Interwar Ideologies
Driving Question: Why did extremist ideologies like fascism emerge during the interwar period?
People experiencing the period between the two world wars did not know, of course, that they were living in a period between two wars. Many thought it still made sense to call the most recent conflict “The War to End All Wars,” and hoped for an international effort for peace and prosperity. But the bitter losses suffered during the First World War, and the punishments placed on the countries who were blamed for the conflict, fueled a new form of government known as fascism. As loosely as this word is often used, its specific definition will equip you to investigate this exceptional moment in our history. Add in the Great Depression, and you get massive suffering and desperation—and desperation can be exploited.
- Understand the primary factors that led to the rise of fascism in the interwar period.
- Analyze multiple perspectives to understand and evaluate the rise of fascism in various regions of the world.
- Use the historical thinking skill of contextualization to evaluate the circumstances that led to the global Great Depression.
- Use a graphic biography as microhistory to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
Analyze the Great Depression by using the event cards to complete the Contextualization Tool.
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- Why did the Great Depression spread from the United States to so many other parts of the world so quickly?
- How did governments react to the crisis?
- Why was the crisis so devastating for Latin America and European colonies in Africa and Asia?
- What are some ways that states grew more powerful during the crisis?
- What ended the Great Depression?
Evaluate
- The Great Depression was a collapse of international networks and global production and distribution. What are some ways that these collapses reshaped communities?
What is Fascism?
Key Ideas
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- Where does the word “fascism” come from?
- Why does the video argue that defining fascism as a form of political behavior is an important distinction?
- What are some of the methods that fascists use to gain power?
- Why was internationalism a threat to the fascist agenda?
- Why is total war the only kind of war for fascists?
- How are authoritarianism and populism different from fascism?
After you watch
- This video provides a comprehensive definition and three examples of fascism. Do you think you have encountered any examples earlier in this course which have anything in common with fascism?
- How does the system of imperialism compare to fascist methods?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- In what ways did Mussolini pursue an aggressive foreign policy?
- How were German and Italian justifications for expansion similar?
- How was Stalin similar to and different from Hitler and Mussolini?
- How did Japanese leaders justify Japan’s imperial expansion?
- How were the Italian, German, Japanese, and Soviet authoritarian efforts in the 1920s and 1930s similar?
Evaluate
- 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?
Internationalism Between the Wars
Key Ideas
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
- What were some attempts at internationalism during the 1920s?
- What are some examples of internationalism before the twentieth century?
- Why did the League of Nations fail?
- What is the legacy of the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
After you watch
- How does the failure of internationalism challenge or support the networks frame narrative?
- Can you think of any current examples of internationalism succeeding or failing?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads for Graphic Bios – Introduction activity.
Observe
Skim the full comic, paying attention to things like prominent colors, shapes, and types of text and fonts. How do you know where to start and which direction to read? What’s in the gutters (the space between panels)? Who is the focus of the comic? What big questions do you have?
Understand
- What country did Plaek Phibunsongkhram lead, and in what years?
- What did he change the country’s name to, and what did the new name mean? Why was this name change ironic?
- What evidence does the author provide that Phibunsongkhram was an authoritarian ruler?
- Why did he create Pad Thai? Why was this creation ironic?
- What happened to Phibunsongkhram after the war?
- Authoritarian and fascist governments are all about order and following rules and governmental control. How does the artist use art and design to contribute to the message that Phibunsongkhram was an authoritarian leader?
Connect
- How does this biography of Phibunsongkhram support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about the fascism and authoritarianism leading up to the Second World War?
Extension Materials
As you read the primary source excerpts in this collection, use the accompanying Quick-Sourcing Tool to guide your analysis.
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- How did Hitler exploit the Reichstag fire and how did it benefit him?
- How did Hitler make it look like he was playing by the rules as he consolidated power?
- How did the Nazi government start to take action against German Jews?
- Why were the Nuremberg Laws important in expanding Nazi attacks on German Jews?
- What did the Nazis gain from “othering” and attacking Jewish people?
Evaluate
- 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?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- How long and how many casualties did it take for the Fascists to defeat the Socialists?
- What are two of the ways Fascism took shape in the Po Valley?
- Why were some Italian Fascists unhappy with Mussolini’s early years in power?
- How did Mussolini strengthen the power of the Fascist party?
- What distinguished Italian Fascism from Nazism’s biological view of race?
Evaluate
- 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?
- What similarities do you see between Italy’s racist ideology in Ethiopia and the ideologies behind European imperialism during the long nineteenth century?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What big challenges did Lenin and the Bolshevik (communist) leadership face in the first stages of their revolution?
- How does the author characterize the Bolshevik party during the early part of their rule?
- How did Stalin’s rise to power change the way the Bolsheviks ruled?
- What were some consequences for everyday life under the Soviet command economy?
- How were fascism and communism under Stalin similar and different?
Evaluate
- 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?
- Think about the last time you heard someone called a “communist” or a “fascist”. Do you think the term was used correctly?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- How did the Japanese government draw inspiration from Bismarck’s Germany?
- Why was the lack of civilian control over the military an advantage for Japan as it expanded its empire?
- How does the author argue that Japan became a fascist authoritarian state?
- What significant changes to the structure of the empire occurred due to the shift to a controlled economy model?
Evaluate
- 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?