Totalitarianism: Comparing Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany
The totalitarian state, since 1938, aimed to be achieved through a highly bureaucratized corporate organization integrated into government policy. This involved intervention in the economy, often prioritizing class interests over the labor movement. Despite this, the Fascist regime in Italy did not reach the same levels of control, mobilization, and social repression as Nazi totalitarianism. It also wasn’t as successful in economic efficiency, nor did it pursue aggressive expansion until after 1935, with the invasion of Abyssinia and involvement in the Spanish Civil War.
From 1935 onward, the government in Rome increasingly aligned with Berlin’s initiatives, as Fascist ambitions became a pressing reality.
German National Socialism (Nazism)
Compared to Italian Fascism, the Nazi dictatorship represented a more radical form of totalitarianism. Rooted in “racist Germanic nationalism,” as expressed by Hitler in Mein Kampf, this ideology fueled both brutal internal repression and aggressive expansionist policies.
The Treaty of Versailles and the post-war economic crisis created instability in Germany, which the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, led by Hitler, exploited after its formation in 1919. The failure of the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich in November 1923, coupled with economic recovery from 1924 onwards, temporarily diminished the Nazi party’s influence.
Hitler’s rise to power was a direct consequence of the catastrophic economic and social impact of the 1929 crisis on Germany. This crisis led to the decline of centrist parties supporting the Weimar Republic. The extreme alternatives, both communist and, especially, National Socialist, experienced significant growth during this period. The elections between 1930 and 1932 saw the Nazi party become the largest political force, making it impossible to govern without their involvement.
The Nazis gained control of the streets through aggressive militias like the Sturmabteilung (SA). They capitalized on nationalist sentiments, appealing to the average German with promises of revolutionary change against perceived plutocracy. On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg. The establishment of the Nazi dictatorship was swift and decisive, surpassing the Italian model.
In February 1933, the Reichstag fire, blamed on communists, accelerated the implementation of the totalitarian regime. The newly elected Reichstag, the following month, granted Hitler full powers, effectively ending the Weimar Constitution.
The rule of law was replaced by a police state under the Führer (leader), who exercised supreme authority through a ruthlessly purged party, exemplified by the Night of the Long Knives on June 30, 1934. Following Hindenburg’s death in 1934, Hitler consolidated his power by also assuming the role of head of state. The economic crisis was addressed through autarky (economic self-sufficiency).
The foreign policy of the Third Reich focused on revising the Treaty of Versailles, which ultimately led to aggressive expansionism and war.