Background Notes: Fascism and Hitler S Ideology Nelson/IB History

Background Notes: Fascism and Hitler’s Ideology Nelson/IB History

What is fascism? When Mussolini was asked what Fascism meant, he replied cryptically ‘It is action.’i

What do you think he meant?

How would the Fascist Ideology be different from other mainstream ideologies?

The Check List: Fascism Nazism Anti-communism Extreme nationalism Racial-superiority concept Anti-Semitism Aggressive foreign policy

Characteristics of Fascism:

□ One of the most ______political phenomena of the twentieth century. ii Born between ____ and _____. □ Possible to view fascism as the “most ______new ______idea of the twentieth century.”iii □ Fascism can be seen as a kind of _____ force, lying somewhere between ______and communism. iv □ The ideology was designed to create a ______type of society (a ______).v □ Fascism is ______□ Deny individual rights; the ______party state is ______. □ The state encourages ______, and depends on a strong, loyal ______force (The Nazi ___, or Schutzstaffel) □ Uses ______, brute force, and extensive ______to maintain power. □ Fascism was anti-______and anti-______. □ ______- Power structures of a single party state. ______control of the political, economic, ______, social and cultural institutions of the society. □ Fascism uses ______at its base. (Although Mussolini essentially copied this idea from the Nazis) o Creation of a ______enemy: race, communists, & capitalists. □ German philosopher-historian Ernst Nolte developed the theory of the Three Faces of Fascism in his book. o Italian fascism was the mature form of opposition to the social and political reforms of the French Revolution. o Nazism was ______fascism. o Ideological ______-______against communist internationalism.vi □ Historian Stanley Payne called fascism an “ideology of populist ultra-______advocating national ______. vii □ Fascism offered an “______revolution” in the aftermath of the First World War, promise of ______conquest. Hitler’s Ideology:

After the failed ______beer hall ______, in November, _____, when the army, the police and the Bavarian government refused to offer support to Hitler’s coup d’état attempt, he was sentenced to five years in ______for ______. He only served 13 months. During his time in prison he did two things:

1. Made the decision to ______the Nazi Party into a major ______political party & created a plan to gain power.

2. He wrote down all of his ideological ideas in Mein Kampf (______) (Rot with errors in this 752 book, that he hoped would become a “______” for his followers.

Hitler’s Ideology and Aims:

Nazi Party (NSDAP , the National-sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei)

I. Objective #1- “Complete ______over the country by the leaders of the movement.”viii

II. “Use of ______was viewed as a crucial weapon in winning ______support.”ix He believed that the masses could be ______if a message was ______enough times. He believed that the masses could be ______if a message was ______enough times. He believed that the masses could be ______if a message was ______enough times. In Hitler’s view, the mass of voters “will more easily fall victim to a ______lie than to a ______one.”x

III. Major theme of his book: ______According to Hitler, life was a struggle between the ______and ______races. ______races would conquer the ______races. World was divided into three racial groups: ______– “Those who create cultures.” “the bearers of culture”- Those who ______from the Aryans. The “______peoples”- capable only of destroying culturesxi Key barriers to success were the ______and ______Anti-______provided a convenient scapegoat for Germany’s ills of the Depression Create a German Reich of ______million “racially ______” Germans IV. Hitler wanted to create a type of “______community.” (Volksgemeinschaft) Return to primitive rural form of society based on “______” ______Germany’s medieval past.

V. Authoritarian Government No democracy. Everything was to be decided by “______man” and an “______of leaders.”xii

VI. The Nazi state would ______promote equality, only ______of ______. xiii A Nazi state would seek to ______class barriers, but would ______that there would be differences among individuals in talent, status, and wealth. The state must ______the victory of the ______and ______.

VII. Abolishment of the ______of ______- (The greatest # of pages in Mein Kampf) Key to Hitler’s foreign policy Extend German territory to its ______frontiers. Create a larger German ______. Include all German speakers in Austria and the ______(a region of Czechoslovakia) *Gain ______(______space) in eastern Europe. i Thurlow, Richard. Fascism: Perspectives in History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 1 ii Ibid, p2 iii Ibid, p2 iv Ibid, p2 v Ibid, p2 vi Ibid, p5 vii Ibid, p5 viii McDonough, Frank. Hitler and Nazi Germany: Perspectives in History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 13. ix Ibid, p13 x Ibid, p13 xi Ibid, p13 xii Ibid, p14 xiii Ibid, p14