Rise of Totalitarian Leaders

Image of Hitler and Mussolini in a car.

Benito Mussolini and Adoph Hitler in Munich 1940

The economic disruptions of the 1930s enabled new radical leaders, who promoted a fanatical nationalism, to take control in Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.S.S.R.. In addition to the Nazi Party in Germany, totalitarian leaders took control in the Soviet Union and Italy, and a military dictatorship took over Japan.

Essential Questions

  • Why did dictatorial governments emerge in Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.S.S.R. after World War I?
  • How did these regimes affect the world following World War I?