Rise of Totalitarian Leaders

Images of tank and Mussolini courtesy the German Federal Archive

As the twenties and thirties progressed, the flawed Treaty of Versailles worsened political and economic conditions in Europe. In combination with the Great Depression, which gripped much of the industrialized world, this created unstable political conditions that were ripe for exploitation by leaders who promised to fix problems and return countries to greatness. These leaders consolidated power under militaristic regimes based on extreme nationalist ideologies.

Problems with the Treaty of Versailles

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles had some basic flaws that angered many people in Europe. Germans resented the treaty for a number of reasons. The country was forced to take blame for the war and pay reparations to the winners. As extreme inflation hit followed by the Great Depression, Germany had difficulty paying its war debts and the people suffered economic hardship. In turn, this hurt the economies of England and France since they were counting on the reparations to help them pay war debts to the United States.

The treaty also required that Germany limit the size of its military and restrict these operations in the Rhineland border area. Germany was also forced to give up territories which many of its people felt belonged to the country. The region of Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, and large parts of the eastern portion of the country were annexed by Poland. These areas still had large numbers of German-speaking people whom Hitler looked to return to rule under his empire. Lastly, Germany had to give up its colonies in Africa and the Pacific leaving it a shell of its former glory.

Many Italians were also angered by the treaty which they felt did not reward them sufficiently for their sacrifice in the war. Mussolini would use this resentment to fuel anger towards France and England as he built his fascist regime.

The Rise of Dictators

By the end of the 1930s, dictatorial governments had solidified power over Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union. Although there were some significant differences among these nations, they all established and maintained power through similar methods. View this presentation to find out how these dictators rose to power and how they eliminated their enemies. Click the player to begin.

Download a printable version of the interactivity.

 

Rise of Totalitarian Leaders Review

Now that you have learned about how totalitarian dictators came to power in Italy, Germany, and Japan, see how well you can answer the questions in this non-graded interactivity. Click the player to get started.