| The Rise of Dictatorships |
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After World War I, political unrest and poor economic conditions lead many countries to develop a dictatorship as their government. Most dictatorships started in countries that did not have democracy such as Germany, the Soviet Union, Italy, and Japan. Dictatorships held total power and ruled without regard to law. Anyone who opposed the dictatorships would be imprisoned or would be executed.
Germany
In 1932 the Nazi party came to power in Germany, with Hitler as its Chancellor. In the Nazi party, there was no democracy and no opposition to the government. Germany gained territory by taking over weak countries that it had lost in the Treaty of Versailles.
Hitler gained power by telling the German people that Germany would be powerful again and would ignore the Treaty of Versailles and avenge Germany’s defeat in World War II. He also told the German people that they were a superior race that would take over the world and that he would rid Germany of Jew and Slavs.
One of Hitler’s goals was to unite German speaking people in the Nazi party. He also wanted to gain land for Germans to live in and for Germany to become powerful again. Hitler wanted Germany to rule Europe, Great Britain to rule the ocean, and Japan to rule Asia.
The Soviet Union
The Communists, lead by V. I. Lenin, gained power in the Soviet Union in 1917. Lenin set up a communist dictatorship that firmly controlled the country and the government. Right before World War II, Joseph Stalin came to power as the leader of the Communists. Because Germany thought the Soviet Union was weak, it did not form an alliance with the Soviet Union. At the beginning of the war, the Soviet Union joined with the Allies.
Italy
After World War I in Italy, the weak economy lead to strikes and riots. The Fascist party, a strongly nationalistic dictatorship, gained supporters in Italy and later on controlled the government. The leader of the Fascist party, Benito Mussolini, vowed to restore order and prosperity to Italy. He wanted Italy to be powerful, like it was in the days of the ancient Roman Empire, and for Italy to dominate the world.
Japan
World War I left Japan with a weak economy and very little natural resources. Japan wanted to expand and become more powerful, so that the economy would improve. In the early 1930’s, military officers began to hold political office and began to gain support. By 1936, the military officers had strong control over the government, which glorified war and the training of warriors.
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