The Interwar Period and WWII
Wikimedia Commons · Unknown author · Public domainThe Rise of Fascism and Nazism
Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany and the collapse of democratic government.
60-Second Review
Express reviewA condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.
- Postwar Crisis: Italy's Mutilated Victory and Weimar's Fragile Democracy. Postwar crisis and fear of Bolshevik revolution discredited liberal government in Italy and Germany alike.
- Ideological Origins: Fascism and National Socialism. Fascism and Nazism rejected liberal democracy and Marxism, exalting nation, race, and the leader cult.
- Mussolini's Rise to Power (1919-1922). Mussolini turned a failed 1919 movement into power through squadrist violence and the March on Rome.
- Hitler's Rise to Power (1919-1933). Hitler rebuilt the NSDAP after a failed 1923 coup and reached power legally amid Depression crisis.
- Consolidation: the Matteotti Crisis, the Fascistissime Laws, and the Enabling Act. The Matteotti murder and the Reichstag Fire became pretexts for dismantling parliamentary rule.
- Terror and Racial Persecution: OVRA, the Gestapo, and the Nuremberg Laws. Both regimes built secret police and moved to codified, escalating racial persecution of Jews.
- Economy and Propaganda: Corporativism, Autarky, and the Cult of the Leader. Both regimes combined state-directed economies with propaganda built on the cult of the leader.
- Expansion, War, Collapse, and the Historiographical Debate. Both regimes expanded abroad before collapsing in 1943-1945, leaving contested historical legacies.
This module continues after "The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.
Key points
11. Postwar Crisis: Italy's Mutilated Victory and Weimar's Fragile Democracy22. Ideological Origins: Fascism and National Socialism33. Mussolini's Rise to Power (1919-1922)44. Hitler's Rise to Power (1919-1933)55. Consolidation: the Matteotti Crisis, the Fascistissime Laws, and the Enabling Act66. Terror and Racial Persecution: OVRA, the Gestapo, and the Nuremberg Laws77. Economy and Propaganda: Corporativism, Autarky, and the Cult of the Leader88. Expansion, War, Collapse, and the Historiographical Debate
Visual module map
1Postwar Crisis: Italy's Mutilated Victory and Weimar's Fragile Democracy
2Mussolini's Rise to Power (1919-1922)
3Consolidation: the Matteotti Crisis, the Fascistissime Laws, and the Enabling Act
4Terror and Racial Persecution: OVRA, the Gestapo, and the Nuremberg Laws
5Expansion, War, Collapse, and the Historiographical Debate
Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.
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Final test
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Optional mini-games
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Further reading
Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.
- Robert O. Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism.
- Ian Kershaw, Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris.
- Ian Kershaw, Hitler: 1936-1945 Nemesis.
- R.J.B. Bosworth, Mussolini.
- William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
- Renzo De Felice, Mussolini il fascista.
- Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism.
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf.
- Richard J. Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich.