
Nazi Germany
The peace treaties after the First World War left a strong sense of humiliation in Germany. The chaotic economic situation following the war led to serious social unrest.
With the 1929 crisis, the German economy hit bottom. Unemployment grew out of control, and much of the impoverished middle classes.
Nazism triumphed, promising the recovery of pride and prosperity and the creation of a new empire.
Characteristics of Nazism
The National Socialist movement had very similar characteristics to those of fascism. It was an ultranationalist, totalitarian, undemocratic, and anti-violent movement, but added another fundamental aspect of great importance in its ideological basis: racism. The manifestation of racism had its greatest exponent in the hatred of Jews, who were accused of being the cause of all the internal ills of Germany.
Nazism was premised on the basis of the superiority of the Aryan race and the right of this race to be imposed on others.
Nazi ideology was articulated politically around the National Socialist German Workers Party, whose key figure was Adolf Hitler.
At first, he had little support. But the impact of the crisis of 1929 gave increasing support to the Nazi party. In 1933, the President’s Foreign Ministry was offered to Hitler. Once in that position, he implemented all the measures he had promised in previous years.
- Ended the parliamentary system, establishing a totalitarian regime based on absolute obedience to Hitler. Ended violently with the opposition and created enforcement agencies such as the Gestapo.
- Unleashed a brutal persecution of the Jews, which started with legal discrimination and confiscation of their property and led to the extermination camps.
The new state called itself the Third Reich.
Rearmament and German Expansionism
The Nazi government conducted a policy of rearmament to strengthen its position in international politics.
Germany formed a common front with Italy by signing the so-called Berlin-Rome axis.