Interwar Years

Age of Dictators

Why Dictatorships? ● Until then, the masses did the fighting, not decisions – Wanted greater share in government ● Dictators promised to fix everything, but: – Need all power – Total loyalty from people (no questions)

Why Dictatorships? ● Everyone felt the impact of WW1, especially middle class ● Payed most taxes, resources scarce, provided soldiers ● Disgust with old rulers ● Kings, democratically elected, etc.

Vladimir Lenin ● “Pragmatic Realist”- certain of goal, willing to change process to gain that goal ● Member of lower nobility ● Very good speaker, loved to debate ● Able to talk to common man ● Small, VERY dedicated group ● Takes Russia, dies in 1924 without heir

Leninism ● Introduces Communism into the country, Step 2, skip step 1 ● Communism should be a slow process

Stalin ● Not a great speaker, ● Not actually Russian ● “Dogmatic Idealist”- had to follow all the steps, not deviate from plan ● ● “Cult of personality”- took all credit for everything good, put his image everywhere

Stalinism ● Everyone in Soviet Union a government worker ● “5 year plan” every industry required to produce a certain amount (quota) ● During Depression, Soviet economy booming

“Great Purges” ● Secret Police ● Stalin paranoid, believed underground network against him ● Over 20 million people die in purges ● Everyone after purges, loyal to Stalin ● Made government more powerful

Mussolini ● Italy- national outrage: did not receive any territory promised to them ● EVERYONE very pissed off ● Mussolini comes, promises that land and more ● Promised to give land to the poor ● Labor- give benefits to workers if they work hard

After Treaty of Versailles ● Germany punished: ● Could not have an army of more than 100,000 ● Had to give payment of 132 billion dollars to Allies (today, about $212 billion) ● Had to give up territory to France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia

Treaty of Versailles reparations caused German Economy to collapse

Adolf Hitler ● Germany: economy in ruins due to Treaty of Versailles ● Promised to: ● Get rid of the Treaty of Versailles ● Bring Germany back to its “former glory”

Fascism ● Both Hitler and Mussolini ● Favors dictators ● Government controls everything ● Extreme Nationalism