Introduction

World War I brought almost all the monarchies in Europe to an end. There emerged a popular
demand for representative assemblies, democratic electorates, universal suffrage and
responsible governments. Republics began to be established all over Europe. The decade
from 1919-1929 also witnessed the efforts of the League of Nations and of the world powers,
to maintain world peace. Attempts were made towards collective security, through
the Washington Conference in 1921-1922, the Dawes Plan in 1924, and the Locarno
Treaty of 1925.
Though peace spread throughout the world during the decade after World War I, it was
followed in the next decade (1929-1959), by the rise of dictatorships in different forms in
European countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal. The life of the citizen was
totally controlled by the dictators; they were the ones who decided how a citizen should vote
and even what he should read and do. Dictatorships even threatened their neighbouring
countries by refusing to work with the League of Nations except on their own terms. The
dictators adhered to the supreme motto: everything for the state everything within the state,
and nothing outside the state.
Causes of the Growth of Dictatorships in Europe
Italy was thrown into a state of poverty, discontent and disorder after World War I. Though
the Italians had won the war, their claims were not accepted at the Paris Peace Conference in
1919. They were thus seeking a leader who would fulfil their ambitions. They found him
in Benito Mussolini.
Thanks to the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was physically mutilated, economically
suffocated, emotionally humiliated and territorially encircled. Thus the German youth was
filled with a sense of intense hatred and revenge against the Allied Powers. These popular
sentiments were well exploited by Adolf Hitler.
At the Washington Conference of 1921-22, Japan was forced to sign three treaties. She was
thus looking for an opportunity penetrate into China.
The Soviet Union also sought to fulfill its mission of a world communist revolution, after
World War I, thus threatening the whole world.
Democratic governments were not able to solve the social, political and economic problems
of the post-war period. This exposed the evils in their functioning.
The victorious powers such as Great Britain, the U.S.A. and France failed to enforce the
Treaty of Versailles vigorously. This also encouraged the growth of dictatorships.
The League of Nations was unsuccessful in its aim to preserve peace. Thus the path was
paved for the growth of totalitarian dictatorships.
The world economic crisis in 1929, caused frustration, despondency and despair all over the
world. Forces of international anarchy were released in 1931, when Japan invaded
Manchuria. This convinced the world dictators, that the road to aggression was not difficult.
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (German: [adlf htl] ( listen); 20 April 1889 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-
born German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party(German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP); National Socialist German Workers Party). Hitler was chancellor of
Germany from 1933 to 1945 and dictator of Nazi Germany (as Fhrer und Reichskanzler) from 1934
to 1945. He was at the centre of the founding of Nazism, the start of World War II, and the Holocaust.
A decorated veteran of World War I, Hitler joined the German Workers' Party, precursor of the Nazi
Party, in 1919, and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted a coup d'tat, known
as the Beer Hall Putsch, in Munich. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which
time he wrote his memoir, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular
support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-semitism, and anti-
communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. After his appointment as chancellor in
1933, he transformed the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, a single-party dictatorship based on
the totalitarian and autocraticideology of Nazism. His aim was to establish a New Order of absolute
Nazi German hegemony in continental Europe.
Hitler's foreign and domestic policies had the goal of seizing Lebensraum ("living space") for
the Germanic people. He directed the rearmament of Germany and the invasion of Poland by
the Wehrmacht in September 1939, resulting in the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Under Hitler's
rule, in 1941 German forces and their European allies occupied most of Europe and North Africa. By
1943, Hitler's military decisions led to escalating defeats. In 1945 the Allied armies successfully
invaded Germany. Hitler's supremacist and racially motivated policies resulted in the systematic
murder of eleven million people, including an estimated six million Jews, and in the deaths of between
50 and 70 million people in World War II.
In the final days of the war, during the Battle of Berlin in 1945, Hitler married his long-time
mistress, Eva Braun. On 30 April 1945, less than two days later, the two committed suicide to avoid
capture by the Red Army, and their corpses were burned.
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 1883 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician who led
the National Fascist Party, ruling the country from 1922 to his ousting in 1943, and is credited with
being one of the key figures in the creation of fascism.
Originally a member of the Italian Socialist Party and editor of the Avanti! from 1912 to 1914,
Mussolini fought in World War I as an ardent nationalist and created the Fasci di Combattimento in
1919, catalyzing his nationalist and socialist beliefs in the Fascist Manifesto, published in 1921.
Following the March on Rome in October 1922 he became the 27th Prime Minister of Italy and began
using the title Il Duce by 1925, about which time he had established dictatorial authority by both legal
and extraordinary means, aspiring to create a totalitarian state. After 1936, his official title was Sua
Eccellenza Benito Mussolini, Capo del Governo, Duce del Fascismo e Fondatore dell'Impero ("His
Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the
Empire")
[1]
Mussolini also created and held the supreme military rank of First Marshal of the
Empire along with King Victor Emmanuel III, which gave him and the King joint supreme control over
the military of Italy. Mussolini remained in power until he was replaced in 1943; for a short period after
this until his death, he was the leader of the Italian Social Republic.
Mussolini was among the founders of Italian Fascism, which included elements of
nationalism, corporatism, national syndicalism, expansionism,social progress, and anti-communism in
combination with censorship of subversives and state propaganda. In the years following his creation
of the Fascist ideology, Mussolini influenced, or achieved admiration from, a wide variety of political
figures.
[2]

Among the domestic achievements of Mussolini from the years 19241939 were: his public
works programs such as the taming of the Pontine Marshes, the improvement of job opportunities, the
public transport, and the so-called Italian economic battles. Mussolini also solved the Roman
Question by concluding the Lateran Treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See. Mussolini
and the Fascist regime initiated an aggressive campaign to destroy the Sicilian mafia with mass
arrests and mass trials of mafiosi.
[3]
Mussolini was unable to purge Sicily of the mafia, because the
mafia utilized its strong base of supporters to hide and protect itself as an underground movement
during Fascist rule in Italy.
[4]

Since 1938 Mussolini had sought to delay a major war in Europe until at least 1942 to allow Italy to
focus its resources to rearm its military, such as to rearm its army with new artillery to replace its
existing outmoded artillery, to complete a squadron of new battleships, to create a large colonial-
recruit army in newly-established Italian East Africa, to secure Italy's foreign currency reserves
through the planned world exposition in Rome to be held in 1942, and to allow the repatriation of the
largest number of Italians abroad as possible to fight for Italian forces in a major war.
[5]
However
European war erupted in 1939 after Germany's invasion of Poland. On 10 June 1940, Mussolini led
Italy into World War II, siding with Germany. Mussolini was aware that Italy did not have the military
capacity in 1940 to carry out a long war with France and the United Kingdom.
[6]
Therefore, he waited
until the former was on the verge of imminent collapse and surrender because of the German
invasion before declaring war on France and the UK, on the assumption that - following France's
collapse - the war would be short-lived and peace negotiations would soon take place.
[6]
Mussolini
believed that after the imminent French surrender, Italy could gain from this country some territorial
concessions and then concentrate its forces on a major offensive in Egypt where British and
Commonwealth forces were outnumbered by Italian forces.
[7]
However the UK refused to accept
German proposals for a peace that would involve accepting Germany's victories in Eastern and
Western Europe, plans for a German invasion of the UK did not proceed, and the war continued.
On 24 July 1943, soon after the start of the Allied invasion of Italy, through the Ordine del
giorno Grandi Mussolini was defeated in the vote at theGrand Council of Fascism, and the day after
the King had him arrested. On 12 September 1943, Mussolini was rescued from prison in the
daring Gran Sasso raid by German special forces. Following his rescue, Mussolini headed the Italian
Social Republic in parts of Italy that were not occupied by Allied forces. In late April 1945, with total
defeat looming, Mussolini attempted to escape north,
[8]
only to be quickly captured and summarily
executednear Lake Como by Italian partisans. His body was then taken to Milan where it was hung
upside down at a petrol station for public viewing and to provide confirmation of his demise.
[9]


A comparison between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini

There is no doubt that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini shared many similar characteristics.
They shared movements that were typical of National Socialism: they adopted a radical
nationalism, militaristic hierarchies, violence, the cult of charismatic leadership, contempt for
individual liberties and civil rights, an anti-democratic and anti-socialist orientation, and a
refusal to socialize industries.
Hitler and Mussolini looked upon the new form of government, which was Totalitarianism.
This form of government means there is only one leader to make decisions and thus they
killed or jailed all opponents. Mussolini and Hitler used this form of government after World
War One to make their countries into world powers.
Perhaps the most obvious similarity would be the path they took to power. In parliament
Hitler and Mussolini gathered small groups of followers they would use to bully voters,
Hitler's SS and SA and Mussolini's Brown Shirts. The point of these behind these parties was
that they both expressed what voters wanted to hear. They spoke of greater job opportunities
and rejuvenation of their countries. Hitler and Mussolini used violent propaganda to increase
social struggle everywhere in their countries. The polarization of the society produced by this
violent behavior benefited the fascist parties. Both leaders used their political strength to
impose conditions on their people. Both Hitler and Mussolini were finally given the
opportunity to form a government and carried out their election promises. Their ruling of
power came about to be so similar because of their similar roads to power.
Here we see some differences in the way Hitler and Mussolini actually came to power.
Mussolini encountered many forms of resistance and had to co-exist with other competitors
for power, such as the Italian monarchy and rivals even inside his own party. Hitler proved
very strong right from the beginning and he brought his plans very nearly to completion,
controlling the party and the country much more thoroughly than Mussolini could.
The goals of these two leaders were also very alike because of their fascist ideas. The
keystone of the fascist political system was the leader: every person and every group, every
lobby, lay beneath him on the same level. The Italian and German fascist movements tried to
build a different kind of national unity, based not on the "common good" but on
other principles knowing that their countries were internally fragmented.
The rulings of these two leaders had many similarities yet still had some differences. Their
beliefs in running the country came to be very alike. Hitler and Mussolini both had negation
of parliamentary and democratic political order, the use of violence and of physical strength,
and the "revolutionary project" of a new society. Hitler and Mussolini feared any
kind of strong and permanent power other than their own. This system of government where
many institutions clashed with one another was extremely chaotic, and only the one leader
could keep it working.
One of the most relevant differences between the two fascist regimes lied in their differing
attitudes towards culture and religion. In Germany there was no uniform agreement on
religion. In Italy the Catholic Church exercised a strong influence on the people.
In Italy the strong presence of Catholic religion and organizations influenced Mussolini's
policies concerning women. Although the fascist ideology intended to abolish class struggle
by establishing a new corporative society, its ideas about the role of women in such a society
remained very conservative. Hitler had similar beliefs about the role of women in a Nazi
society but he never tried to force them to stay home, indeed, he supported their participation
in industrial production.
Hitler's rule was cold and calculating, his only joys were the tramping of military boots in
Nazi parades and the huge applause at Nazi rallies. On the other hand Mussolini tried to
appear o his people as a "superman".
It is true that the Italian dictatorship was more conservative in its application than that of
Hitler's reign of terror. But, both the fascist ideas and rulings of these two leaders proved to
have some similarities worth mentioning. Both leaders left their countries with an economic
and social debt to the Allies, which is still strong in the minds of many older members of the
community.
A comparison between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini

There is no doubt that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini shared many similar characteristics.
They shared movements that were typical of National Socialism: they adopted a radical
nationalism, militaristic hierarchies, violence, the cult of charismatic leadership, contempt for
individual liberties and civil rights, an anti-democratic and anti-socialist orientation, and a
refusal to socialize industries.
Hitler and Mussolini looked upon the new form of government, which was Totalitarianism.
This form of government means there is only one leader to make decisions and thus they
killed or jailed all opponents. Mussolini and Hitler used this form of government after World
War One to make their countries into world powers.
Perhaps the most obvious similarity would be the path they took to power. In parliament
Hitler and Mussolini gathered small groups of followers they would use to bully voters,
Hitler's SS and SA and Mussolini's Brown Shirts. The point of these behind these parties was
that they both expressed what voters wanted to hear. They spoke of greater job opportunities
and rejuvenation of their countries. Hitler and Mussolini used violent propaganda to increase
social struggle everywhere in their countries. The polarization of the society produced by this
violent behavior benefited the fascist parties. Both leaders used their political strength to
impose conditions on their people. Both Hitler and Mussolini were finally given the
opportunity to form a government and carried out their election promises. Their ruling of
power came about to be so similar because of their similar roads to power.
Here we see some differences in the way Hitler and Mussolini actually came to power.
Mussolini encountered many forms of resistance and had to co-exist with other competitors
for power, such as the Italian monarchy and rivals even inside his own party. Hitler proved
very strong right from the beginning and he brought his plans very nearly to completion,
controlling the party and the country much more thoroughly than Mussolini could.
The goals of these two leaders were also very alike because of their fascist ideas. The
keystone of the fascist political system was the leader: every person and every group, every
lobby, lay beneath him on the same level. The Italian and German fascist movements tried to
build a different kind of national unity, based not on the "common good" but on
other principles knowing that their countries were internally fragmented.
The rulings of these two leaders had many similarities yet still had some differences. Their
beliefs in running the country came to be very alike. Hitler and Mussolini both had negation
of parliamentary and democratic political order, the use of violence and of physical strength,
and the "revolutionary project" of a new society. Hitler and Mussolini feared any
kind of strong and permanent power other than their own. This system of government where
many institutions clashed with one another was extremely chaotic, and only the one leader
could keep it working.
One of the most relevant differences between the two fascist regimes lied in their differing
attitudes towards culture and religion. In Germany there was no uniform agreement on
religion. In Italy the Catholic Church exercised a strong influence on the people.
In Italy the strong presence of Catholic religion and organizations influenced Mussolini's
policies concerning women. Although the fascist ideology intended to abolish class struggle
by establishing a new corporative society, its ideas about the role of women in such a society
remained very conservative. Hitler had similar beliefs about the role of women in a Nazi
society but he never tried to force them to stay home, indeed, he supported their participation
in industrial production.
Hitler's rule was cold and calculating, his only joys were the tramping of military boots in
Nazi parades and the huge applause at Nazi rallies. On the other hand Mussolini tried to
appear o his people as a "superman".
It is true that the Italian dictatorship was more conservative in its application than that of
Hitler's reign of terror. But, both the fascist ideas and rulings of these two leaders proved to
have some similarities worth mentioning. Both leaders left their countries with an economic
and social debt to the Allies, which is still strong in the minds of many older members of the
community.

Conclusion
In many analyses of Europe in the 1930s contemporaries employed two metaphors, "cancer"
and "twilight", to describe the state of European civilization. "Cancer" was used in reference
to totalitarianism. Fascism and Nazism were seen as malignant outgrowths of modern society,
slowly consuming it. The metaphor "twilight", most frequently applied to the state of affairs
in France, suggested the end of an era. The high noon of liberal democracy was past, and now
Europe was basking in the last light of a glorious day before the night of fascism would fall.
Neither metaphor was new nor particularly subtle in nuance. But each clearly conveyed the
sense of despair, of tragic conclusion that so many observers foresaw for the European
civilization that had been part of their pre war youth.
The Depression of the 1930s was, therefore, not just economic but also psychological.
European society had lost its confidence