Between the Wars:
1920-1939
The Rise of Totalitarian
States
The Rise of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini
Fascism and Totalitarian States
Remember how Germans felt after the humiliation of WWI and the Treaty
of Versailles- Hitler and the NAZI party made them feel strong and proud
to be Germans
What is Totalitarianism and how
is it different from Fascism?
 
Totalitarianism is when the State has total unlimited power over every
aspect of the government and people. (Education, Economy, Laws,
Belief System)
 
 
Fascism is reactionary. It recalls a non-existent national past of greatness
which it promise to restore. It also appeals to false memories of a
virtuous, rural past. (Great again!!!)
Totalitarianism shares many of the characteristics of fascism, and fascist states are
often also totalitarian, but not every totalitarian state is fascist. Totalitarianism is a
system in which the state has almost total control over its people, through the
techniques common to fascism: propaganda and terror.  
But a totalitarian state leadership may not necessarily endorse the reactionary nature of
fascist ideology.
In 1933, works of authors considered to be against the nation of
Germany were burned.
•  FASCISM – key characteristics:
•  the state supersedes the individual citizen
Collectivism: The state is more important than
the people
•  emphasis on militarism
•  The social contract is dissolved & replaced by a
dictatorship The leader is more important than
the people
•  Nationalism assumes an extreme form & is
used to appeal to the emotions & motivate
populations (NUREMBERG RALLIES)
•  because of this, fascism is unique to the individual
nation
TOTALITARIAN
NATIONALISM
A form of government unique to
the 20th century where
absolute/total power is
concentrated in the hands of
dictator
• 
Associated with leaders such
as Stalin, Hitler, & Mussolini,
each of whom exercised
unprecedented control & was
able to mobilize his nation for
various purposes (ex: war
effort, economic
restructuring)
What is the difference between Fascism and
Communism?
 
While Communism under Stalin emphasized the industrial worker
(the future) Fascism under Hitler emphasized the farmer (the past)
 
Communism is an economic system based on shared ownership of the
means of production creating a society where all are equal.
-No one is rich or poor in a communist system.
-In Communism, it is the community/people that hold the factors of
production and the major resources collectively.
 
Fascism is all about the State and its leader. They are considered on
top of everything.
-In fascism the state is all embracing. It controls every part of your life.
(Education, Work, Conversation, Pregnancy and baby naming
-For the fascists, no human values exist outside the state.
What are the elements of a
totalitarian state?
  Totalitarian
  Indoctrination
  Charisma
  Propaganda
  One Party Rule
  Censorship
  Economic Control
  Terror
  Extreme Nationalism