Prehistory: Until (more or less- 3500 B.

C)
Invention of Writing
Historical Era : (3500 B.C. until now)
Antiquity(3500 B.C. until 476 A.D.)
Bronze Age(3500 B.C. until 800 B.C)
Formation of the Greek City States
Classical Antiquity (800 B.C. until 476 A.D.)
Fall of Rome
Middle Ages (476 A.D. until 1492 A.D.)
Columbus “discovers” America
Early Modern Period (1492 A.D. until 1789 A.D.)
The French Revolution
Modern Period (1789 until 1945)
End of WW III
Contemporary Period (1945 until now)
this is subjective, seen through a western lens

Unwritten sources & Written sources

1) Material sources
2) Immaterial sources

B. An Alternative to Democracy?

1. Terminology
After WW1 people wanted a new political system
Introducing → fascism ( a version of totalitarianism)

Dictatorship → a political system in which all power belongs to one man

Totalitarian state → the government has a tight grasp on the lives of its citizen
Fascism:
1) populism
2) ultranationalistic
3) patriotism
4) sexist
5) materialistic
6) imperialistic
7) inti-intellectual

Nazism → specific kind of fascism, led by Hitler, based on race theory, Nazism was
extraordinarily violent
2. Il Duce: Mussolini
Benito Mussolini → politician → Italian socialist party → kicked out
After WW1 his visions changed → nationalist and fascist

March on Rome in 1922 (blackmailed king Victor Emmanuel)

→ Mussolini became prime minister of Italy
In 1925, he had absolute power.

He wanted to make Italy great again:

conquering parts of africa, building projects, reorganized the education system, more focus
on physical, military

Mussolini was not hateful towards Jews but Hitler influenced him too much over the years.

3. The Spanish Civil War

Spain → in 1923 there was a coup (staatsgreep) → failed
more coup attempts led to an election → socialists and left-winged won → didn't last

1936, the fascists and (again) the army committed another coup → successful in many
Spanish areas, not in big cities.
The result → civil war (from 1936 to 1939) between a right-wing and a left-wing coalition
The Germans used this war to test out their military equipment
Francisco Franco leader of right-wing coalition → becomes dictator

4. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union...

in 1924 → Lenin died
Joseph Stalin lied to get himself to the top → 1927 he expelled Trotski from the party →
banned Trotski to Mexico (1929) → Stalin became head of the party.
Trotski published criticism of Stalin → Stalin planned to kill Trotski.
Soviet Union still in trouble → Stalin plans his “five-year plans and a forced collectivization
of agriculture” → succeeded (but 15 million people died as a result)
Stalin started a cult of personality, supported by propaganda.

The Soviet Union became a totalitarian state.

5. Adolf Hitler seizes power in Germany

Germany was republic after WW1 → called The Weimar Republic.
Fascisme → Nazism

The causes of the rise of Nazism:

1) socio-economic crisis
2) displeasure about the Versailles Treaty → frustration
3) The rise of communism and the fear of a Bolshevik revolution similar to Russia

The Weimar republic was deeply unstable → people lost faith in democracy and searched
for something different.
→ Introducing Hitler

Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party against the treaty of Versailles (1919)
Amazing public speaker→ changed name to “NSDAP”: short for National Socialist German
Workers’ Party.
With help of Joseph Goebbels NSDAP was known all around Germany.
SA (Sturmabteilung) was created → to protect party meetings and intimidate opponents.
→ SS (Schutzstaffel) became Hitler’s personal bodyguard

In 1923, Hitler was inspired by “March on Rome” → he tried a coup → failed → prison.
There he writes Mein Kampf.

In 1932 → Hitler was presidential candidate → lost

Hindenburg gave him a chance → Hitler was now (prime minister) of a grand right-wing
coalition. Hitler wanted to destroy the Weimar Republic and eliminate all political
opposition.

1933 Hitler creates new law “Enabling Act” = no need for approval of the German
parliament.
Hitler killed people against him in party, 1934 president Hindenburg died → Hitler
President → Germany = dictatorship ( a Führer State)

The Third Reich was born!