Q: Using three assigned documents, explore the key issue(s) that defined the world community

from 1919-1949. In your opinion, what issue (s) posed the greatest challenge to the stability of

the world community in this time period.

Prelude: Soon after July Crisis of 1914, the Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and nationalism

led to the First World War and the war changed the face and fabric of the world. And even in the

post first world war, the history of the world has witnessed many upheavals due to Socio-

Political and economic reasons during 1919 to 1949; prior to its gaining stability. Be it War guilt,

Great Depression led by failure of Classical economic Laws, Demilitarization & subsequently

opting private armies etc. each one has done no good but has caused destabilization of world

community. However, there was one devil in the form of turbulent economic order and

emergence of fascist power or fascism in different parts of the world that paved the way for

political and social instability amongst global communities. Fascists were oppressive and

dictatorial within their national boundaries and beyond their national boundaries; they were in

favor of expansion of boundaries through exercise of military power. Besides, fascism was

against to communism and hence they assumed authority on religious & moral issues. It attracted

the attack of communist who were believer of Godless Community.

Introduction: Fascism has its origin in Italy when Mussolini rose to power and position of

Prime Minister within three years from the foundation of Fascist Party in Italy and in next two

years through street fighting and militarization, Italy aimed to take revenge against the felt

demoralization and denial of promised fruits as an ally of victor’s party in the world war I.

Italy felt betrayed when promised New Cities were given to Yugoslavia as a consequence of

Treaty of Versailles and subsequent Saint-Germaine and Trianon, Private Army was emerging

under Fascism that was widely spread in Europe, Nationalist Socialism under German Nazi

Government of Hitler who was taking command to reestablish economic order and the lost

sovereignty and the pride of Germany, Communist government assuming the power in Hungary

or in the then USSR etc. All these alternate economic system were based on rival ideologies and

were competing and conflicting with one another on the line of general acceptance of religious or

spiritual beliefs, intervention of state in economic decision making, theological beliefs of

individualism or Totalitarianism or imperialism etc. and thereby had created the key issue of for

conflicting interest amongst communism, imperialism and Totalitarianism which was first

developed in the 1920s by the Weimar German jurist, and later Nazi Government and fascist

Government of Italy. Totalitarianism and fascist powers assumed different forms and character

in different parts of Europe and Asia such as Spanish fascism in Spain, Polish fascism in Poland,

Italian fascism etc. and were deadly opposed to communism; yet another prominent economic

system gaining strong footholds in different parts of Europe and Asia that eventually led to

economic crisis and political conflicts leading to the second world war.

Thesis Statement - The present thesis is an attempt to examine the character of Totalitarianism

as key issue causing instability and conflict amongst different nations in post first world period.

Had there been the absence of the sense of betrayal in Italy that arose with the induction of new

cities in Yugoslavian territory, or the war guilt in Germany, probably there would have not been

any firm justification to the introduction of Fascism or authoritarian or statism and communism

could have paved their deepest foundation in the world and there might not have been instability

as it was marked during 1919 to 1939 which ended with World War II.

Literature Reviewed: Benito Mussolini: “The Doctrine of Fascism” (1932) Talks about the

circumstances under which authoritarianism or totalitarianism was introduced in Italy. “Fascism

wants man to be active and to engage in action with all his energies; it wants him to be manfully

aware of the difficulties besetting him and ready to face them. It conceives of life as a struggle in

which it behooves a man to win for himself a really worthy place, first of all by fitting himself

(physically, morally, and intellectually) to become the implement required for winning it”. As

against to “Godless” communism, with no spiritual base, Mussolini the Architect of Fascism in

Italy made vehement attack on communism as extreme leftist wing and assumed the ideology of

right wing. Almost during the same time in Germany, with the formation of the Weimar Republic,

bloody street hostility between paramilitary groups—the right-wing Freikorps and left-wing pro-

Communist Red Guards started taking place prior to communist took over the charge of

government. Though, the attempt of Hitler to revolutionize his ideology through protest and with

gained support from political party men, his Beer Hall Putsch was put down. US agreed to

provide a loan to Germany to meet the war guilt reparations. However, conditions got worsen in

1930 with the beginning of the Great Depression which provided the opportune base to Hitler to

take over the control of Germany and establish a Total Authoritarian Nationalist government.

Hitler in his “Proclamation to the German People, 1933” writes, “Thus it will declare a merciless

war against spiritual, political and cultural nihilism. Germany must not and will not drown in

anarchistic Communism.” When Hitler was consolidating his Nazy government and denouncing

communist predecessor, there in the far east of Asia, i.e. in Japan, The Ministry of Home Affairs

were oppressing left-wing political dissidents and In response, Japanese branch of the

International Popular Front against Fascism was founded by a large group of writers who were

publishing articles in journals warning of the dangers of statism. Also, Japan was in direct

conflict against China who feared a boundary extension policy of Japan. Japanese Ambassador

Hiroshi Saito on the Conflict in the Far East writes, “If China’s house were in order there would

be no need for the presence of these foreign forces or of Japan’s present action.” He writes

further, “Premier Konoye, Foreign Minister Hirota and War Minister Sugiyama, have all stated

that Japan is not bent on conquest and has no desire to detach or annex any part of China. What

our government and people want is peace and security in the Far East”.

Discussion: The very introduction of Fascism by Mussolini was an attack on Marxian Socialism

and Communism. He believed and presented his ideology of fascism as complete opposite of

Marxian Socialism. Unlike communism also, fascism is opposed to state ownership of capital

and economic equality is not a principle or goal. Fascism in Italy was highly totalitarian in

nature, based on individualistic approach and against to the acceptance of theological views of

leftist that happiness is earth-bound which eventually bring human families a settlement of their

all difficulties some time with equality in sharing happiness under egalitarian social structure.

Fascism had the principle goal of the extension of National boundaries. It assumed decimal role

of market forces in optimization of the use of resources without state control. Fascism borrowed

theories and terminology from socialism with a focus on conflict between nations and races

rather than without the focus on class conflict. They advocated a mixed economy, with the

principal goal of achieving autarky to secure national self-sufficiency and independence through

protectionist and interventionist economic policies. Mussolini rejected the Godless Communism

and advocated for spirituality and morality. The church also played a major role in all of the

European fascist countries especially in Germany, Spain and Italy.

In Germany, Hitler led down the foundation of extreme Nationalism and Nazi Government

which literarily in itself is a short form of Nationalsozialismus, or National Socialism. The

fascism in Germany assumed a bit different form than that of fascism in Italy to the extent it was

more National Socialist and totalitarian than that of Mussolini’s Fascism in Italy. During the

1930s and WWII, communism and fascism represented the extreme left and right, respectively,

in European politics.  Hitler justified both Nazi anti-Semitism and dictatorship largely on the

basis of his working to fight-off communism. Hitler gained the support of the masses as it won

majority of the seats in the election though the bottom line fact remained the same that Hitler

took the command when Germany was searching for its lost prestige and millions of Germans

were stranded without Job. The foundation stone of German fascism too was led down on the

unsuccessful saga of 14 years old communist government where the government was struggling

to cope up with the heat of great depression. While addressing to the volks, Hitler’s focus was

on economic reforms and reforms to build the nation with the approach to have Authoritative

control on policies and their execution. However, he did not shade off the importance of religion

and family, very much similar to the ideology of fascism in Italy when he addressed the

Germans, “It will extend its strong, protecting hand over Christianity as the basis of our entire

morality, and the family as the germ cell of the body of our Volk and State.”

The fascist forces that were deepening its root in Poland, Spain or Japan were against to the

Communistic ideology similar to those of Italy or Germany however, the element of

aggressiveness and acceptance of war for expansion of boundaries and control over larger

territory was more. In Japan, Occidental ideologies were being revisited as evident from the

Selections from the Kokutai No Hongi; 1937. The raised voice against the imported culture and

life style from western world was pointed out. The individualism as the basis of Occidental

Ideologies in Japan came with more force when communist were moving against to

individualism. The depart from traditional individualism by communist gave rise to

Totalitarianism and Nazism in Europe and statism in Japan.

Conclusion: The post-world war –I has been marked with the emergence of alternative

economic system and ideologies across the world. Imperialism, National Socialism, Nazism,

Fascism, and communism were ideologically conflicting with one another and gradually

assuming the form of extreme rightist and extreme leftist forces. The ideological differences on

the line of acceptance or rejection of individualism or religious sentiments and propagation of

religious beliefs and morals were creating the gap. The oppressiveness and authoritarian

approach of the governance was been considered as against to human wellbeing. In communist

ideology all labor belongs to the individual laborer; and hence no man can be the owner of

another man's body and therefore each man owns his own labor.  Thus profit actually belongs in

part to the laborer, not, or not just, those who control the means of production, such as the

business or factory owner. This ideology was dead against to protectionist ideology of fascist for

industry and commerce. Such type of ideological conflicts, for instance, were creating instability

in socio-economic harmony of the global community and street fights at micro level and led to

the world war –II at large.

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