Fascism

1. Fascism In this lesson, students will be able to define the following terms: Fascism Militarism Anti-Semitism Racism Social Darwinism E. Napp

2. Benito Mussolini was the first person to use the term Fascism. Fascism refers to a political system that appeared in Italy after World War I. The term is also used more generally to identify similar systems such as Nazism in Germany. E. Napp

3. Fascists were extreme nationalists. They believed that their nations were superior to other nations. They also strongly opposed communism. E. Napp

4. Fascists used violence to defeat their political opponents and used war for national expansion. Fascists were militarists. Militarism is a glorification of war. E. Napp

5. Fascists felt a single national party should unite all classes. They also believed that the strong should dominate the weak. They opposed unions and strikes. E. Napp

6. Certain beliefs helped Fascists gain power. Anti-Semitism, a hatred of Jews, was an established belief in Europe. Jews were frequently harmed in times of unrest. As a minority group, they were easy targets. E. Napp

7. Racism is a contempt for other races. This, too, was an established belief in Europe. European racism was strengthened by imperialism and nationalism. Racism also helped Fascists gain power. E. Napp

8. Social Darwinists used Charles Darwin’s ideas about evolution in nature and concluded that all human groups competed for survival. They claimed that stronger groups had the right to succeed and that weaker groups deserved to die out. This belief helped Fascists gain power. E. Napp

9. A new democratic republic, known as the Weimar Republic, was created in Germany but it remained weak. Military leaders would have preferred to give all political power to a single leader than to the common people. E. Napp

10. Russian Communists demonstrated how to build a totalitarian state. The middle classes in other European countries feared the spread of Communism, leading them to support Mussolini and Hitler. E. Napp

11. Benito Mussolini copied Bolshevik practices while denouncing their ideas. Like the Bolsheviks, he had a party newspaper, a party organization, and a private army of party members. He used violence against his opponents. E. Napp

12. In 1922, Mussolini seized power and turned Italy into the first Fascist state. E. Napp

13. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party would come to power in Germany soon afterwards. E. Napp

14. Questions for Reflection: • Define Fascism. • Why were Fascist leaders militarists? • What is Anti-Semitism? • How did racism and Social Darwinism help Fascists come to power? • How did Communist practices in the Soviet Union influence Fascists? • What nation was the first Fascist state? E. Napp