Fascism+in+Italy+&+Germany

Dustin Pham


 * Compare the rise to power of fascism in Italy and Germany.**
 * Fascism in Italy
 * Created by Mussolini, named after Fascio di Combattimento
 * Socialists, liberals, and poplar (Christian Democrats) unable to form an effective government coalition
 * Socialists wanted revolution, alarmed conservatives who associated themselves with Bolsheviks or Communists
 * Mussolini capitalized on fear and shifted from leftist to rightist politics
 * Gained support from middle-class industrialists fearful of working-class agitation
 * Squadristi
 * Bands of armed Fascists, attacked socialist offices and newspapers, strikes broken up by force
 * Created conditions in which Fascism would flourish in
 * Fear of socialism, communist revolution, and disorder made Fascist attractive
 * March on Rome
 * Bluff that frightened the government into giving Fascists power
 * Acerbo Law
 * Any party winning 25% of votes in the next election would be allotted 2/3 of the seats in parliament
 * Fascism in Germany
 * Weimar Republic
 * Hindenburg was president, suffered politically from attacks from both left and right
 * Inability to change basic structure of Germany
 * Economic, political, and social problems allowed rise of Nazis & Hitler
 * Hitler
 * Racism, anti-Semitism
 * SA, basically like the Squadristi of Germany
 * Oratorical skills
 * Appealed to national pride, honor, and traditional militarism
 * Enabling Act
 * Empowered government to dispense with constitutional forms for four years while it issued laws that would deal with the country’s problems

Thesis: Fascism was created in Italy by Mussolini, who was able to create a Fascist Italy due to the failure of the government before; Fascist/Nazi Germany was able to come to power as well due to the failure of the government being unable to solve their economic, political, and social problems.

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