4/13/11
How did Modern Life contribute to the development of Fascism?
v Modern totalitarian states demanded more control
¨ During the 20th century, new developments made it easier for governments to know who was doing what and influence the people easier
¨ Wanted political, economic, and social control, but also intellectual and cultural control
¨ One leader/ one party
¨ Opposite to old liberalism, limited government, individual rights
¨ Modern technology
Ø Radios, movies
Ø Key punch- an early type of computer that Hitler used to record a census of who lived where
v Extreme of right and left- have a lot in common
¨ Violence, authoritarianism, dictators, no rights
¨ 20th century Left and Right were the extreme ends of a circle. They were very close to each other because they were very similar in some ways, however they were never the same
Ø Left- communist (most extreme), then socialists
Ø Right- fascists and Nazis (most extreme), conservatives
Ø Smack on top of the circle, farthest from the far left and right- liberal democrats
v Fascism
¨ “A government system led by a dictator with complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry commerce etc. and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and racism”
¨ Fascism is different from socialism- socialism does not have nationalism, or racism, etc
¨ Fascists also added propaganda and the role of the leading party
v Origin of Fascists
¨ Predecessors (Darwin, Gobino) had ideas that certain races were better than others, and a small elite should rule governments. These earlier ideas set the stage for fascism
¨ WWI effects of breaking up accepted ideas and beliefs
¨ A connection can be made between the fascist search for order and stability to modern man’s sense of alienation and isolation in an urbanized society
¨ Other historians connect the roots of fascism to the French Revolution, the terror, Robespierre, “totalitarian democracy” that uses force to dominate every aspect of life
v Who supported Fascism?
¨ Sherman: F.L. Carsten in The Rise of Fascism
Ø Nearly all the social groups in Italy supported Fascism, except for the people who were attacked by the Fascists
Ø Strongest support from those whose position was threatened by the changes of modern society (lower middle class, artisans, small farmers, lower government workers, white collar workers, former army officers)
Ø Motivated by nationalism, hatred of socialism and communists, anti-Semitism, and pride. NOT economics
v Multiple appeals of Fascism
¨ There was something for everyone
¨ Social justice
Ø Economic benefits for the lower, middle, and working classes, but in a capitalist system that promised profits to the rich, which appealed to the upper class
¨ Open ended system- claim to be open to change and adapt to certain circumstances
¨ Comradeship and commitment- offered young people a “meaningful role in society”
¨ Idealistic in restoring the greatness and power to the nation (appealed to the students)
¨ Violence and action- appealed to soldiers and thugs
¨ Irrational conservatism- emotional appeal of fatherland and folk traditions for people in revolt against liberalism and rationalism
¨ Apparent cooperation with an exploitation by conservative groups
v Used radio and movies
¨ All these new methods of entertainment spread propaganda
¨ Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl- her movies made Hitler look so good that you wanted to join in
v Leisure
¨ Shorter work days à
Ø Mass sporting events
Ø Travel
Ø Other leisure activities
¨ Government wanted to control and influence what people did with their leisure time
Ø Italy- Dopolarvoro (After work) program that organized, supervised, and subsidized leisure activities, such as trips, which became more available to the masses
Ø Germany- KDF (Strength through Joy)
Why did Italy become a Fascist country?
v Italy’s problems had been intensified by WWI
¨ High cost of the war- 148 billion lire = twice the government expenditures from before the war (1861-1913)
Ø Cost 700,000 lives
¨ Felt cheated by the Allies- didn’t get all the land they were promised by the Treaty of London
Ø Got the South Tyrol and Trieste
Ø Were refused Fiume and Dalmatia because these places were not Italian enough
¨ Inflation hurt the middle class
¨ Demobilized soldiers were unemployed
¨ Politicians only cared about staying in power
v Mussolini
¨ Originally was a socialist
Ø Editor of the socialist paper Avanti
Ø Gradually became an interventionist and wanted to participate in WWI à expulsion from the party
¨ Started his own political group Fascio di Combattimento
Ø Failed to win any seats in the parliament, but parliament was split between the socialists (largest party) and the liberals and popolari (Christian Democrats) + smaller parties à no effective government
Ø However, the other parties were so split that the government was not effective
Ø Socialists called for “revolution” + strikes in both industry and agriculture à scared the middle and upper classes à fear of Communist takeover (a communist takeover occurred in Russia at this time) and a general climate of class warfare (upper and middle class against workers) and violence
¨ Mussolini became a “rightist”: anti-communist, anti-strike, nationalistic, willing to use physical force- squadristi- Mussolini’s gang that went around and attacked socialist offices and newspapers, and strikers
Ø Temporarily allied with the liberal PM Giovanni Giolitti
Giolitti naively expected to “use” Mussolini to overpower the socialists
Alliance with government gave Mussolini “respectability” and à tolerance of the squadristi
Ø Use of force
1921 Mussolini had 200,000 squadristi (veterans and “students”) who he dressed in black shirts. They deliberately created disorder to create a fear of “disorder” à squadristi were seen as “bringers of ORDER” by panic stricken middle/upper classes
Ø October of 1922 Mussolini demanded control of the government (or else…threatened a march on Rome)
Ø Victor Emmanuel III made Mussolini PM
Ø Next day: black shirts marched into Rome
Created a myth that the Fascists took power by armed insurrection after a civil war, but really Mussolini was appointed PM and just had a victory parade in Rome
¨ Mussolini in Power
Ø At first Fascists had only a few seats in parliament à moved slowly to consolidate power
Ø Split in Fascists supporters (rural fascists wanted to seize complete power, however industrial, church, and landowning fascists followed Mussolini because they wanted order)à
Ø New elections
1923 Acerbo Law- any party that got 25% of the votes got 2/3 seats in Parliament (and basically got to run the country)
April 1924 Fascists won 65% of the vote with a lot of fraud and force and intimidation
Ø Consolidated power
Mussolini wanted to intimidate the opposition à
Giacomo Matteotti (socialist) was assassinated. People figured Mussolini was behind the assassination and would therefore have to quit. However, Mussolini took responsibility for the violence of the Fascists and said he would make Italy peaceful, “by force if necessary”
Ø 1926 New laws that made Italy a Fascists dictatorship
Controlled on the press- suspended publications that did not respect the Church, the king, and the state
Prime Minister was officially defined as the head of state (not the king), and he could rule by decree (no need for parliament)
Police can arrest and imprison anyone for political or non-political crimes- no due process (arbitrary imprisonment)
Government had to ability to dissolve any political or cultural group it did not like
All anti-Fascist political parties were outlawed
Authorized secret police
Ø Limits of Fascist power
Education was still not entirely under state control à youth organizations, but they weren’t so appealing
¶ Attempt to make everyone go to public schools, but the upper and middle classes still sent their children to private schools
Military and monarchy not under Fascist control
Industrialists and large landowners stayed in control
Lateran Accords of 1929
¶ For the Church
Ø Sovereign control of Vatican City
Ø A lot of money
Ø Catholicism is the “sole religion of the state”
¶ For Mussolini/ state
Ø Papal recognition of the Italian state
Ø Church will encourage support for the fascists
Ø Social policy- traditional
Women were bound to the home
¶ Discouraged employment of women outside of the home because it formed habits contrary to child bearing
¶ Bonuses for large families
Ø Attitudes
Pro war
Life is duty, struggle, and conquest
Proud that Fascism is the opposite of socialism
Opposed democracy and equality
State is absolute
Imperialism is a sign of strength
People exist to serve the state
Ø Economic system: corporate state
Workers and employers are forced to work together under the direction of the state
Private ownership controlled for the interest/benefit of the state
Syndicates- nationwide organizations. One for each industry and includes workers and professionals. Decided how much and where the products went
“Corporations”- administrative agencies that united and controlled workers and employers. They basically did whatever Mussolini said
¶ No strikes or lockouts
v Spain
¨ 1923 General Miguel Primo de Rivera coup à royally approved dictatorship
¨ 1931 depression à fall of the dictatorship, flight of the king, and creation of a Republic
¨ Republic unstable (left/right)
Ø 1936 Popular Front included democrats, socialists, and communists
Rejection by army à 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War
¶ Popular Front got help form the Soviet Union; Fascists led by General Francisco Franco got help from Italy and Germany
Ø Franco won and was dictator until he died in 1975
Not a “Fascist” government- Falange official fascist party and did not play a big part
v Portugal
¨ 1910 monarchy was overthrown- established a republic
¨ Inflation after WWI à unstable
¨ 1926 army took over
¨ 1930-1970 Antonio Salazar
How did Hitler come to power?
v Problems of Weimar Republic
¨ Uprisings and attacks from the left (socialists and communists) and the right (Nazi followers)
¨ Leadership- there wasn’t any real leadership
Ø Ebert and Stresemann both died in the 20’s
Ø Von Hindenburg was elected President, but both he (was a monarchist) and many Germans did not really support democracy
¨ Army was not under government control
¨ Anti-democratic people had influence
Ø Teachers were still monarchists and taught how bad democracy was
Ø Judges and bureaucrats also undermined the democracy
Ø Aristocrats and heads of businesses did not want to give up power
¨ Inflation hurt many people
Ø Middle class pushed towards the right
¨ Social discontent and growth of extremist parties
v Hitler
¨ Early failure
Ø Wasn’t an outstanding student
Ø Wanted to be a painter, but he was rejected from school
Ø Served in WWI, but only got as high as a corporal
¨ Claimed that his experiences in Vienna made him an anti-Semite
Ø Extreme nationalist- wanted to unite all Germans
Hitler met Georg von Schonerer led the Pan-German movement, extreme nationalist, wanted to unite all the Germans in one state (including Austrians)
Karl Luger was the anti-Semitic mayor of Vienna
Adolf Lanz- monk who preached superiority of Aryans and inferior races (Jews) should be eliminated
Saw more religious Jews that looked different and thought they were polluting cultural life
¨ WWI gave Hitler more focus
¨ Munich
Ø Joined German Worker’s Party- took it over and renamed it the National Socialist German Workers’ Party– Nazi for short (wait- Nazis aren’t socialists! Nazis are big fat liars)
Made it a mass movement: oratory, flags, badges, uniforms, newspapers
¶ Storm Troops- like the squadristi, but in brown shirts
Ø 1923- Beer Hall Putsch
Failed attempt at taking over the government, Hitler was tried for treason, convicted and sentenced for 5 years (usually, people who were tried for treason were killed, but the judges were also rightists)
Ø Prison- Mein Kampf
Lebensraum- room to live. Superior individuals have the right to expand
Regional organization
Extreme nationalism, anti-communism, anti-Semitism, social Darwinism
Ø Reorganization of the party
Fuhrerprinzip
4/28/11
¨ 1930 elections- Nazis got 18%
Ø Chancellor Bruning could not get a working majority in Parliament (there were so many parties and the votes were split) à President von Hindenburg ruled “by decree” (had the power to issue laws as if they were passed by Parliament)
Ø 1931: unemployment = 4.35 million
1932 = 6 million
Ø Sept 1930- 289,000 Nazis
Ø 1932- 800,000 Nazis and SA had 500,000 thugs
¨ Modern election techniques + lies à 230 seats in July 1932 (largest party)
Ø “Hitler over Germany”- slogan in 1932
Hitler flew and spoke in 50 cities in 15 days
However, von Hindenburg still won president
Ø Right wing upper class hoped to use Nazi mass support to create a right wing authoritarian government (wanted to “use” Hitler, just like the Italians did with Mussolini) à von Hindenburg was pressured to make Hitler Chancellor (1/30/33)
Ø Why did people vote Nazi? (above)
Lies- Nazis promised many different things to many different people
Threats of communism
Appealed to all the classes and claimed to be above all class
¨ Nazis take control
Ø Hermann Goring- Minister of the Interior = control of police
Got non Nazis out of the police
Established auxiliary police = SA (Storm Troopers, like the black shirts of Italy) members
Ø Fire in the Reichstag 2/27 (we still do not know who did it) à von Hindenburg gave the government “emergency” powers
Hitler blamed the communists (to Hitler, communists = Jews)
Suspended all basic rights of citizens = Nazis can arrest and imprison anyone for no reason
Ø 3/5 election- Nazis used the emergency decree to limit the opponents from campaigning + thugs got 288 seats- not a majority
Ø Enabling Act
Changed the constitution
Hitler made a deal with the Catholic Center Party for them to vote for the act
Made Hitler a dictator- abolished the Reichstag and von Hindenburg. Hitler had the ability to rule by decree
Reich cabinet can do anything it wants, and the cabinet did anything Hitler said
Ø Gleichschaltung- coordination of all institutions under the Nazis
Trade unions were replaced by a Nazi controlled national labor front
¨ How was it so easy for the Nazis to take over?
Ø They were ruthless!
Ex- leader of the SA wanted to replace the army with the SA, so Hitler killed the SA leader
Ø The Depression made people mad at the government
Ø Nazis offered hope- promised change, a new powerful Germany
¨
How was the Nazi state ruled?
v Mass participation
¨ Wanted to get everyone involved in the state to dominate Europe or even the world for 1,000 years
¨ Spectacle
Ø Parades, mass speeches, and music all to arouse passion among the citizens
Ø Tried to promote unity by combining aspects of a religious ceremony and amusement
v Authoritarian anarchy
¨ Parallel government and party bureaucracies compete for influence over foreign policy, education, and the economy
¨ Why would Hitler want this fighting between government and party?
Ø So Hitler would not have to make a decisions
Ø Chaos, so Hitler was viewed as a final authority
v Economic control
¨ Business was in private hands but government controlled it
¨ Goal: end unemployment
Ø Private construction co get government grants
Ø Public works
Ø **Rearmament
¨ Unemployment dropped à public acceptance
¨ German Labor Front = a national union controlled by the government
Ø Entertainment for workers (trips, sports, etc)
v Force and Terror
¨ Until ’34, mostly SA was involved in the use of force
¨ June- purge
¨ SS- originally Hitler’s bodyguards
Ø Indoctrinated in racism
Ø Became the new SA
Ø Terror: CC, death camps, death squads
Ø Ideology- SS was thoroughly indoctrinated in racism
v Perversion of “normal” groups
¨ Catholic and Protestant Churches
¨ Schools and Universities
¨ Doctors, women, lawyer, etc groups
¨ All these groups were turned to be pro-Nazi
¨ Youth
Ø Hitler Youth and Girls Groups were taught to give all their energy to the state and even die for the state, and even tell on their parents
v Anti-Semitism (learn in Jewish history)
¨ Goebbels
¨ Gradual growth of anti-Semitic policies
Ø April 1st, 1933 boycott
Ø Exclusion of Jews from influential positions
Ø 1935 Nuremberg Laws- Jews lost citizenship
Defines “Jews” racially
Ø Hassle
¨ Kristallnacht- turned to violence
v Women
¨ Women should be wives and mothers
¨ Couldn’t work in heavy industry because this could harm them producing strong children
¨ Women could be social workers or nurses, but men had the big prominent jobs
¨ Women had limited job opportunities
v Nazi rule over Europe 1939-1941
¨ Conquered lands
Ø Annexed- western Poland
Ø Administration by Germans with varying degrees of collaborationist governments
Ø Different areas were treated differently based on their race (Denmark was not treated badly- they were blonder and bluer than the German Aryans!)
Ø Killed all educated people and leaders (Hitler killed all the Polish priests right away!)
¨ Economic exploitation
Ø Forced labor
Forced Polish to do manual labor
4 million Russians were forced to work as well
¨ Resistance movements
Ø Ukraine and the Baltic initially welcomed the Germans as liberators from Communists. But then they had horrible, inhumane treatment à resistance
Ø Free French- Charles de Gaulle “government in exile”
Ø Tito- Yugoslavia
250,000 partisans who fought guerilla style against the Germans (including 100,000 women- women were good assassins and spies)
Ø After the invasion, Communists often led resistance to Germans à some conflict with anti-Communists who were afraid of Communist domination later
Ø Very very very limited resistance in Germany
White Rose
¶ Opposed Hitler because he was immoral
¶ Printed pamphlets to arouse people against the Germans
¶ Problem: there were only 8 people involved in the White Rose. They were the only noble Germans who stood up against Nazism and Hitler. But Hitler killed all 8 members L
July plot Colonel Count von Staffenberg- only plot that came close to succeeding (planted a bomb in Hitler’s headquarters that exploded but did not kill Hitler)
v Holocaust (Jewish History)
v Art
¨ Nazi art
Ø Realistic with romantic vision
Ø Rejected most of the 20th century art trends
¨ Other art (Nazis hated this stuff)
Ø Picasso Guernica (expressed the horror of war, especially the Spanish Civil War)
Ø Giocometti City Square
Most people view this sculpture as expressing people being lonely in a crowd, however Giocometti denied ever having that intention
Ø
¨
v
No comments:
Post a Comment