Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan

The chaos that followed in the wake of World War I allowed and encouraged the establishment of totalitarian regimes. Totalitarianism is a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and required complete subservience to the state. It took place in Germany, Italy,and Japan. This type of militarism went on in many different countries and for many different reasons.

While both Italian and German fascism in the interwar years were very similar, they were ultimately more different due to their political ideologies, foreign policies and the structure of their respective parties. Fascism, while not having a concrete definition can be defined by multiple attributes. Fascism usually consist of a ultra right wing, oppressive and authoritarian government that places a heavy emphasis on national identity. As such, fascist governments promote violence and the expansion through wars with the intent of imperialism.

Nationalism contributed to the outbreaks of wars in the nineteenth century. During Germany’s unification, Bismarck aimed to eliminate all opposition to the imperial state. Bismarck fought three wars in which he increased Prussia’s power and expanded Prussian territory, paving the way for German unification. “This contest can only be settled by blood and iron. There is one way to guarantee our success.” (Document 5). In Italy, a nationalist movement, the Risorgimento, passed onto Sardinia with the hope of uniting among other states. Count Camillo Cavour, the Prime Minister of Sardinia, allied with Britain and France while acknowledging Austria to be Italy’s biggest barrier against unification. After negotiating a clandestine arrangement with France,

Nationalism is a powerful force that can unite people working towards a common goal, but when it is taken to the extreme it can cause major disharmony in society, evident in the numerous genocides during the Age of Imperialism, the Fascist party's rise to power, and the Japanese’s unwillingness to surrender during World War II. Nationalism is dangerous, because it warps the minds of the individuals in the organization, creates prejudice and discrimination, and can be easily manipulated into a weapon against humanity.

Nationalism is key characteristic in the 20th century and Germany was the primary country to demonstrate this, with National Socialism. Germans showed their patriotism and loyalty to their country and fellow citizens. “National Socialism affected many Germans… [it] was for them the fulfillment of their dearest wishes. It lifted them out of their insignificance. That is should come to power at the expense of innocent victims did not worry them” (Wiesenthal 91). For the Jews, the human experience was to be treated like a person

When World War II had began in 1939, there were two sides that were involved. One being the axis powers that included Japan, Italy and Germany. The other side being the allied powers that included the United States, Britain and France. The axis powers had a different government system than those on the allies side. These countries had one ultimate leader and created a society as if it were a dictatorship. Nationalism was a strong belief on the axis side causing the leaders to become extremists and torture the citizens if they had not believed in what was thought of as “right”. On the other side, the allies had a democratic government leaving the citizens with a chance to have a say on what was going

While the Nazi regime rose to power, they employed ultra-nationalist techniques in order to inspire the German people to band together and rise above the depression and gain their support. Hitler and the Nazis rose to power by “opposing democracy, individualism, and equality with ideas of national or racial superiority” (Goff 238). Additionally, Hitler created an Anschluss, which united German and Austrian people under a common government because they shared a common language. This trend continued throughout the war from Germany, and they tried to unite people under one empire, while the government discarded the “inferiors” from their realm. Nationalism in WWII was similarly prevalent in Japan, where the Japanese were fueled by ultra-nationalism to invade other countries and exert domination over neighboring areas. The Japanese felt a desire to expand their territory and the Japanese people supported their aggressive tactics to increase their political and economic growth. In Japan, the “ultranationalists saw their nation and people as superior to other Asians” and this ideaology caused the people to believe “it was their mission to rule Asia” (Goff 241). This idea inspired the Japanese military to expand into China and dominate the Chinese, which created destruction and genocide. Nationalism in WWII was more destructive than ever seen before, because it drove people to oppress and exterminate entire cultures and religious

They had this same mindset with Japan as that country had expanded its reach to other countries such as Manchuria and China in mid-1930s(Foner, 907-908). It became concerning when Italy’s leader, Benito Mussolini, began to side with Hitler and his idea of fascism, an aggressive form of nationalism; however, the other countries such as France, Britain, and America did nothing to stop their campaign. The official start of WWII was on June 14, 1940, when Germany invaded Poland, who were unable to prepare for the attack and quickly surrendered. Britain and France sent an ultimatum for Germany to withdraw its troops from Poland, which they outright refuse, creating the start of the allied powers including Britain and France(and later America), and also creating the axis powers including Germany, Japan, and Italy. All while this is happening Hitler is launching his final plans as “-his armies had penetrated eastern Europe in 1941, moreover, Hitler embarked on the ‘final solution’-the mass extermination of ‘undesirable’ peoples-slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, and, above all, Jews.

The Common Factors that Led to the Establishment of Totalitarian Regimes in Italy and Germany in the Inter-War Period

Fascism is the philosophy of government that glorifies the state and nation and assigns control to the state. Mussolini believes that "the foundation of Fascism is the conception of the State, its character, its duty, and its aim." While the state is responsible for organizing the nation, there is a sufficient amount of liberty for the individual. Under Fascism, an Empire is able to lead other nations without conquering them. It resembles Social Darwinism closely. The idea of the survival of the fittest means that the strong nation comes out ahead, and Mussolini promises to become the strongest. With a strong dictatorial leader, wants can be achieved through obtaining strong military and brute force alone. It promoted masculine heroism, militarism, and discipline. Enormous amounts of money were dedicated to military, and to serve in the military was an honor. It proved successful in the

Even with the growing concern of communism spreading throughout Europe and Asia. With Germany’s new dictator blatantly breaking the terms of the Versailles treaty, and rebuilding Germany’s army. Hitler wanted to avenge Germany’s loss in WWI and reclaim all Countries in Europe with German’s residing in it, and to rid them of any Jewish people, ultimately creating an all Aryan race. Japan also broke agreements made to limit their Naval power, by beginning to build a war ready fleet. Also the start of the Japan-China war in July of 1937. “War is to the man what maternity is to the woman….Peace [is]... depressing and a negation of all the fundamental virtues of man” Bentio Mussilini ( Roark, 2012, p. 826). Italy was hungry for war, and had it eyes set on Africa. With multiple threats of invasions by the Axis powers. America and it’s allies made verbal objections but did not act on any of them. Tension grew tight in Europe, and eventually erupted when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Thus beginning World War II, shortly after this Japan and Italy sided with Germany, they became known as the Axis powers. Even with all out war around the world, America did not join in to defend democracy around the world until December 7, 1941. President Roosevelt stated that the attack on Pearl Harbor was “ A date which will live in infamy”. He asked Congress to declare

They adopted the policy of strong government and control over the economy. By 1935, Mussolini was the dictator of Italy. Fascism was embraced in Germany by the National Socialist German Workers Party, also known as the Nazis. They were advocating the superiority of the German race. On January 1933 Hitler was appointed in a powerful position.

After World War 1, many Americans believed that the nation should never again become involved in a war. In the 1930s, in Italy, Germany, and Japan, economic hard times due to the worldwide depression toppled the democratic government. Ambitious rulers seized power and set out to conquer neighboring lands. No one tried to stop them. By the 1930s, dictators had gained control of Italy (Benito Mussolini) and Germany (Adolf Hitler). Mussolini played an Italian anger over the Treaty of Versailles that ended WW1, the economic troubles, and fear of a communist revolution to bring his party to power (Fascist Party). He outlawed all political parties except his own. He controlled the press, law, enforcement, and schools. He demanded total obedience.

After World War I, defeated Germany, disappointed Italy, and ambitious Japan were anxious to regain or increase their power; all three eventually adopted forms of dictatorship (see National Socialism and fascism) that made the state supreme and called for expansion at the expense of neighboring countries. These three countries also set themselves up as champions against Communism, thus gaining at least partial tolerance of their early actions from the more conservative groups in the Western democracies. Also important was a desire for peace on the part of the democracies, which resulted in their military unpreparedness. Finally, the League of Nations, weakened from the start by the defection of the United States, was unable to promote disarmament (see Disarmament Conference); moreover, the long economic depression sharpened national rivalries, increased fear and distrust, and made the masses susceptible to the promises of demagogues.

The political and social conditions of Europe before the onset of the World War I were extremely unstable and undergoing a rapid transition that was driven by national interests of different nations living in the region. Nationalism was endorsed to promote patriotism among masses and to achieve political objectives that were in alignment with the national or political interests of countries. As the time passed, the growing influence of imperialism and the ideology of nationalism manifested multifaceted