Fascism Spreads Through Europe

Mussolini and Military Aggression

• 1936 Mussolini leads his military in a swift campaign and conquer Ethiopia.

• Used poison gas and executed most prisoners of war.

General Franco, Fascism, and Spain

Ultra-Nationalism and the Military

• Franco led the radical; Farlange movement that was a nationalist military rebellion.

• Revolted against democratic government in 1936.

• Started civil war between Franco’s military forces and the republican government.

• Mussolini and Hitler aided Franco. • The republican gov. was aided by volunteers

and supplies from the Soviet Union.

Art speaks of War

Guernica

Bombing of Guernica

• Guernica was bombed April 1937 using Germany’s new air force the “Luftwaffe”

• Hundreds of civilians where killed causing worldwide outrage.

What do you think?

• Should the military be closely tied with the government or leadership?

• What role should the military play in politics?

Adolf Hitler

• “All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions”

Rise of Hitler

• Born an Austrian • WWI veteran• By 1919 he was involved in a Ultra-nationalist

political party.• Took control of party in 1921 and renamed it National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP)or Nazi for short.

A failed coup d'éta

• In 1923 Hitler with the support of tens of thousands of party membersand a 15,000 man militiaknown as the “brownshirts”Attempted an uprising Beer Hall Putsch.After failing Hitler was sent to prison.

• After prison Hitler expanded the Nazi party to nearly a million members and gained control over the Reichstag-German Parliament.

• 1933 With fears of communism growing German elites pushed President Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor and form a new government.

Hitler Attains Totalitarian Control

-Two months after becoming chancellor Hitler convinces parliament to pass the Enabling Act which suspended the German constitution and gave Hitler legal and complete control over Germany.•Hitler was voted into power in part because the Reichstag building had been burned and this was blamed on communist revolutionaries.

How did Hitler Gain Popular Support?

• Bad economy• Weak corrupt government (Weimar Republic)• Strong threat of Communism• Germans desire for a strong nationalist

movement to regain pride and position lost in WWI and the Versailles treaty.

Hitler’s views on gaining power

• "How fortunate for leaders that men do not think."

• “The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.”

• Mussolini created the first fascist state.• Franco created a less extreme version of

fascism in Spain. • Hitler would take fascism to a new height and

extreme with Nazism in Germany.

Fascists Traits

• -Anti-democratic• -Rejected Enlightenment philosophy of reason• -Believed war was necessary and noble.• -Anti-communist

Major Fascist States

• Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain