Global History and Geography Eleanor R



Global History and Geography Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Mr. Spear

Name: _____________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Activity Guide 6

Unit 7: The World Between Wars (1919 – 1939)

DO NOW

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Watch the clip from the 1972 film Cabaret and answer the question below.

1. What does this scene say about the appeal of Fascism to Germans in the 1930’s?

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AIM: What was Fascism appealing to some Europeans in the 1930’s?

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Document 1

Unemployment Levels (1929 – 1941)

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1. According to the information presented in the table, what was the state of the economy in Germany, the United States and Britain during the 1930’s? Why?

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2. How did the economies of Germany, the United States and Britain compare to that of Japan during this time period?

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3. What historical factors do you think explain the information shown in the table?

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4. What, exactly, do unemployment statistics show?

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Reading 1

Like Britain and France, Italy experienced severe economic, social and political problems after WWI. Returning veterans faced unemployment, none of Italy’s dozens of political parties could form enough of a majority in Parliament to form a government, and Socialists, inspired by the Russian revolution, plotted a Communist revolution. Most Italians yearned for some kind of order.

In the midst of this, an elementary school teacher named Benito Mussolini formed a new political party called the Fascists. Fascists preached discipline, hard work and conservative values like motherhood and patriotism. In his speeches, Mussolini railed against corrupt politicians and Socialists who, he said, were undermining Italy. In the international sphere, Mussolini promised to return Italy to the former greatness of the Roman Empire. Above all, Mussolini preached violence to achieve his goals.

Unlike normal political parties, the Fascists had a paramilitary wing known as the Blackshirts. Blackshirts were angry thugs that did Mussolini’s bidding by breaking up Socialist rallies or beating and murdering politicians who denounced him. In 1922, thousands of Blackshirts staged a march into Rome. Fearing a revolution, King Victor Emmanuel III asked Mussolini to serve as Prime Minister even though he had not won an election. By 1925, through a system of vote rigging, murder, and suppression of free speech and press, Mussolini became a totalitarian dictator. He renamed himself Il Duce – “the leader”.

Once in power, Mussolini refined Fascism. The entire economy was brought under state control, but not state ownership. That is, the government told factories and farmers what to produce, but allowed them to earn a profit. Mussolini held committee meetings of representatives from agriculture, and business to decide what to produce. Mussolini was a great believer in physical fitness as an ethic. He forced school children and teenagers to get in shape through a rigorous mandatory training program. He made the trains run on time, rooted out corruption in business and government and crushed the notorious Mafia in Sicily.

1. Why do you think many Italians supported Fascism?

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2. Could it be argued that some aspects of Fascism are actually good? Why or why not?

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3. What about Fascism is bad?

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Homework

Read textbook pages 910 – 914 and answer the questions or complete the tasks below.

1. In what ways was Fascism similar and different to Communism?

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2. Why were many Italians unhappy in the decade after World War I?

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3. Describe the beliefs that Adolf Hitler espoused in his book Mein Kampf.

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4. How did Hitler become the Chancellor of Germany?

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5. What was Hitler’s policy toward Germany’s Jewish citizens in the 1930’s?

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