The Rise of Dictators
The totalitarian states did away with
individual freedoms.
The Rise of Dictators (cont.)
• Many European nations became totalitarian
states in which governments controlled the
political, economic, social, intellectual, and
cultural lives of its citizens.
• These new powerful regimes used
propaganda to conquer the minds of their
subjects and limited individual freedoms.
The Rise of Dictators (cont.)
• In Italy, Socialists spoke of revolution in
response to severe economic problems. The
middle class feared a Communist takeover
similar to the one that occurred in Russia.
• Benito Mussolini created
the first European fascist
movement in Italy.
The Rise of Dictators (cont.)
• Mussolini’s policy of fascism glorified the
state above the individual by focusing on a
strong central state led by a dictatorial ruler.
• In 1922 Mussolini
became prime minister
of Italy. He outlawed all
political parties and
established a secret
police that could arrest
anyone for political or
nonpolitical crimes.
The Rise of Dictators (cont.)
• Mussolini established total control over his
people and exercised control over all media
outlets.
• He wanted to create a
nation of orderly and
war-ready people, but
in reality most Fascists
maintained traditional
social attitudes.
A New Era in the USSR
In the Soviet Union, Stalin maintained
total power by murdering his political
opponents.
A New Era in the USSR (cont.)
• Lenin adopted a new policy called the New
Economic Policy (NEP).
– Peasants were allowed
to sell their produce
openly.
– Retail stores and small
industries that
employed less than 20
workers could be
privately owned and
operated.
A New Era in the USSR (cont.)
• The NEP brought agricultural production
back up and revived the market.
• In 1922 Lenin and the
Communists created
the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics
(USSR).
• After Lenin’s death in
1924, the Politburo
became divided over
the future direction of
the Soviet Union.
A New Era in the USSR (cont.)
• Joseph Stalin used his position as general
secretary to gain control of the Communist
Party by giving political positions in
exchange for support.
• By 1929 Stalin had
created a powerful
dictatorship and
launched the Five-Year
Plans to rapidly
transform Russia from an
agricultural society into
an industrial country.
A New Era in the USSR (cont.)
• The government implemented the
collectivization of agriculture. Peasants
resisted by hoarding crops and killing
livestock, which led to widespread famine.
• Stalin established complete
control over the Communist
Party by sending his opposition
to work in forced labor camps in
Siberia. Old Bolsheviks of the
1917 revolution were put on trial
and condemned to death.
Authoritarian States in the West
Authoritarian governments in the West
worked to preserve the existing social
order.
Authoritarian States in the West (cont.)
• Many eastern European nations adopted
parliamentary systems after World War I,
but were soon replaced with authoritarian
regimes.
• The landowners,
churches, and some
members of the middle
class did not want land
reforms to take place.
They feared ethnic and
peasant unrest could
lead to communism.
Authoritarian States in the West (cont.)
• These groups wanted an authoritarian leader
to uphold traditional social order.
• Only Czechoslovakia was
able to maintain its
political democracy.
• In Spain, Francisco
Franco led a military
revolt against the
democratic government,
resulting in a brutal civil
war.
Authoritarian States in the West (cont.)
• The Spanish Civil War ended when Franco’s
forces captured Madrid in 1939.
• Franco established an authoritarian
dictatorship, rather than a totalitarian
regime, that favored traditional groups of
large landowners, businesspeople, and
Catholic clergy.
THE END
of
Section 2