Humanities Homework Help

With the “West” still reeling from the after-effects of World War I and the Russian Revolution, we turn to postwar Western Europe, where fascism slowly began to take root in many countries. While we will focus on Italy and Germany, countries where wholesale fascist takeovers took place, it is important to note that in the 1920s, more than 20 European countries housed fascist movements.

But what is fascism? Good question. By dictionary, definition fascism is a form of far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalism, which is characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strict regimentation of society and the economy. Now, what was fascism in Europe in the early 20th century? In both Italy and Germany, it was all the above, and a reaction against the perceived failure of liberalism (WWI) and the rise of communism. In both Italy and Germany, the masses worshiped their leaders in Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler respectively.

While we will look at Italy briefly, the real focus here is on Germany, where ultra-nationalism was no stranger and the humiliation of the Versailles Treaty was sinking in, especially with the middle class. Over a 10-year period, Adolph Hitler was able to take total control of the country, apparently through democratic means, and win the hearts and minds of the majority of the population. In the process, Hitler stirred up long-held German hatreds of the Jews, who had been German citizens for generations, as well as for outsiders like Slavs, homosexuals, and gypsies. He built a highly effective propaganda machine that convinced Germans that they were in the right, and through the building of infrastructure and rapid militarization, he managed to pull Germany out of the Great Depression, before he set his sights on conquering other lands.

He was able to march his armies into the Rhineland, assist fellow fascist leader Franco in Spain in the Spanish Civil War, and march into Austria and the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia with the tacit approval of the rest of “The West, which had taken up the policy of “appeasement” in relation to Hitler in the hope that he would be satisfied and not take anymore European land. That was not the case. In September of 1939, Hitler, who had just made a non-aggression pact with Stalin of the USSR, invaded Poland from the East, and in short order, Stalin invaded Poland from the West. Germany’s Blitzkrieg (lightning war) was on, and the other major Western powers woke up. England and France, both allies of Poland, declared war on Germany on September 3 1940 setting off World War II.

I’m sure you all know much of this story. The Soviet Union quickly became disenchanted with Germany when Hitler invaded The Soviet Union. The United States, allied with both France and Britain and ultimately the Soviet Union, only entered the War after Japan’s December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor and began fighting the War on two fronts: Europe and the Pacific. With sides drawn: The Allied Powers (Britain, France, the U.S., and the U.S.S.R.) v. The Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan), the war went on until 1945 and is noted as the most destructive war in history, with estimates of the number of dead as high as 50 million (including 25 million from the Soviet Union alone). Much of Europe was destroyed and the war with Japan ended soon after when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.

For this week’s primary document analysis, we will look at an excerpt from Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” I have also posted a link to Kanopy (if you do not already have an account) to view the film, Fuhrer Cult, and Megalomania. I will post the final essay questions later this week. They will be due no later than Saturday, June 12 by midnight.

Part One:

Prior to World War II, Adolph Hitler realized some of his foreign policy objectives partially because other Western democracies had adopted a policy of “appeasement.” Appeasement is best symbolized by the Munich Pact, which gave the Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia) to Germany. What was the reasoning behind the appeasement policy and why did it ultimately backfire? What were Hitler’s foreign policy objectives, and which of them was he able to accomplish even prior to the onset of World War II? Do you see any ways in which Hitler could have been stopped prior to the War? Must be 250 words or more

Part Two:

In Mein Kampf (My Struggle), Adolph Hitler writes about the “art of propaganda.” He and his Third Reich applied this “art” quite effectively while propagandizing the German population, in describing foreign policy objectives, and in propagating Nazi racial theories. According to Hitler, what are the requirements of effective propaganda, and how does he perceive the general population? What did he learn from Britain and the United States in World War I? And finally, where and how do you see propaganda being used effectively today? Must be 250 words or more.

References:

Western Civilization A Brief History, vol. II Since 1600. Eleventh Edition

https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111hi…