COMPARE FASCIST ITALY TO NAZI GERMANY
Introduction
In regard to the First World War, a number of European countries experienced political revolutions which were strongly against the accepted ideologies of democracy and communism. These revolutions were most pronounced in Italy and Germany, where political parties differed in opinions, mainly as a result of the war. There are some similarities and differences amid the fascist Italy and the Nazi Germany, mainly focused on the ideologies that each group considered ideal. The following sections of the essay will explore these differences and similarities, the factors that led to the rise of each group, their ultimate goals and the role of women in these societies.Resemblances and alterations between
Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany
Fascism and Nazism were extreme right-wing political ideologies that emerged in 20th century Italy and Germany respectively and had a lot in common. The two ideologies were based on the rise of nationalism and dissatisfaction with the results of the First World War. Both ideologies were also characterized with the use of violence, dictatorship, and rejection of democracy and communism. However, they adopted some aspects of communism, such as the cell system and strict hierarchy. The main difference between fascism and Nazism was that fascism was based on nationalism, while Nazism was based on racial superiority. Fascism in Italy was not opposed to other nationalities, as long as they adopted the language and culture of “the superior nation”, in this case, Italy. Nazism, on the other hand, classified races as either superior or inferior. Nazis assumed that Germans were the superior race while Jews and blacks were considered inferior.
Factors contributing to the groups’ rise in power
One of the most noteworthy features that led to the rise of fascism and Nazism was the Great Depression. In Germany, the Great Depression caused the rise of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, which established the Nazi Germany regime under Adolf Hitler’s leadership. Violence between political party supporters through street battles also contributed to the rise of Nazism (Alexander, 2004). In Italy, prior political developments in Italy, which advocated for nationalism contributed largely to the rise of fascism. Events such as the political instability of the country after the First World War prompted Mussolini to take advantage and intimidate his opponents through violence (Eatwell, 2011). During the Great Depression, Mussolini also increased the fascist involvement in economic matters such as enacting manufacturing cartels, currency restrictions and tariff barriers in an attempt to balance payments.
Goals of each nation
In the case of fascism in Italy, the main goal was to create a superior nation, with other nationalities existing only on the condition that they would assume the culture and the language of the Italians. In Nazi Germany, however, the main aim was to create an “ethnically pure” nation by eliminating other races, mostly the Jews and other minorities. Nazis believed that Germany was supposed to be occupied by native Germans only since they were the superior race.
Role of women in both societies
In Nazi Germany, women were supposed to …
