Dictators
Mussolini - Italy
Before Mussolini became dictator, he was a soldier for the Italian army. In August 1915, he was called up and assigned to the 11th Bersaglieri. He was confined into the trenches based on his war experience. He proved himself to be a good soldier, in the grim conditions. He was promoted to the rank of corporal and later lance-sergeant. After the military he then went on The Road to Power. Because his party offered action Mussolini gained from the weakness of the the government and from the unrest in the country. The 1921 election - Mussolini was elected at Milan and took his seat as the leader of a party which was noted only for its disorderly behavior. Mussolini was trying to establish his party politically while his followers ran riot throughout the country. Government virtually broke down by October 22. Before leaving for the party congress, Mussolini and his immediate followers has laid plans for military action. He was encouraged by the enthusiasm of his followers. Mussolini then formed his government and was led by a moderate cabinet. He was secure in the knowledge that the nation was relieved at having a government prepared to act. He had the support of the king, the army, the industrialists, and the loyalty of his followers. He used very harsh control and authority.
Stalin - Russia
Under Stalin's rule, the concept of "Socialism in One Country" became a central tenet of Soviet society, contrary to Leon Trotsky's view that socialism must be spread through continuous international revolutions. He replaced the New Economic Policy introduced by Lenin in the early 1920s with a highly centralized command economy, launching a period of industrialization and collectivization that resulted in the rapid transformation of the USSR from an agrarian society into an industrial power.[3] However, the economic changes coincided with the imprisonment of millions of people in Gulag labour camps.[4] The initial upheaval in agriculture disrupted food production and contributed to the catastrophic Soviet famine of 1932–33, known as the Holodomor in Ukraine. Between 1934 and 1939 he organized and led a massive purge of the party, government, armed forces, in which millions of so-called "enemies of the Soviet people" were imprisoned, exiled or executed. In a period that lasted from 1936 to 1939, Stalin instituted a campaign against enemies within his regime. Major figures in the Communist Party, such as the old Bolsheviks, Leon Trotsky, and most of the Red Army generals, were killed after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the government and Stalin. In August 1939, after failed attempts to conclude anti-Hitler pacts with other major European powers, Stalin entered into a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany that divided their influence and territory within Eastern Europe, resulting in their invasion of Poland in September of that year, but Germany later violated the agreement and launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Despite heavy human and territorial losses, Soviet forces managed to halt the Nazi incursion after the decisive Battles of Moscow and Stalingrad. After defeating the Axis powers on the Eastern Front, the Red Army captured Berlin in May 1945, effectively ending the war in Europe for the Allies.[6][7] The Soviet Union subsequently emerged as one of two recognized world superpowers, the other being the United States.[8] The Yalta and Potsdam conferences established communist governments loyal to the Soviet Union in the Eastern Bloc countries as buffer states. He also fostered close relations with Mao Zedong in China and Kim Il-sung in North Korea. Stalin led the Soviet Union through its post-war reconstruction phase, which saw a significant rise in tension with the Western world that would later be known as the Cold War. During this period, the USSR became the second country in the world to successfully develop a nuclear weapon, as well as launching the Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature in response to another widespread famine and the Great Construction Projects of Communism.
Hitler - Germany
It was supposedly at this time that Hitler first became interested in politics and how the masses could be made to respond to certain themes. He was particularly impressed with the anti-Semitic, nationalist Christian-Socialist party. During the First World War he volunteered to fight for the German Army and gained the rank of corporal, earning accolades as a dispatch-runner. He won several awards for bravery, including the Iron Cross First Class. In October 1918, he was blinded in a mustard gas attack. Germany surrendered while Hitler was in the hospital and he was in a state of great depression, spending lots of time in tears. After the war ended, Hitler's future seemed uncertain. In 1919, Hitler attended his first meeting of the German Workers' party, an anti-Semitic, nationalist group as a spy for the German Army. However, he found he agreed with Anton Drexler's German nationalism and anti-Semitism. He disagreed with how they were organized leading him to make a passionate speech. Hitler quickly cemented his reputation as an engaging orator through his passion about the injustices faced by Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. It soon became clear that people were joining the party just to see Hitler make his speeches, which would leave the audience in a state of near hysteria and willing to do whatever he suggested. He quickly rose through the ranks and, by 1921, was the leader of the re-named National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi). With terrible economic conditions and rapid inflation, support for Hitler's party grew. By 1923, the Nazi's had 56,000 members and many more supporters.
(By Alison Abbey)
Mussolini - Italy
Before Mussolini became dictator, he was a soldier for the Italian army. In August 1915, he was called up and assigned to the 11th Bersaglieri. He was confined into the trenches based on his war experience. He proved himself to be a good soldier, in the grim conditions. He was promoted to the rank of corporal and later lance-sergeant. After the military he then went on The Road to Power. Because his party offered action Mussolini gained from the weakness of the the government and from the unrest in the country. The 1921 election - Mussolini was elected at Milan and took his seat as the leader of a party which was noted only for its disorderly behavior. Mussolini was trying to establish his party politically while his followers ran riot throughout the country. Government virtually broke down by October 22. Before leaving for the party congress, Mussolini and his immediate followers has laid plans for military action. He was encouraged by the enthusiasm of his followers. Mussolini then formed his government and was led by a moderate cabinet. He was secure in the knowledge that the nation was relieved at having a government prepared to act. He had the support of the king, the army, the industrialists, and the loyalty of his followers. He used very harsh control and authority.
Stalin - Russia
Under Stalin's rule, the concept of "Socialism in One Country" became a central tenet of Soviet society, contrary to Leon Trotsky's view that socialism must be spread through continuous international revolutions. He replaced the New Economic Policy introduced by Lenin in the early 1920s with a highly centralized command economy, launching a period of industrialization and collectivization that resulted in the rapid transformation of the USSR from an agrarian society into an industrial power.[3] However, the economic changes coincided with the imprisonment of millions of people in Gulag labour camps.[4] The initial upheaval in agriculture disrupted food production and contributed to the catastrophic Soviet famine of 1932–33, known as the Holodomor in Ukraine. Between 1934 and 1939 he organized and led a massive purge of the party, government, armed forces, in which millions of so-called "enemies of the Soviet people" were imprisoned, exiled or executed. In a period that lasted from 1936 to 1939, Stalin instituted a campaign against enemies within his regime. Major figures in the Communist Party, such as the old Bolsheviks, Leon Trotsky, and most of the Red Army generals, were killed after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the government and Stalin. In August 1939, after failed attempts to conclude anti-Hitler pacts with other major European powers, Stalin entered into a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany that divided their influence and territory within Eastern Europe, resulting in their invasion of Poland in September of that year, but Germany later violated the agreement and launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Despite heavy human and territorial losses, Soviet forces managed to halt the Nazi incursion after the decisive Battles of Moscow and Stalingrad. After defeating the Axis powers on the Eastern Front, the Red Army captured Berlin in May 1945, effectively ending the war in Europe for the Allies.[6][7] The Soviet Union subsequently emerged as one of two recognized world superpowers, the other being the United States.[8] The Yalta and Potsdam conferences established communist governments loyal to the Soviet Union in the Eastern Bloc countries as buffer states. He also fostered close relations with Mao Zedong in China and Kim Il-sung in North Korea. Stalin led the Soviet Union through its post-war reconstruction phase, which saw a significant rise in tension with the Western world that would later be known as the Cold War. During this period, the USSR became the second country in the world to successfully develop a nuclear weapon, as well as launching the Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature in response to another widespread famine and the Great Construction Projects of Communism.
Hitler - Germany
It was supposedly at this time that Hitler first became interested in politics and how the masses could be made to respond to certain themes. He was particularly impressed with the anti-Semitic, nationalist Christian-Socialist party. During the First World War he volunteered to fight for the German Army and gained the rank of corporal, earning accolades as a dispatch-runner. He won several awards for bravery, including the Iron Cross First Class. In October 1918, he was blinded in a mustard gas attack. Germany surrendered while Hitler was in the hospital and he was in a state of great depression, spending lots of time in tears. After the war ended, Hitler's future seemed uncertain. In 1919, Hitler attended his first meeting of the German Workers' party, an anti-Semitic, nationalist group as a spy for the German Army. However, he found he agreed with Anton Drexler's German nationalism and anti-Semitism. He disagreed with how they were organized leading him to make a passionate speech. Hitler quickly cemented his reputation as an engaging orator through his passion about the injustices faced by Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. It soon became clear that people were joining the party just to see Hitler make his speeches, which would leave the audience in a state of near hysteria and willing to do whatever he suggested. He quickly rose through the ranks and, by 1921, was the leader of the re-named National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi). With terrible economic conditions and rapid inflation, support for Hitler's party grew. By 1923, the Nazi's had 56,000 members and many more supporters.
(By Alison Abbey)