Fascist Regimes in Europe and elsewhere
from the 1920s to the 1940s
Many of these
regimes
developed as a
result of
problems
caused by
WWI (see e.g.,
the
hyperinflation
of the early
Weimar
Republic)
Fascists differed from country to
country but they did have several
common characteristics
1. They often tried to establish single-party states
guided by one authoritarian ruler or dictator
2. They were extremely nationalistic
3. They denied individual rights through secret police
and paramilitary units, press censorship, bans on
independent labor unions, and other restrictions
4. They controlled the economy, usually in cooperation
with big industrial firms and large landowners.
Fascists typically sought a revival of
some glorious past (e.g., of Ancient
Rome)
Italy was one of the first countries to become ruled
by the Fascists. As a result of the Fascists’ March on
Rome in 1922, they took over the government.
Italy’s democratic form of government was quickly
replaced by a totalitarian dictatorship.
Italy’s main leader was
Benito Mussolini, aka Il Duce
The Black Shirts were some of Mussolini’s
most fervent followers in Italy
Mussolini had originally
worked as a schoolteacher,
then as a journalist. At first
he opposed Italy’s
participation in WWI. Later,
he became a fervent
nationalist and served as a
soldier in WWI. Once he
gained power, he allied Italy
with other Fascist states
like Germany and Spain.
Fascists in Spain cooperated with other
ultraconservative groups. They
generally found support among the
large landowning class, the Catholic
Church, and nationalist groups.
Their opponents were mostly communists,
socialists, and anticlerical groups (atheists, etc.)
but they also included people in favor of liberty
and democracy. These groups supported the
Spanish Republic.
General Franco and the Fascists fought
the Republicans in Spain’s Civil War in
the 1930s
Fascist forces had attacked Republican
Spain from their bases in Morocco
They then got help from Hitler and
Mussolini
For example,
Stuka dive
bombers
from the
Condor
Legion were
largely
responsible
for the
destruction
of the
Basque town
of Guernica
(see Pablo
Picasso’s
painting of
the attack)
Eventually Franco’s
forces won the
Civil War. Franco
remained in
power in Spain
from 1936 until his
death in 1975.
Fascism’s influence
extended well beyond
Europe and World War II.
Leaders like the
Argentinian dictator Juan
Peron tried to imitate
fascist rulers in their own
countries. Some policies
of Baathist rulers like
Hafez al-Assad of Syria or
Saddam Hussein of Iraq
also resembled fascism.