Friday, May 05, 2006

How did Fascism rise in Europe?

Rise of Fascism in Europe
By 1939 most European democracies had collapsed. Only France and Great Britain remained democratic. Benito Mussolini began his political career as a Socialist, but he abandoned socialism for fascism, which glorified the state and justified the suppression of all political dissent. In Italy, Mussolini outlawed most political opposition, but also compromised with powerful groups and never achieved totalitarian control.
Rise of Nazism in Germany
Adolf Hitler, a failed student and artist, built up a small racist, anti-Semitic political party in Germany after World War I. Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch failed. In prison, he wrote Mein Kampf—an account of his movement and his views. As democracy broke down, right-wing elites looked to Hitler for leadership. In 1933 Hitler became chancellor. Amid constant chaos and conflict, Hitler used terror and repression to gain totalitarian control. Meanwhile, a massive rearmament program put Germans back to work. Mass demonstrations and spectacles rallied Germans around Hitler's policies. All major institutions were brought under Nazi control. Women's primary role was to bear Aryan children. Hitler's Nuremberg Laws established official persecution of Jews. A more violent anti-Semitic phase began in 1938 with a destructive rampage against Jews and the deportation of thousands to concentration camps. Increasingly drastic steps barred Jews from attending school, earning a living, or engaging in Nazi society.
Key Terms and Names
Fascism, Benito Mussolini, Adolfo Hitler, Nazism, Mein Kampf, lebensraum.
Homework
Completa el ejercicio “después de leer” acerca del ascenso de las dictaduras fascistas en Europa. Escribe un ensayo contestando las preguntas de pensamiento crítico.

How did the Great Depression affect the world?

Overcoming the Great Depression
The peace settlement at the end of World War I left many nations unhappy and border disputes simmering throughout Europe. The League of Nations proved a weak institution. Democracy was widespread, and women in many European countries gained the right to vote. However, economic problems plagued France, Great Britain, and the German Weimar Republic. When Germany declared that it could not continue to pay reparations, France occupied one German region as a source of reparations. An American plan reduced the burden of reparations and led to a period of prosperity and American investment in Europe. The prosperity ended with the economic collapse of 1929 and the Great Depression. European governments tried different approaches to ending the depression. Many middle-class Germans began to identify with anti-democratic political parties. The new American president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, pursued a policy of active government intervention in the economy that came to be known as the New Deal.
Kay Terms and Names
Coalition government, Weimer Republic, Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt, New Deal.
Homework
  • Lee el capitulo 2 de la unidad 2 (paginas 110-114)
  • Prepara fichas para los términos de la pagina 111
  • Contesta las 4 preguntas de la sección azul en la pagina 111.