Sometimes it can be difficult to understand why Germany, led by Hitler, was ever allowed to take over so many regions of the world before other world powers declared war on Germany. This activity will help you avoid presentism by putting yourself in the shoes of a world leader faced with the decision of whether or not to stop the German military from moving into the Rhineland in the mid-1930s. By learning about the context for the decisions that world leaders made during this period, you will be able to more fully understand how nations have to weigh all options before making tough decisions.

In this activity, you will take on the role of a prominent political leader for a large European country and make a decision about how to respond to Germany’s military movements in the Rhineland in the spring of 1936.

Your teacher will either hand out or have you download the Appeasement worksheet. First, read the Context, News, and Considerations sections individually. Then, either on your own or in pairs, you’ll read each of the actions and determine the best- and worst-case scenarios for each. Finally, choose which action you are going to take for your country and explain why you chose that one over all others.

Be prepared to share your answers with your teacher and the class.

When we talk about the 1930s, we often think about the Great Depression. There were other things happening in the world during that decade, however, a lot of it connected to the Great Depression. Societies around the world reacted to and were affected by the economic crisis in very different ways. Poor countries and colonies faced exploitation and economic crisis due to falling demand for the materials and goods they produced and distributed around the world. Communist and socialist systems rose in popularity. And some societies responded with less appealing alternatives. Ideas like eugenics developed and helped lay the foundations for racist ideologies.

This article will help you respond to the Unit Problem by exploring how a transformation of production and distribution—in this case, the global crisis of the Great Depression—reshaped the global order.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. Why did the Great Depression, which started in the United States, spread all around the world?
2. How did a credit boom help make the Great Depression worse?
3. How did the Great Depression affect colonized people and poor nations?
4. Why does the author argue that socialism rose in popularity?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following question:

1. In what ways did the economic crisis of the Great Depression and the rise of new technologies interact with fascism to cause the horrors of World War II?

This article focuses on the methods that the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler used in Germany during the 1930s. For many, the Germany example is the model of a fascist government. Initially, the Nazi party used the existing structures of government to slowly take more and more power. Antisemitism was one of the central methods used by Nazis to unite Germans around their cause. By making Jewish people an enemy of the German state, the Nazis created an internal and external enemy.

This article is part of a series of four case studies about the authoritarian regimes in the twentieth century. They outline some of the common behaviors and methods that authoritarians and fascists experimented with in the years leading up to the Second World War. Together, they provide you with evidence to respond to the Unit Problem. They should also help you understand how the political agenda and actions of fascists and authoritarian governments led to the horrors of the Second World War.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How did Hitler exploit the Reichstag fire and how did it benefit him?
2. How did Hitler make it look like he was playing by the rules as he consolidated power?
3. How did the Nazi government start to take action against German Jews?
4. Why were the Nuremberg Laws important in expanding Nazi attacks on German Jews?
5. What did the Nazis’ gain from “othering” and attacking Jewish people?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. The Nazi party ended up taking actions that would have been completely unacceptable to many Germans when Hitler first rose to power. How do you think violence against Germany’s Jews and the consolidation of Nazi power became acceptable or even embraced during the 1930s?
2. In this unit we see the rise of governments that have certain political characteristics. We call these characteristics fascism, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism. Using these definitions, evaluate which of these terms can appropriately be applied to this government. It may be all, some, or none:
   • A totalitarian regime has a highly centralized system of government that requires strict obedience.
   • An authoritarian regime focuses on the maintenance of order at the expense of personal freedom.
   • A fascist regime is a government that embraces extreme nationalism, violence, and action with the goal of internal cleansing and external expansion.

Most people associate Germany with the rise of fascism, but Italy was the first fascist state. Beginning in 1919, fascists, under the leadership of Mussolini worked to gain control of Italian government and society. Taking advantage of an economic downturn and Italian anger, Mussolini’s Fascist party found their first success in Italy’s Po Valley. The Po Valley was the testing ground of Italian Fascism, where many of its beliefs and strategies were first outlined. Mussolini’s aggressive colonial expansion and conflict in Europe helped fascists consolidate power and begin their aggressive and racists agendas.

This article is part of a series of four case studies about the authoritarian regimes in the twentieth century. They outline some of the common behaviors and methods that authoritarians and fascists experimented with in the years leading up to the Second World War. Together, they provide you with evidence to respond to the Unit Problem. They should also help you understand how the political agenda and actions of fascists and authoritarian governments led to the horrors of the Second World War.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How long, and how many casualties did it take for the Fascists to defeat the Socialists?
2. What are two of the ways Fascism took shape in the Po Valley?
3. Why were some Italian Fascists unhappy with Mussolini’s early years in power?
4. How did Mussolini strengthen the power of the Fascist party?
5. What distinguished Italian Fascism from Nazism’s biological view of race?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. The author argues that Italian Fascism never gained the level of totalitarian control the Nazis had in Germany. Why do you think Mussolini was less successful than Hitler in this respect?
2. What similarities do you see between Italy’s racist ideology in Ethiopia and the ideologies behind European imperialism during the long nineteenth century?
3. In this unit we see the rise of governments that have certain political characteristics. We call these characteristics fascism, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism. Using these definitions, evaluate which of these terms can appropriately be applied to this government. It may be all, some, or none:
   • A totalitarian regime has a highly centralized system of government that requires strict obedience.
   • An authoritarian regime focuses on the maintenance of order at the expense of personal freedom.
   • A fascist regime is a government that embraces extreme nationalism, violence, and action with the goal of internal cleansing and external expansion.

Soviet Russia occupies a prominent place in twentieth-century history. Under Joseph Stalin’s command, the Soviet military played a decisive role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Yet millions of people died as a direct or indirect consequence of Stalin’s reign. Terms like gulag, a system of cruel labor camps, have become shorthand for the brutality of communist authoritarianism during his reign. This article examines the rise of the USSR under Stalin while considering how the Soviet state in the 1920s and 1930s exemplifies totalitarianism and authoritarianism.

This article is part of a series of four case studies about the authoritarian regimes in the twentieth century. They outline some of the common behaviors and methods that authoritarians and fascists experimented with in the years leading up to the Second World War. Together, they provide you with evidence to respond to the Unit Problem. They should also help you understand how the political agenda and actions of fascists and authoritarian governments led to the horrors of the Second World War.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What big challenges did Lenin and the Bolshevik (communist) leadership face in the first stages of their revolution?
2. How does the author characterize the Bolshevik party during the early part of their rule?
3. How did Stalin’s rise to power change the way the Bolsheviks ruled?
4. What were some consequences for everyday life under the Soviet command economy?
5. How were fascism and communism under Stalin similar and different?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. Communism under Stalin was certainly different from fascism. But Italian Fascism, as you now know, was different from German fascism. Why do we call Mussolini and Hitler’s approaches fascism, but use the term communism for Stalin’s regime?
2. Think about the last time you heard someone called a “communist” or a “fascist”. Do you think the term was used correctly?
3. In this unit we see the rise of governments that have certain political characteristics. We call these characteristics fascism, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism. Using these definitions, evaluate which of these terms can appropriately be applied to this government. It may be all, some, or none:
   • A totalitarian regime has a highly centralized system of government that requires strict obedience.
   • An authoritarian regime focuses on the maintenance of order at the expense of personal freedom.
   • A fascist regime is a government that embraces extreme nationalism, violence, and action with the goal of internal cleansing and external expansion.

You’ve learned a lot about communism and fascism at this point in the course, but the differences and similarities between the two ideologies can be confusing. In this quick activity, you’ll solidify your understanding of each ideology, which will help you evaluate modern communist states and recognize fascism in the world today.

In this activity, you’ll create a Venn diagram to show the similarities and differences between communism in theory, communism in practice, and fascism.

First, your teacher will assign you to one of three groups: communism, communism in theory, or fascism. Once you’re in your group, make a list of 5–10 main attributes of your assigned ideology. Once your group is done, get together with the other group that had the same assignment and combine your lists to come up with a final list of 5–10 attributes that you think are most descriptive of your assigned ideology.

Then, add your list to a whiteboard or a shared document so you can see what the other groups did, and they can see your work. Finish by creating your own Venn diagram, using the Communism vs Fascism worksheet, so that the similarities and differences are visually obvious.

Japan got a late start on industrialization, but it quickly caught up to the imperialist powers of Europe. Japanese imperialism and industrialization went hand-in-hand. Japan’s aggressive expansion was in part achieved through authoritarianism. Japan borrowed strategies from Europe and embraced militarism to launch the nation on a path of power. Free of the restraining hand of civilian authority, the Japanese military expanded rapidly and came to dominate Japanese society.

This article is part of a series of four case studies about the authoritarian regimes in the twentieth century. They outline some of the common behaviors and methods that authoritarians and fascists experimented with in the years leading up to the Second World War. Together, they provide you with evidence to respond to the Unit Problem. They should also help you understand how the political agenda and actions of fascists and authoritarian governments led to the horrors of the Second World War.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How did the Japanese government draw inspiration from Bismarck’s Germany?
2. Why was the lack of civilian control over the military an advantage for Japan as it expanded its empire?
3. How does the author argue that Japan became a fascist authoritarian state?
4. What significant changes to the structure of the empire occurred due to the shift to a controlled economy model?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. Based on your knowledge of fascism and authoritarianism, can you think of any methods a society might use to prevent the rise of authoritarian leaders?
2. In this unit we see the rise of governments that have certain political characteristics. We call these characteristics fascism, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism. Using these definitions, evaluate which of these terms can appropriately be applied to this government. It may be all, some, or none:
   • A totalitarian regime has a highly centralized system of government that requires strict obedience.
   • An authoritarian regime focuses on the maintenance of order at the expense of personal freedom.
   • A fascist regime is a government that embraces extreme nationalism, violence, and action with the goal of internal cleansing and external expansion.

Communism and fascism are two ideologies that are often used in discussions, but sometimes incorrectly. This activity will help you dig into the small details of each ideology to help you avoid the common misunderstanding that these theories are interchangeable. There are still communist states in the world today, so it’s important that you understand the differences between the two political ideologies.

Comparison
You will be comparing two ideologies as part of this activity.

In this activity, you will look at a list of statements to decide if they describe communism, fascism, neither, or both. This will help you better understand each ideology.

Start by quickly reviewing the differences between communism and fascism with your class. At this point in the course, you’ve learned quite a bit about each ideology; use what you’ve already learned to contribute to this discussion. You can also use the table in Step 1 of the worksheet to go over the differences.

Once you’ve reviewed each system, answer the questions in Steps 2 and 3 of the worksheet. Then, be prepared to share your answers with your class. This will help you get a sense of how well you have a handle on each of these ideologies!

This article examines the policies and actions of the fascists that came to power in the twentieth century. Those who rose to power experimented with new methods of repression and control. This article explores some of those actions in Italian East Africa and German expansion in Central Europe, as well as methods used by Stalin in the Soviet Union and Japan. Similarities and differences among these case studies are discussed.

This article introduces you to some of the behaviors and methods that authoritarians and fascists experimented with in the years leading up to the Second World War. The evidence provided should help you respond to the Unit Problem. It should also help you assess how different forms of authoritarianism were connected and how they were different from each other.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. In what ways did Mussolini pursue an aggressive foreign policy?
2. How were German and Italian justifications for expansion similar?
3. How was Stalin similar to and different from Hitler and Mussolini?
4. How did Japanese leaders justify Japan’s imperial expansion?
5. How were the Italian, German, Japanese, and Soviet authoritarian efforts in the 1920s and 1930s similar?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following question:

1. Why do you think so many people in Italy, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union embraced fascist or authoritarian ideologies and actions, even those that were violent and repressive?

The failure of European leaders to stop the aggression of Germany, Italy, and Japan is widely criticized today. English prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, is most well-known for failing to keep Adolph Hitler from starting World War II. Chamberlain wasn’t alone in wanting to prevent war—many people in France and Britain really did not want to fight another world war. This article examines how appeasement was viewed in the 1930s and how its memory has been used since.

This article addresses the failure of the liberal democracies in stopping fascist expansion. It provides you with evidence to respond in a new way to the Unit Problem about the causes of the war. The second half of the article addresses how people have used the memory of appeasement. This should help you respond to the question of what conflicts remain unresolved today.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What does “appeasement” mean in the context of this article?
2. Why did Neville Chamberlain pursue the policy of appeasement?
3. How did the policy of appeasement shape Hitler’s ideas about the leaders of Britain and France?
4. How has the memory of appeasement been used since the end of the Second World War?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. Do you think there is anything that liberal democracies like France and Britain could have done to prevent a war with fascist Germany?
2. Based on the chart in the article, at what point do you think Neville Chamberlain should have declared war on Germany?