Adolf Hitler giving the Nazi salute at a rally in Nuremburg in By , the Nazis were the largest political party in the Reichstag. In January of the following year, with no other leader able to command sufficient support to govern, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany.
Shortly thereafter, a fire broke out in the Reichstag building in Berlin, and authorities arrested a young Dutch communist who confessed to starting it. Hitler used this episode to convince President Hindenburg to declare an emergency decree suspending many civil liberties throughout Germany, including freedom of the press, freedom of expression, and the right to hold public assemblies.
He expanded the army tremendously, reintroduced conscription, and began developing a new air force—all violations of the Treaty of Versailles. His regime also suppressed the Communist Party and purged his own paramilitary storm troopers, whose violent street demonstrations alienated the German middle class. In , Hitler began his long-promised expansion of national boundaries to incorporate ethnic Germans.
The Czechs looked to Great Britain and France for help, but hoping to avoid war—they had been bled white in World War I—these nations chose a policy of appeasement. The following year, the German army swallowed up the remainder of Czechoslovakia. I believe it is peace for our time. After being released from prison, Hitler vowed to work within the parliamentary system to avoid a repeat of the Beer Hall Putsch setback.
Regardless of how strict or unyielding someone might seem, you might want to think twice before hurling the term fascist or Nazi at them at a time when many people are on edge about authoritarianism. Feedback See Today's Synonym. Word of the Day. Meanings Meanings. Previous "Race" vs. What is a fascist? Examples of fascism and fascist in the news Here are just a few recent examples of why fascism and fascist have been all over the news.
But in terms of political function, sending out paramilitary thugs to incite unrest and bludgeon protesters who are simply exercising their constitutional rights is straight out of the fascist playbook.
The Nation, July The Washington Post , July 10, Where does the term fascist originate? Learn even more about the history and usage of this term at the About This Word section for fascism on its definition page. What is a Nazi? However, Adolf Hitler never felt strong enough to take complete control of the German Army , and before taking important decisions he always had to take into consideration how the armed forces would react.
By the time Hitler gained power he had ceased to be a practising Christian. He did not have the confidence to abolish Christianity in Germany. In Hitler signed an agreement with Pope Pius XI in which he promised not to interfere in religion if the Catholic Church agreed not to become involved in politics in Germany. The individual had no freedom to protest in Hitler's Germany. All political organizations were either banned or under the control of the Nazis.
This is, however, an awkward alliance, he said. On July 20, , conservatives tried to assassinate Hitler. Throughout 20th-century history, fascist regimes have required certain sociocultural and political situations to rise.
It is also worth noting that many countries, such as Britain in the s and s, have seen fascist ideas increase in popularity without regimes coming to power or fascist parties becoming star political players. First and foremost, fascist regimes in the 20th century have required extreme national crises to gain popularity and power. After defeat in World War I, many in Germany and Italy were anxious about the future of their countries.
In Germany, "citizens faced poor economic conditions, skyrocketing unemployment, political instability, and profound social change," says the U. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Meanwhile, Italian citizens were reeling under rising inflation, unemployment, strikes and economic policies that were "confused and inadequate," according to the AHA.
Fascism also requires a general belief that the established government parties and institutions are incapable of improving the national situation. But for a fascist party to become powerful, the combination of a strong national identity and disenchantment with government still needs a catalyst to convince populations to side with what often starts as small fringe movements.
In Germany, and to an extent Italy, this catalyst was the Great Depression, historian Aristotle Kallis, a professor at Keele University in England, said in a lecture on fascism that he delivered in Amsterdam in People felt desperate, ashamed and lost, he added.
In his "Five Stages" essay, Paxton said that fascism could appear only when a society has known political liberty and when democracy is established enough that the people can be disillusioned with it. For example, Italy had a series of weak, revolving-door governments. And Germany had no effective parliamentary majority for three years before Hitler was named chancellor.
Both countries confronted two possible solutions to the problems of ineffective government, suffering people and national humiliation: communism and fascism. In both struggling Germany and Italy, the political left — consisting of communists and socialists — was gaining traction. In Italy, especially, it appeared that a socialist revolution was imminent. But the existing government and conservative capitalist elites looked upon communism and socialism unfavorably.
Paxton identified fascist pandering to conservatives early in the movement as another factor in setting the stage for a fascist regime. In Germany and Italy, governments at the time decided to align themselves with fascists.
Both fascism and communism proposed violent solutions, and one would win by destroying the other," Paxton said. German and Italian governments, having aligned themselves with the fascists and afraid of a socialist revolution, refused to work with the left. This led to political deadlock, another of the factors Paxton said are required for fascism to come to power.
Nevertheless, there have been growing fascist or proto-fascist movements in Europe and North America for the last few decades, he said.
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