Totalitarian_dictators

=**Totalitarian dictators**=

Totalitarianism is a dictatorship that controls all aspects of life (political, social, and economic). There would be a rise of totalitarian dictators in Europe after World War I during the years of worldwide depression, since economic unrest and instability led people to support anyone who could bring back wealth.

__Italy__: Fascism would be the ideology of the dictatorship set up in Italy. It is an authoritarian ideology that considers the nation more important than the individual, believes order will come through a dictator, admires the military and building an empire, and elimination of opposition. It is actually a different form of socialism in that Mussolini was a socialist but fascism appealed to him. Mussolini never renounced his socialist beliefs. The Blackshirts, the Fascist militia, led a march on Rome in 1922 to oppose communists; King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Benito Mussolini as premier; he set up a dictatorship. Mussolini, called Il Duce, set up a police state (repressive control over all aspects of life). He controlled propaganda and education. Mussolini wanted a nation “great, respected, and feared.”

__Soviet Union__: Communism was set up after World War I when the Czar was overthrown. It was set up by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Lenin set up a system with government ownership of property (Socialism). He instituted one-party rule, suppressed liberties, and punished opponents. Stalin developed five year economic plans with increased production and decreased wages (socialism = tax dollars). In addition he set up collectivization of farms – family farms were taken by the government; those who resisted or hoarded were starved; famines killed about 10 million; purges killed political opposition.

__Japan__: Imperial Japan wasn't a totalitarian dictatorship like other European nations, but would be controlled by the military, which would control Japan. The major problem for Japan is that they have a trade-deficit (they rely on imports and therefore import more than they export). The depression and foreign tariffs hurt the Japanese economy. Japan's military officers blamed politicians. Therefore, the officers and civilian supporters wanted to seize territory for resources. The emperor was Hirohito. Japan gained territory in the Manchurian Incident. The Manchurian Incident (Mukden Incident) began when the Kwangtung (Japanese) army blew up a railroad bridge and blamed China. They then took Manchuria and renamed it Manchukuo. Manchuria was rich in natural resources. The League of Nations condemned Japan, which caused Japan to walked out of the League of Nations. Nothing was done to punish Japan. A war mentality continued to grow in Japan and in 1941 General Tojo Hideki was named premier.

__Germany__: After World War I, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. However, the treaty was harsh on Germany. They had to give up their colonies, demilitarize the Rhineland, be occupied for 15 years, limit their military, pay large reparations, and accept the war guilt. The harshness of the treaty along with the depression that severely hurt the whole world and was worse for Germany due to the paying of high reparations, the stage was set for a change in the style of government in Germany. In the Weimar Republic (Germany's post-WWI government), Gustave Streseman improved Germany as Chancellor and Foreign Minister in the 1920s; Paul von Hindenburg was a longtime war hero and politician who came back into politics at age 84.

__United States__: The Great Depression caused domestic instability in the U.S. as well and also caused a change in leadership. However, the change of leadership in the U.S. was peaceful and through elections. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover in the election 1932. Two major differences between the U.S. and Europe were the United States maintained the democratic constitutional system and FDR didn't eliminate opposition to set up a totalitarian regime. In addition, the Dawes Plan allowed the U.S. to lend money to Germany to pay reparations. It was replaced by the Young Plan. In the depression, the U.S. could no longer lend and Germany could no longer pay its reparations = more instability in Germany (they printed money and used printed money to pay reparations...led to hyperinflation in Germany).

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