Compare and contrast Mussolini's and Hitler's rise to power

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Compare and contrast Mussolini’s and Hitler’s rise to power

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From the beginning of German and Italian fascism, the methods employed by Hitler and

Mussolini to acquire power have been highly comparable. These methods include the

political stance of the leaders, the support of Military associations, the use of paramilitary wings, social and political coercion, firm communist opposition, the support and control of the church and the employment of propaganda.

The political stance of Hitler and Mussolini was used be each to acquire power in

Germany and Italy respectively. Politically, Hitler and Mussolini each wanted more land

and their country to be recognized as a European power – sentiments that would be the

driving force behind their acquisition of power. During WWI, unskilled upper-class

military leaders were blamed for the high casualties of war and as a result, the military

experience of Hitler and Mussolini later made them desirable as political leaders.

Thompson relates that the ‘third way’ offered by both leaders assisted their acquisition of power in the face of incompetent Liberal governments and the threat of Socialist

revolution. According to Lee, in Italy the inaction of the Liberal government during the

Biennio Rosso had led to widespread public opposition and in Germany, the Weimar

Republic had failed to deal with the economic upheaval. As a result the dynamic and

militant approach of Italian and German fascists themselves became methods of

acquiring power.

From the start of German and Italian fascism, there had been a strong military

association, which both Hitler and Mussolini had used to attain power. Kershaw relates

that this association was clearly seen during the Munich Putsch when Ludendorff voiced

support for the Nazi revolution. Whitlam describes military/fascist association in Italy

during the Biennio Rosso when Army leaders would often ignore fascist violence against socialist demonstrators and even advocate such behavior. The German and Italian military held very anti-socialist and anti-liberalist views, largely owing to the war time losses and Versailles failures. As such, in their respective countries, Hitler and Mussolini faced little or no military resistance in their violence against these political rivals. However, Lee explains that the early acquisition and consolidation of power for both fascist states relied primarily on fascist militia groups, rather than state military forces.

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The use of paramilitary volunteer groups was a vital method in the acquisition of

power for Hitler and Mussolini as they not only demonstrated an authoritarian rule, but

also served to eliminate of rivals. Bullock relates that the first of these fascist groups in

Germany was the Friekorps, out of which rose the S.A and the S.S. The use of this group was seen during The Night of the Long Knives when S.S. troops carried out, as Bracher relates, up to 400 murders of political rivals. Similarly, in Italy, Mussolini’s Squadristi emerged from the earlier Adritti. The use of this ...

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