Unit+8-+Totalitarianism

Test Date: May 18th, 2009 Test format:
 * 50 points: Objective questions: Multiple choice + Fill-in the blanks (approximately 30 minutes)
 * 50 points: 1 Page paragraph writing. Prompt given in class. (approximately 30 minutes) <-Advice from Reidy

=Unit 8- Totalitarianism= toc

Hopefully you know this but Totalitarian Governments
 * Governments that try to control all aspects of a person's life
 * want you to obey with a certain mind set
 * rid of class conflict not differences
 * creating a society that hadn't existed before

**Questions to Consider**
//Write your responses/ideas// please, and add more questions we have discussed about. We can review the different ideas we discussed about, and make connections between them.


 * What does Pareto mean by the "circulation of the elites" and how does this tie into Germany or Italy?


 * In regard to the nature of German Politics after World War I, how does the Spartacist Revolt legimitize Rightists in Germany, allowing them to get off more easily in political violence? What is the role of conflation among the political divide between rightists and leftists, and how is this dangerous?


 * In the Weimar Constitution, identify pros of cons of different articles and how they affect the checks and balances within the government.


 * How does Germany turn from having a constitution to the Enabling Act, the end of democracy in March 1933?

//What are the tenets of society that fascism rejects and embraces?// Embrace: Reject:
 * State over Individual
 * Heroism, to "become the struggle"
 * Pro War and Imperialism
 * Authority
 * Obedience to State
 * Unity, Loyalty and sacrifice to state
 * Against free laissez faire economy, class conflict
 * Democracy and its "unneccessary freedoms"
 * Pacifism, violence is necessary for progress
 * State is personified as a living entity
 * Divisions among political parties, need to create one party state

//Why would fascism (Mussolini) attack Marxism? Is this logical within the ideology, does this make sense?//
 * He is against equality. If Class Conflict ceases, then everyone becomes equal. Fascism emphasizes the power of the state, and centralizes it in the hands of one leader. Mussolini is considered the Il Duce, the Boss.
 * Mussolini rejects lack of free will within the Marxist prophecy because: (add on)
 * Marxism denies idealism
 * Failures of Russia demonstrate failures of communism
 * Majority can't rule by numbers alone
 * Anti-Russia
 * International~ no history/culture
 * Self-motivation from economy
 * Inability of majority

What is Hitler's and Mussolini's relationship and how this this affect Mussolini's adoption of antisemitism? Can you make an argument that discusses how this can be inconsistent?

What is the significance of the assassination of Matteotti in 1924?

Discussion Questions from the video, Master Race: How can you account for the acceptance of the virulent anti-senmitism that emerged post 1935?

What are the types of ways that people will sacrifice individuality in order to become part of a group? Were the Nazis right about human nature?

What does it mean to sanction something?

What would Camus say about the Jews who worked for the Nazis to make themselves indispensable?

Do you see any historical parallels to the creation of a 'master' race? to the danger of official racism?

In what ways is totalitarianism more than a political movement?
 * They sought to control all aspects of life, control how the people thought. This becomes a social movement to create a type of utopia.

What needs to precede totalitarianism/fascism for it to emerge? Add anything you can
 * Discontent w/ Democracy
 * History of Centralized Authority
 * Trust in Rising Leaders/Party
 * Economic Failure, depression, inflation, loss of jobs
 * No outlet for nationalism
 * Losses/Costs of preceding wars (World War 1)
 * Spread of Communism,
 * Establishment of political platforms
 * Reactionary thoughts must emerge
 * Social Darwinism
 * Sociology, how minds work

In Camus' the Rebel, how does it show that Hitler's regime is a paradox, why wouldn't it work?

Is Nazism a deviation or extension of Western Tradition?

Camus states that "All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the power of the State", support this claim and use passages to show how it happened in Germany. Then consider if this applies in Western Tradition.

Connect Matteoti, Night of the Long Knives, and Purges of the 1930s.

Were the 5 year plans a success? What are the societal casualties involved if you consider it a failure?

Tools and Values
What are the tools and values used by totaliarianism? Share ideas contained in your web and specific examples to support them.
 * Expansionism, Italy's conquest of Ethiopia, Germany pushes to the East
 * Violence, pro war
 * Group of elites, inequality
 * Autarky
 * Control of youth, Hitler Youth movement
 * Heroism
 * State over Individual, democracy is unnecessary
 * Exploiting emotions of masses through Crowd Psychology

Italy

 * Acerbo Acts
 * Dictates if one party gets 25% of the vote they receive 66% of the seats in parliament
 * Lateran Treaty
 * Compensation for lost Papal Lands
 * Soveriegnty
 * Official State Religion of Italy
 * Compulsory Religious Education
 * Election Law of 1928
 * Candidates for office were selected by the fascist party
 * Black Shirts
 * Mussolini’s fascist paramilitary force
 * Assassination of Matteoti

Germany

 * Enabling Acts
 * Treaty of Rapallo: Brings two pariah states together. Gives Germany the ability to circumvent the Treaty of Versailles
 * SA: Loyal to Roehm, huge military force, high officials killed during Night of the Long Knives
 * SS: Hitler's bodyguards
 * KPD:Communists
 * SPD:Social Democrats
 * NSDAP: National Socialist Germany Workers' Party. The Nazi Party.
 * Central Party
 * Treaty of Locarno: Divides Europe into Western and Eastern, Attempt to Normalize Relations with Germany, Tries to secure post-war settlement.
 * Dawes Plan: System of loans after WWI. U.S. pays Germany, Germany pays reparations to Britain and France, B and F pay U.S.
 * Spartacist Revolt: Communist revolt which was easily suppressed, but led to the middle and upper class's fear of Communism. As a result, this legitmitized the Rightists.
 * Freikorps: Become the Nazis. A nationalist paramilitary force made up of mostly veterans.
 * Kapp Putsch
 * Reichstag: The German Legislative Body
 * Proprtional Representation
 * Mein Kampf: "My Struggle". Hitler's blueprint for Nazism
 * Nuremberg Laws: Marriages between Aryans and non-Aryans were forbidden. Jews lost citizenship.
 * Kristallnacht: The Night of the Broken Glass, Nazis attacked Jewish shops and syngagogues and they were rounded up and sent into concentration camps. Then they were fined.
 * German Youth movement:
 * Strength Through Joy: Another form of Nazi's manipulation of the people, by providing sports events, plays, movies and vacations at low cost. They try to please the people's emotions.
 * The Labor Front
 * Autarky: Goal of self-sufficiency, sought by both Germany and Italy.
 * Four-Year Plans: First one undertook program of public works and rearmament. Consequently, unemployment severely decreased at the cost of the quality of goods. Standard of Living did not rise in proportion to economic growth rate.

Russia

 * War Communism: Unpopular policy where private ownership was eliminated. Banks, railways and shipping were nationalized and money was restricted
 * Trotsky vs. Stalin: After Lenin died, there was nobody to take his place and so Trotsky and Stalin fought it out and Stalin eventually won.
 * Iskra: group of Russian exiles in Zurich (Trotsky was a part of it)
 * Apparatchiks: Network of people loyal to Stalin
 * Kulaks: The more wealthy peasants who got owned by Stalin (Liquidation of the Kulaks)
 * Sovkhoz: State farms owned by the government
 * 5 Year Plan (1): Goal was to increase industrial productivity by 250%
 * 5 Year Plan (2): Goal was to fix the mistakes from 5 year plan #1
 * 5 Year Plan (3): Goal was to increase national defense and make consumer goods
 * The Great Purges: Stalin eliminates the entire generation of old-Bolsheviks, leaving his tightly controlled group of Apparatchicks.