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Unit:
The Interwar Years,
1918-1939
Subject: World History II
Grade Level: 10th
Day of Unit: 3
Topic: The rise of dictators/totalitarianism
SOL Standard: WHII.11
Kind of Lesson: Concept formation
Question to be Answered: What is totalitarianism?
Overview: This lesson will be taught to high school sophomores in mid-March at a high school
in Virginia. The "Interwar Years" unit will last 4 days, plus a 5th day for a test. Provided pacing
holds true, I will begin teaching students about the rise of dictators in the interwar period on the
third day of the unit. Learning about the rise of dictators and the rise in totalitarian rulers is listed
as part of the essential knowledge associated with SOL standard WHII.11. In this concept
formation lesson, students will use examples to create a conceptual definition of
"totalitarianism."
Lesson objective(s):
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rise of dictators in Europe and Asia during
the interwar period (SOL WHII.11).
2. Students will be able to identify and explain the critical attributes of the concept of
totalitarianism.
3. Students with be able to compare and contrast potential examples of totalitarian rulers
and explain why or why not a given example is an example/is not an example of a
totalitarian dictator.
Definition: Totalitarianism is defined as "of, relating to, being, or imposing a form of
government in which the political authority [usually a single party with a powerful ruler]
exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life and the individual is
subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is suppressed." There is
no room for other political opinions and the leader tends to be supported by a "cult of
personality."
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Procedure:
1. Students will work in groups for this activity.
2. In groups, students will be asked to read through three different examples (Appendix C)
describing the concept of totalitarianism.
I. Before beginning to read the examples, students will be given a worksheet (Appendix
A), on which they are to fill in a table by answering the prompted questions. These
questions are designed to help the students investigate whether or not the example has the
characteristics of a totalitarian regime/totalitarianism. They will use these questions to
guide their readings.
3. Students will review the table (Appendix A) with the teacher.
4. Each group will then be given one of the examples to read and annotate (laminated and colorcoded copies).
5. The groups will use the information in the example to fill in the chart.
6. The groups will then rotate to a new table where they will find a new (different-colored)
example to read through and annotate. They will then repeat Step #5. Students will repeat this
step and Step #5 again until all examples have been read by all groups.
7. Each group will then complete the worksheet (Appendix B) on the back of the table.
8. Reconvene as a class.
9. The teacher will go through the answers to questions on Appendix B.
10. After learning that the concept is totalitarianism/totalitarian rulers, students will read through
more passages/examples (Appendix D) to determine if these examples are/are not examples of
totalitarianism.
I. They will use the key characteristics determined earlier in the lesson to evaluate these
examples vs. non-examples. They will fill this in on a worksheet (Appendix E).
11. At the end of the activity, students will get a primer sheet on the five dictators mentioned in
this SOL standard:
I. Adolf Hitler
II. Benito Mussolini
III. Joseph Stalin
IV. Hirahito
V. Hideki Tojo
** Students can use these to help fill in the basic information on the "Fakebook" dictators
assignment/project.
Assessment: Formative
 Small group work on the tables, reporting during class discussions,
accuracy on examples vs. non-examples portion of lesson
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Appendix A:
What kind of
government system is
in place? Is there a
two-party, one-party,
or multi-party system?
Is power shared
between different
parties or is a single
party (or person) in
power?
1
2
3
How tolerant of
other political
parties or
political opinions
is the
government?
Does the individual
have any real power
under the system of
government?
Has a "cult of
personality"
developed around
the government's
leader? If so, how
do you know?
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Appendix B:
Name: _____________________________ Date: ____________________ Block: _____
Worksheet:
Identifying a Concept
Directions: Read the examples carefully. After you read the passages, you will fill out the
chart on the back of this page. This chart will help us work towards identifying a
particular concept. Afterwards, we will discuss and answer as a whole class the
questions below. (When thinking about answers to these questions, look at the column
headings on the chart.)
1. What are the differences between the different examples?
2. What are the similarities between the different examples?
3. What do you think the THREE (3) most important similarities between the examples
are?
1. __________________________________________________________
2___________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. Try to define the concept in less than 25 words.
5. What do you think is the name of the concept? ______________________________
FINAL REVEAL: The concept is ____________________________.
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Appendix C:
Concept Examples:
Totalitarianism/Totalitarian Dictators
1. This individual came to power in the mid-1930s. Though he originally wanted to be a painter,
he would leave his artistic dreams behind to become a powerful political figure in his country.
Under his rule, his socialist political party exercised absolute authority. No other political beliefs
or parties were permitted to exist. A charismatic speaker, this ruler created his own fan club, in a
sense, organizing youth rallies and drawing large crowds at his speaking events. His popularity
grew because he did things like passing legislation mandating work holidays for the workforce,
which he did in 1933. However, such actions only hid his real goal, which was weakening the
power of the people against the government, which he proved by outlawing trade unions mere
days after passing the work holiday law. He surrounded himself with officials and party
members who trusted him and who boosted his own ego. His party's control over this country, as
well as his favor with the people, gave him considerable power.
Answer: Adolf Hitler; Nazi Party regime in Germany
2. This individual was a Communist. He was the leader of a one-party government in the 1930s
that seized control of all aspects of life, including the economy, politics, and society. This oneparty system had been in place since about 1920, winning favor with the people by promising
"land, peace, and bread." He surrounded himself with people loyal to him in order to prop up and
maintain his own power. This leader was revered by the people, with cities being renamed in his
honor and statues being placed in towns all of the country. His legend would extend beyond his
own life, as these statues would remain in place until his political party's fall from power in the
1990s. As is typical with communism, this leader limited the rights and the power of the people
living in his country, believing in a "one-for-all" mentality. If someone disobeyed his party's
commands or laws, he would imprison them or even send them to labor camps.
Answer: Joseph Stalin, Communist party in the Soviet Union
3.This ruler came to power in a European country in the early-1920s and would rule until the
mid-1940s. He was a radical socialist and established a Fascist one-party government when he
became prime minister in 1922. This leader maintained a strong military force to ensure that his
rule was not threatened by other political ideologies or the public; under his Fascist reign, the
people's powers were limited and they were essentially under paramilitary rule. He passed the
Acerbo Law, which essentially all but guaranteed his party would remain in power. During
votes, this leader would station people loyal to him in the legislative body; these officials would
then report back to the leader anyone who voted against his party. Despite the harsh conditions
of his rule, this political leader was able to eventually gain a popular following with the people
by promising famously to "make the trains run on time." He also promised workers in his
country to institute an 8-hour workday, gaining more favor. Making promises such as these
distracted people from the truth: he was really reducing the power of the individual.
Answer: Benito Mussolini, Fascist party in Italy
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Appendix D:
Concept Examples vs. Non-Examples:
Totalitarianism or Not?
1. Example for the al-Assads
2. Example for Saddam Hussein
3. Example for Robert Mugabe
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Appendix E:
Name: __________________________________ Date: ______________________ Block: ____
Concept Examples vs. Non-Examples:
Totalitarianism or Not?
What characteristics of the concept can
you identify in the examples?
1.
2.
3.
#1: Totalitarian
Not totalitarian
#2: Totalitarian
Not totalitarian
#3: Totalitarian
Not totalitarian
What details in the example are NOT in
line with the characteristics of the
concept?
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Name: _____________________________ Date: __________________________ Block: _____
Notes:
Dictators of the Interwar Period
1. Adolf Hitler
Country: Germany
Type of Government: Dictatorship (Totalitarianism)
Political Philosophy: National Socialism, aka. Nazism
Goals and ideals:
 Inflation and economic depression gave Hitler and
the Nazi Party the chance to rise to power
- The depression made democracy look pretty
bad = made it easy for Hitler to blame
democracy and capitalism for the economic
crisis
 Felt Western powers would not use force to maintain
the rules set in the Treaty of Versailles
 Was anti-Semitic and developed anti-Jewish culture
and policy in Germany
 Goal = "lebensraum"
- Lebensraum = German for "living space"
- Wants more territory to expand Germany's borders and more space for the
German people to live/reproduce
 Wants all German-speaking people to live within German borders
- Leads to the Anschluss - Hitler annexes (basically steals control of) Austria
 Hates Communism
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Benito Mussolini
Country: Italy
Type of Government: Dictatorship (Totalitarianism)
Political Philosophy: Fascism
Goals and ideals:
 Centralized all power in himself (total control of social,
economic, and political life)
 Ambition to restore the glory of Rome and create a vast
Italian empire
 Ordered Italian troops to invade of Ethiopia (mandate
system connection)
 Alliance with Hitler’s Germany (during WWII)
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3. Joseph Stalin
Country: U.S.S.R. (Soviet Union)
Type of Government: Dictatorship (Totalitarianism)
Political Philosophy: Communism
Goals and ideas:
 Crushed opponents and took control after Lenin’s
death
 Held absolute authority; suppressed resistance
 Brought his country to world power status but
imposed upon it one of the most ruthless regimes in
history
 New Economic Policies (NEP)
- Collectivization: exported seized goods and
gained enough capital to finance a massive
industrialization drive
- Rapid industrialization: three 5-year plans
 The Great Purges
- KGB = secret police killed thousands of
army officers and prominent Bolsheviks who
opposed Stalin
 Hates Nazism (and Hitler, really, because he's a Nazi)
- Feared the growing power of Nazi Germany
4. Hideki Tojo and Hirahito
Country: Japan
Type of Government: Dictatorship (Totalitarianism)
Political Philosophy:
Hideki Tojo: Military minster of Japan
Hirahito: Emperor of Japan
Goals and ideas:
 Though Japan had an emperor, the military
had taken control of the government
- Emperor Hirohito could not stand up
to the powerful generals, but he was
worshipped
by the people, who often fought in his name
 Industrialization of Japan, lending to a drive for raw materials
- How do you get raw materials? IMPERIALISM!
- Japan conducted aggressive imperialistic policies in Asia: invasion of
Korea, Manchuria, and the rest of China (the League of Nations did
nothing)