The Soviet Union Under Stalin
After Lenin's death in 1924, Joseph Stalin outmaneuvered
his rivals to gain control of the government. Stalin was
determined to transform the Soviet Union into a powerful
industrial state. In 1928, therefore, he launched his first
five-year plan. The plan included two goals: rapid growth of
heavy industry and increased farm production through
collectivization of agriculture. In a series of five-year
plans, Stalin poured the nation's resources into building
steel mills, electric power stations, and other industries
needed in a strong modern state. He also forced millions of
peasants to give up their land and work on collective farms,
large, government-run enterprises. Many peasants opposed the
change, and millions died in Stalin's brutal crackdown.
To achieve his goals, Stalin created a new kind of
government, today called a totalitarian state. In a
totalitarian state, the government is a single-party
dictatorship that controls every aspect of the lives of its
citizens. Individual rights count for nothing. Citizens must
obey the government without question, and critics are
silenced. Also, the totalitarian state supports extreme
nationalism. Stalin used propaganda, censorship, and terror
to force his will on the Soviet people. Government
newspapers glorified work and Stalin himself. Secret police
spied on citizens, and anyone who refused to praise Stalin
and the state faced severe punishment, even death. Both
Lenin and Stalin supported the idea of a world communist
revolution and aided communists in other countries. In the
1920s, when some communist uprisings did occur in Europe,
they were quickly suppressed.
Fascism in Italy
After World War 1, Italy was plagued by economic and
political problems. Workers went on strike in the cities,
while in the countryside, landless peasants seized the
property of wealthy landlords. The unrest made the middle
class fear a socialist revolution. An ambitious politician,
Benito Mussolini, used the turmoil to gain power. Mussolini
founded the Fascist party. Fascists glorified the state,
supported aggressive nationalism, and condemned democracy
because they believed rival parties divided the state. They
also opposed communism and defended private property. In the
early 1920s, Mussolini and his followers, known as Black
Shirts, won the support of many Italians by attacking
communists and socialists. Then in 1922, Mussolini led a
"March on Rome" supposedly to prevent a communist revolution
but in fact to frighten the government into naming him prime
minister. Once in office, Mussolini increased his power by
appointing Fascists to top offices, censoring the press,
organizing a secret police, and banning any criticism of the
government. He controlled the army and the schools, urging
Italians to accept the slogan: "Everything in the state,
nothing outside the state, nothing against the state."
The Rise of Nazi Germany
After World War 1, the Weimar government in Germany faced
many problems as people looked for someone to blame for
their defeat in the war. Extremists on the far left and on
the far right threatened revolts. Also, the terrible
inflation of the 1920s caused many Germans to have little
faith in the government. In the 1920s, Adolf Hitler gained
control of the Nazi party, a nationalistic, anti-communist,
anti Semitic organization. Hitler won popular support by
blaming Jews for Germany's defeat in World War I and for its
economic troubles. He claimed that the German people
belonged to a superior "Aryan" race that was destined to
rule the world. As the Great Depression caused unemployment
to rise in the early 1930s, many desperate people found hope
in the Nazi party. In 1933, Hitler used the threat of a
communist uprising to gain power. He then moved against all
opposition parties and set up a fascist state in Germany.
Hitler used many of the methods of Stalin and Mussolini to
build a totalitarian state in Germany. The Nazis preached
the need for hard work, sacrifice, and service to the state.
The Gestapo, or secret police, arrested anyone suspected of
opposing Nazi rule. The Nazis used the press, schools, and
even churches to glorify their goals. They also waged a
violent campaign against Jews, sending many to
concentration, or prison, camps. To end unemployment and
improve the economy, Hitler launched vast building programs,
banned strikes, and placed strict controls on wages and
prices. He also increased the German military, a step that
violated the Versailles Treaty. The League of Nations
condemned German rearmament, but did little to stop Hitler
as he began to realize his dream of expanding German
territory.
Militarism in Japan
After World War 1, Japan enjoyed a period of economic
prosperity and growing democratic government. However, the
Great Depression hit Japan especially hard because its
prosperity depended on foreign trade. Like governments
elsewhere, the government of Japan seemed unable to solve
its economic crisis. Many people turned to the military,
which began to take matters into its own hands. By 1932,
military leaders had set up a military dictatorship in
Japan. Unlike Italy and Germany, however, Japan did not have
a single strong leader. Instead, a small group of military
leaders dominated the government. In the 1930s, Japan had
many features of a totalitarian state. The government
arrested critics, imposed censorship, and employed a secret
police force to hunt down and punish so-called enemies of
the state. Extreme nationalists glorified war and empire. To
strengthen Japan, the government was interested in gaining
an overseas empire. Such an empire would give Japan
much-needed raw materials such as coal and oil. Therefore,
the Japanese military invaded Manchuria, a province in
northeastern China. When China protested to the League of
Nations, the league condemned the invasion but took no
further action.
A Brief Survey of World History.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. (p.
c64-65)
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