Week 11: The Rise of Totalitarian States in the 20th Century

Read

The Rise of Dictatorship and Totalitarianism

Primary Source Readings

Your assigned readings are the next section of this module, Primary Readings, and the detailed description of assignment requirements are in the Dropbox folder for this week’s Primary Source Reading.

This semester, you will read two primary sources every other week. The topic of each reading set relates to the subjects that we will be studying in the history of Western Civilization. I have selected two readings for every topic that contrast and conflict one another.

Watch the Following Videos

1. Fascism and Mussolini [Enter key starts video]
   The first fascist regime was established by Benito Mussolini in Italy in 1925. The word fascism comes from “fasci ,” an Italian term for “bundle of sticks” that was a symbol for strength in unity. Fascists believe in one-party, totalitarian control of a nation and its economy. Fascist regimes value nationalism and militarization and frequently build nationalist fervor around a concept of shared racial or ethnic superiority. Mussolini’s Fascist regime of the 1920s inspired Adolf Hitler’s regime in Germany. Created by Sal Khan.
   
2. Mussolini becomes Prime Minister [Enter key starts video]
   Created by Sal Khan.
   
3. Mussolini becomes Absolute Dictator (Il Duce) [Enter key starts video]
   Created by Sal Khan.
   
4. Mussolini Aligns with Hitler [Enter key starts video]
   Created by Sal Khan.