1. CHC2D – Canadian History Since World One Unit 2 – Lesson #10 Italian Fascism and German Nazism

2. Background The rise of Fascist and Nazi governments in Italy and Germany was caused by several combining elements. Both countries experienced anger over the end of World War I and also experienced economic difficulties during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

3. Italy’s Involvement in WWI Italy did not join the war on the side of the Triple Alliance (with Germany and Austria) in 1914 when the war began. After the stalemate of 1914 set in, Italy began to receive offers from both Germany and Britain to get Italy to join the war. Italy signed a secret treaty with Britain in 1915 which promised that Italy would be rewarded for entering the war.

4. Promises Made & Broken Britain offered Italy territories in Austria and several of the German colonies if the allies won the war. Italy concentrated its attacks on Austria in the alps but never won a single battle. Italy did, however, loose 600,000 lives. At the negotiations after the war, Italy was given some of the Austrian territory but none of the German colonies.

5. Post War Italy Italy was divided politically with fascists and communists at the far ends of the political spectrum. During the summer of 1920 there were major strikes in every major Italian city in the heavy industries and transportation. In the rural areas, peasants rose up and took over land owned by large landowners.

6. Fascists vs Communists During this period of strikes, Fascists openly fought with Communists in the streets. The 1921 elections saw the Fascists win 35 of 500 seats in the Italian Parliament. As strikes and land seizures continued, Mussolini, the leader of the Fascists, declared that they would protect national law and order (meaning property) from the threat of the communists.

7. Fascist Support The Fascists were supported by business owners, large landowners and the middle class. They feared the potential that the strikes, largely inspired by the Communists, would have on their property. They eagerly supported the Fascists in their crusade against the Communists.

8. How the Fascists Operated Groups of men in unofficial uniforms, called the “blackshirts”, could arrest and beat suspected communists and destroy their offices. Arson and murder were also tactics used by the fascists. A favorite tactic was to beat someone up then force them to drink castor oil, which causes people to vomit for hours.

9. The Role of the Fascists The Fascists operated as a semi-military private police force that people could hire to “solve” problems. Squadristi, or a Fascist brigade, would be called up to break up strikes and disrupt peaceful socialist and communist rallies. Basically, they were thugs for hire by the business elite of Italy.

10. The March on Rome In October 1922 the blackshirts organized a coup (a takeover of the government) by marching through the streets of Rome. The Italian government attempted to declare martial law but the King blocked the move, forcing the Italian government to resign. Mussolini was named Premier and granted 1 year of emergency powers to govern.

11. Mussolini Takes Power Before the end of the year, Mussolini changed the election laws so that the party with the largest number of votes automatically won 66% of the seats in Parliament. In 1924, the Fascists won 60% of the total vote, largely because of the “supervision” of the election by the Squadristi.

12. Mussolini in Power By 1929, Mussolini’s government began to limit civil liberties and take full control of the society in Italy. The press was censored, labour unions were outlawed, it was illegal to strike and all political parties except for the Fascist party were abolished.

13. Mussolini took for himself the title of “Il Duce” or “The Leader” and began to alter Italy’s political and social landscape, providing a model by which other Fascist leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, would follow.

14. Adolf Hitler During World War I; Hitler, who was born in Austria, served in the German army as a dispatch runner. After the war, he was a member of a special army instructional unit created to combat socialist and democratic propaganda. By 1920, Hitler was the leader of a small political party called the National Socialist German Worker’s Party.

15. Hitler Attempts to Seize Power In 1923, at the height of the German economic crisis, Hitler attempted to copy Mussolini’s “March on Rome.” In what is known as the “Beer Hall Putsch” Nazi brownshirts assembled in a Munich beer hall where Hitler jumped on a platform, fired a pistol into the ceiling and proclaimed, “the national revolution has broken out!”

16. Hitler in Prison The police, however, suppressed this revolt and arrested Hitler, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison where he wrote Mein Kampf, “My Struggle.” Hitler’s trial and book transformed him from a fringe politician into a figure of national prominence.

17. Hitler & Economics During the German economic revival (1924 to 1929), Hitler was almost forgotten, but the Great Depression brought him back into the spotlight. Germany suffered the most of all countries during the Depression, 6 million Germans were unemployed.

18. Looking for Something to Blame While many Germans began to turn to Communism during the depression, others began to blame the Treaty of Versailles for Germany’s economic problems. Hitler began to denounce many aspects of German society, but especially the small Jewish minority. Only 600,000 Jews lived in Germany.

19. The Nazis Gain Support As the depression wore on, Nazi support in elections grew: 1928, they won 12 seats. 1930, they won 107 seats. 1932, they won 230 seats and were the single largest party in the Reichstag. Political instability after 1932 led to Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in 1933.

20. Hitler in Power Once in power, Hitler began to pass anti-Semitic laws. He also defined a person as Jewish if 1 grandparent was Jewish. The Nuremburg Laws of 1935 removed all citizenship rights from German Jews. Jews were barred from the civil service, political office and from teaching.

21. Nazi Racism The Nuremburg laws also forbade the marriage or sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews. On November 9, 1938; Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, Nazi storm troopers smashed Jewish shops, businesses and synagogues, they beat thousands and sent 30,000 to concentration camps.

22. Hitler in Power By this time, Hitler had already abolished all other political parties, outlawed labour unions and made strikes illegal. He basically eliminated any form of opposition to his government. By now, Hitler was know as “Die Fuhrer”