A totalitarian ruler leads a government that maintains complete control over every
part of public and private life of the citizens in that country. The economic problems
that resulted from World War I and the Depression led people to question
whether democratic government could improve their lives. Totalitarian
governments appeared to provide a sense of security and offered a
strong direction for the future.
Both Communism and Fascism used aspects of totalitarianism
as part of their governments. In general, both used dictators, only
allowed one political party, and denied many individual rights.
Police terror was used for control and to get rid of any opposition.
Controlling media sources (newspapers, television, radio etc.)
with propaganda and limiting what was reported helped influence
what people thought. However, Fascism believed in an extreme form
of nationalism and pride in the country, while Communism focused on
the spread of their beliefs worldwide. Communism did not allow private
property and eliminated social classes. Fascism believed that each class
had a role to play in society and supported private property. During the 1920s
and 1930s, four major totalitarian governments developed – one was Communist,
The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin
After Vladimir Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin took power. He wanted to strengthen his power and the Communist state. He used
his secret police to stop any riots and arrest or kill anyone who spoke out against him. In 1933, he began the Great Purge to
Characteristics of Fascism After Vladimir Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin took power. He wanted to strengthen his power and the Communist state. He used
his secret police to stop any riots and arrest or kill anyone who spoke out against him. In 1933, he began the Great Purge to
Characteristics of Fascism
Soviet Propaganda Poster
the other three were Fascist.
eliminate his political rivals in the Communist Party and the government. He knew that in order to
compete with other modern countries, the U.S.S.R. (Soviet Union) needed to fix its economy. He
began a series of Five Year Plans to improve the Soviet Union’s industries. Production of steel,
coal, and oil increased dramatically, but Stalin set impossibly high production rates. Stalin took
control of all privately owned farms and began a program of collectivization. Hundreds of families
worked the collective farms to produce food for the country. Many landowners and peasants
resisted by destroying fields and killing their cattle and sheep. Millions died as a result of famine
from the damages and also attacks by the secret police to stop the rebellions. By the mid-1930s
Stalin changed the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state and made it into an industrial power.
Italy under Benito Mussolini
In the early 1920s, Italy was struggling economically and politically. Benito Mussolini’s Fascist
Party fought with the Communists for political power and won. Mussolini promised to restore the
power and glory of the Roman Empire. One way to do this was to expand Italy’s empire. In 1935, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in
East Africa. Italy continued to expand by invading Albania in 1939. These invasions elevated Mussolini’s popularity and control. Japan under Emperor Hirohito and Hideki Tojo
When the Great Depression hit Japan, many Japanese blamed the government for the economic problems. Military leaders
gained public support and won control of the government. Because the military kept Emperor Hirohito as the symbolic leader,the public supported military government and military leaders such as Hideki Tojo who ruled in the name
of the emperor. Japan had been industrializing very quickly. It needed more raw materials than the islands
could supply so Japan looked to other areas to conquer. Manchuria, the northeast region of China, had
iron and coal. Japan successfully invaded in 1931 and began to extract those resources. They continued
to expand into southern China during the rest of the decade prior to the start of World War II.
