The Rise of Militarism and Dictators

The 1930s are typically remembered by the tremendous economic hardship countries around
the world. These hardships became prominent after the stock market crash of 1929 and grew
into a worldwide economic depression. During this time, some countries found their citizens
engaged in revolutions to change or overthrow their systems of government. A few nations
turned to the militaristic control of dictators to bring some semblance of structure. Germany,
Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union are among those who saw dictators rise to power between
World War I and World War II.

After World War I ended in 1919, the Weimar Republic in Germany found itself in a massive
depression. Inflation, which occurs when the price of goods increase, but the purchasing power
of a country’s money decreases, contributed to a sense of economic turbulence. To make
matters worse, the Nazi Party was steadily gaining support by blaming the country’s financial
troubles on Jewish people and other scapegoats.

Adolf Hitler was open with these antisemitic feelings in his 1925 autobiography Mein Kampf. He
gained popularity by blaming others for Germany's problems and was named Chancellor of the
country in 1933. He assumed the title of "Führer" the next year and Germany became a
dictatorship under his control. Hitler gained more support when he flexed his military muscle:
his forces invaded Poland by surprise in 1939, followed by a string of invasions in Europe,
including Denmark, Norway, and France in 1940.

Repeating some of the steps from World War I, Germany entered into another war time
alliance; this time, it was with Japan and Italy, and they were known as the Axis Powers.
Italy would follow a similar journey to that of Germany. Fascism was a political ideology that
gained traction in the 1920s, especially with the rise of the National Fascist Party. A fascist
government is one that is controlled by an authoritarian figure, usually someone who utilizes
terror to suppress or sway its citizens, and places an emphasis on nationalism, or the
superiority of one’s country above all others. Benito Mussolini came to power during this
decade with the intention of restoring the country to the glory of the Holy Roman Empire. In
the 1930s, Italy would go on to invade Ethiopia and Albania, later joining the Axis Powers in the
1940s.

The third Axis Power, Japan, saw militarists take control of the country in the 1920s. Japan’s
economy during and after the 1920s was a rocky one, plagued by instability and attempts at
restructuring. Industrialization in the country helped it to emerge from the Depression earlier
than other countries, and made its economic system dependent on raw materials for industry.
In the 1930s, Japan would invade China for coal and oil, and shortly after, invaded Korea and
Manchuria. A decade later, in the 1940s, Japan invaded Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. For this,
the U.S. responded by imposing an oil embargo on Japan, which caused tension between the
two countries. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. naval base in
Hawaii, which would escalate the United States’ entry into World War II.

The USSR, or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, saw Joseph Stalin rise to power in the 1920s
alongside a Communist government takeover, which controlled much of society. By the 1930s,
the USSR had developed a five-year plan to industrialize while still maintaining elements of a
dictatorship: the implementation of street police and the Great Purge, in which anyone who
questioned the government would be killed, terrified citizens and kept them oppressed. In late
1939, Stalin and Hitler signed the non-aggression pact, in which they promised not to attack
the other or use military force for the next ten years. By the 1940s, the USSR had invaded a
handful of eastern European countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania.

Dictator #1: Josef Stalin

Josef Stalin (real name Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili...try

saying that three times real fast!) was dictator of the U.S.S.R.
from approximately 1927 until his death in 1953. His rule was
marked by the creation of a police state, terror, fear, mass
killing, the gulag system, a world war, and the start of the Cold
War. Stalin's attempts at reforms included collectivization in
agriculture and a series of five-year plans for industry, both
costing the lives of many of his own people. Click here to
discover how the Soviet "Man of Steel" rose to power and
ruled the communist U.S.S.R.
 Dictator #2: Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was prime minister/dictator of Italy from 1925

until his dismissal from power in 1943. His rule was marked by the
rise of fascism in Italy. All things in Italy were done for the glory of
the state as Mussolini sought to unite Italians by restoring the
glory of the old Roman Empire . A series of public work projects,
police state, propaganda, and extreme nationalism were all
elements of fascist Italy. Click here to discover how Mussolini "Il
Duce" and his fascists rose to power in Italy prior to WWII.
 Dictator #3: Adolph Hitler

Adolph Hitler was dictator of Germany from 1934 to his death in 1945. He
was leader of the Nazi party, which eventually permeated into every facet
of German society. Hitler promised the creation of a third German Empire
(Third Reich) that would rule a thousand years. The use of the Gestapo
(secret police), extreme nationalism, racist policies, and the mass killing of
"inferior peoples" characterized Germany under Hitler and his Nazis. Click
here to discover how Hitler rose to power in Germany prior to WWII.