Rise of Totalitarianism and the US Interwar Period

Posted on Nov 22, 2024 in History

Italy

Key Terms & Figures

  • Blackshirts: Paramilitary group (squadristi) used by Mussolini to violently suppress the labor movement and unions.
  • Duce: Title adopted by Mussolini, meaning “leader.”
  • Fascio: Fascist symbol, a bundle of rods around an axe, representing authority.
  • Mussolini: Founder of the Blackshirts and the National Fascist Party, aiming to curb revolutionary movements, secure private property, and pursue an expansionist foreign policy.
  • Victor Emmanuel III: King of Italy in 1919, who supported Mussolini’s rise to power.
  • March on Rome: Show of force by Mussolini’s Blackshirts, leading to the King appointing him Prime Minister.

Germany

Key Terms & Figures

  • Dictatorship: Form of government with absolute power.
  • Nazism: Ideology and practices of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler, from 1933 to 1945.
  • Reichstag: German parliament.
  • Chancellor: Head of government.
  • Führer: Title adopted by Hitler, meaning “leader.”
  • SA: Sturmabteilung, Nazi paramilitary organization.
  • SS: Schutzstaffel, elite police force with vast power.
  • Gestapo: Secret police, responsible for suppressing opposition.
  • Racial Purity: Nazi doctrine of maintaining a pure German race.
  • Anti-Semitism: Prejudice and hatred towards Jews.
  • Concentration Camp: Sites for imprisonment, forced labor, and extermination of opponents and Jews.
  • Wehrmacht: German armed forces.
  • Luftwaffe: German air force.
  • Autarky: Economic self-sufficiency.
  • Hitler Youth: Organization for indoctrinating young people with Nazi ideology.

Russia

Key Terms & Figures

  • Autocracy: Rule by decree, without constitutional limits or parliamentary accountability.
  • Tsar: Emperor of Russia, autocratic ruler.
  • Bolsheviks: Majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, led by Lenin, advocating for a socialist revolution.
  • Mensheviks: Minority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, more moderate than the Bolsheviks.
  • Duma: Russian parliament.
  • Soviet: Councils of workers, peasants, and soldiers.
  • White Army: Anti-Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War.
  • Red Army: Bolshevik army, led by Leon Trotsky.
  • USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
  • Dictatorship of the Proletariat: Rule by the Communist Party, supposedly representing the working class.
  • Collectivist Society: Society imposed by Stalin, emphasizing industrial growth and state control.
  • Gulag: Forced labor camps.
  • CPSU: Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
  • Supreme Soviet: Parliament after the Bolshevik Revolution.
  • February Revolution: Revolution in St. Petersburg leading to the fall of the Tsar.
  • October Revolution: Bolshevik seizure of power, overthrowing the provisional government.
  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: Peace treaty between Russia and Germany, resulting in significant Russian territorial losses.
  • Russian Civil War: Conflict between the Red and White Armies, causing widespread death and economic collapse.
  • Creation of the USSR: Formation of the Soviet Union in 1922.
  • Nicholas II: Last Tsar of Russia, overthrown by the Bolsheviks.
  • Kerensky: Leader of the provisional government after the February Revolution.
  • Lenin: Leader of the Bolshevik Party and the Red Army, architect of the revolution.
  • Trotsky: Key communist leader, rival of Stalin, advocate for international revolution.
  • Stalin: General Secretary of the CPSU, established a totalitarian regime.

United States

Key Terms & Concepts

  • Taylorism: Scientific management, emphasizing efficiency in production.
  • Fordism: Mass production system, combining Taylorism with higher wages and lower costs.
  • Speculative Bubble: Inflated asset prices driven by speculation rather than real value.
  • Roaring Twenties: Period of economic prosperity and cultural change in the US.
  • American Life: Consumer-oriented lifestyle of the 1920s.
  • Consumerism: Economic system focused on mass consumption of goods.
  • Overproduction: Producing more goods than can be sold, leading to economic losses.
  • Stock: Inventory of unsold goods.
  • Roosevelt: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who implemented the New Deal.
  • Black Thursday: October 24, 1929, the start of the stock market crash.
  • Stock Market Crash: Rapid decline in stock prices, leading to economic crisis.
  • Great Depression: Severe global economic downturn following the stock market crash.
  • New Deal: Series of programs implemented by Roosevelt to address the Great Depression.