Unit 9 –World War II ( ) Dictators Lead the World to War!

Fascism! During the 1930s the Depression maintained a grip on the world’s economies and many nations turned to dictators to solve their problems. Totalitarianism occurs when a government seeks to control all aspects of a population’s daily life. Fascism became the brand of the totalitarian dictators in Europe – it employed racism, nationalism, and militarism with strong ties to big business and industry. It put the welfare of the nation before the rights of the individual!

Mussolini Controls Italy Benito Mussolini ( ) called “Il Duce” became Prime Minister of Italy in He was upset about Italy’s treatment in Versailles after WW I and he formed a group called the Black Shirts. He was Fascist, very anti-union, and anti- communist. In 1925 he became dictator of Italy and was very aggressive toward his neighbors. At first he was popular because he made numerous economic improvements. 400 new bridges, 4000 new roads, and 1000s of jobs were created under his direction. He was an ally of Adolf Hitler of Germany and his party was similar to the Nazis, but not anti- Semitic.

Militarists Gain Power in Japan 1920’s – Japanese gov’t was democratic and peaceful. Japan even reduced the power of its military and legalized unions and political parties. The Great Depression changed this and military leaders convinced the young Emperor Hirohito that economic and military imperialism would strengthen Japan’s economy. Militarism was the policy at home. In 1931, Japan attacked Manchuria (N.E. China) and in 1937 they brutally attacked Nanjing on the coast and massacred 200,000 civilians and raped 20,000 women in what is now known as the Rape of Nanjing.

Adolf Hitler and Nazism As for Germany, you probably know most of this story already. Nazism is fascism mixed with anti- Semitism (prejudice against Jews). Hitler was a demagogue who played on the fears of the German people. He was a gifted orator and by 1933, during the Great Depression, the Nazis came to power democratically. He was also a talented singer

Joseph Stalin Controls the Soviet Union 1924 – Stalin replaced V.I. Lenin as head of Communist Party in the U.S.S.R. (Russia) Extremely paranoid, he may have murdered 10 million of his own people to death by the early 1930’s in massacres called purges. His goal was to transform the U.S.S.R. into an agricultural and industrial power. True totalitarianism, but different from Italy. Germany, and Japan.