What were Mussolini's foreign policy aims between 1922 and 1939?
What were Mussolini's foreign policy aims between 1922 and 1939? Mussolini's foreign policy has caused nearly as many debates as that of Hitler. Whilst some feel that he had a coherent plan, many feel he merely was an opportunist who "was simply seeking to exploit the mayhem which he had helped to unleash"1 in order to further his and Italy's image. Overall historians appear to agree on two main principles that run through the foreign policy; fascist imperial notions and consolidation of power. Firstly I will examine arguments on how policy was determined and then I will look at the policies themselves and what the aims behind them appear to have been. One issue that prevents the investigation in Mussolini's policies is that he was always answerable to the King, between 1922-25 he was the Prime Minister which although is considerable power is technically subordinate to the King. However after examining the foreign policy for even a short time it becomes apparent that the King rarely managed to exercise any restraint over Mussolini and after 1926 when Contarini resigned the foreign policy lay in Mussolini's hands to be developed as he wished and later delegated to other fascists. "It was quite clear that through out the regime it was Mussolini who conducted the foreign policy of fascist Italy whether he was nominally in charge or not."2 Another argument is that
Causation of the Purges.
Causation of the Purges Under Stalin's leadership, approximately 70 000 people were murdered during the purges of 1928 to 1940, and some 12 million people died as a result of Stalin's sending them to the Gulags, and these estimates are described as being conservative. Many historians believe that up to 17 million people could have died as a result of Stalin's purges. Was this due to Stalin's paranoia, or were other factors involved in these huge numbers of dead? After Lenin's death, Stalin succeeded him as leader after a gap of about three years. He had achieved his position through skilful manovering and ruthlessness in his dealings with fellow party members. Stalin had been brought up as a Georgian peasant, but his lack of regard for his fellow human beings had been shown by his brutal repression of Georgia in Sept 1918. Stalin was willing to use whatever means necessary to achieve his goals. After Stalin took over the leadership in 1928, huge advances occurred in the state of Russia's economy, and Stalin succeeded in changing Russia from a backward power, restrained for many years under the ties of repressive, incompetent Tsars, into a world Superpower, capable of sustaining an arms race requiring military expenditure of up to 15% per year. This modernisation of Russia was achieved in an extremely short period of time, as Stalin himself said: "We are 50 or 100
Roses of Hope- Nazi destruction of in WW2
ROSES OF HOPE Hum of blazes devouring cozy family houses; earsplitting blasts; roar of engines in solid military cars; groaning and crying of woman and children; bodies of shot men lying one on another on the backyard of local grange. Unfortunately, this is not a scene from a catastrophic film as it could seem to be. This is a cruel reality which afflicted one small village called Lidice. Lidice suffered from the situation during the World War II and its doom was sealed on the 9th July 1942 when Nazis destroyed this village. This incomprehensible act was a consequence of Reinhard Heidrich’s assassination. Reinhard Heidrich was the most important person in occupied Czechoslovakia. Therefore, Nazis made their best effort to punish and revenge disobedience of Czechoslovak nation and the worst vengeance affected innocent Lidice. As was said above, this event happened in 20th century. Whole 20th century brought hard tryouts at our world. Everything started with the World War I which was different from previous ones. Science discovered and developed many new powerful inventions and weapons which were then used in the World War I. Belligerents used tanks, combatant aircrafts, and chemical weapons which had never been used before. Hence, about 8 million people died during this devastating war. The World War I and following Great Depression were basis
The Closer one Examines the Dictatorships of Hitler and Stalin, the closer their Similarities Outweigh their Differences. Discuss.
The Closer one Examines the Dictatorships of Hitler and Stalin, the closer their Similarities Outweigh their Differences. Discuss: Fiona Simpson. Hitler saw himself as the saviour called upon by Providence to rescue the German people from the humiliation of defeat and the decadence of Weimar; to restore them to their rightful historic position as a master race, and to guarantee it for the future by creating a new Germanic empire in Eastern Europe. Stalin saw his mission as ending the centuries-old backwardness of Russia, turning a peasant society into a modern industrialised country and at the same time creating the first socialist state in the world. What the two men had in common was the fact that both began from the bottom, with no natural or inherited advantages. Upon first examination all dictatorships appear similar, most appear militaristic and rely heavily on the use of violence, propaganda, the creation of Youth movements and the restrictions of freedom. By definition a dictatorship, until established, enforces emergency powers; both Hitler and Stalin continued these powers throughout their rule, including terror an internal exile. This essay will endeavour to show a chronological analysis of their journey towards their rise and fall of leadership, and how the closer one examines the dictatorships of Hitler and Stalin, the closer their similarities outweigh their
Outline and explain Jewish theological and philosophical responses to the Holocaust.
Judaism Coursework R1) Outline and explain Jewish theological and philosophical responses to the Holocaust. The word Holocaust comes from the Latin word Holo, "to burn" or to be "burnt". Holocaust literally means 'burnt sacrifice", the Hebrew word for Holocaust is "Shoah". During the Second World War six million Jews were murdered, this was one third of the world's Jewish population. This left Jews with a huge theological problem, this problem was in the form of a question. There is one question that Jewish people have had to face ever since the Holocaust happened. This question was asked of the Jews and also by the Jews of themselves. The question is: "How can a G_d that is meant to be all-loving and all-powerful allow such an event as the Holocaust to happen to his people?" Jews believe in the G_d of classical theology but they also believe that G_d has specifically chosen them to be his special people. This G_d is believed to be omnipresent (everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful), omnibenevolent (all-loving/all-good) and omniscient (all-knowing). This was a problem for some Jews as they felt a G_d that had all of these qualities should have been able to save or protect them from the evil that was displayed through the Holocaust. Because of this people have responded differently to whether G_d exists or not. There are three main responses to the Holocaust. These are, to
Account for the rise and fall of the Popular Front in France
Account for the rise and fall of the Popular Front in France For a brief period of the twentieth century, France was under the governance of a coalition of left wing parties intended to counter the perceived threat posed by fascism, known as the Popular Front. Having been elected in May 19361 the Popular Front government led by Lèon Blum, and comprised of eighteen socialists, four independent socialists and thirteen radicals,2 introduced a left wing programme which included measures for such areas as the defence of liberty, through the banning of fascist leagues, reform of the press, and a guarantee of secular education with a raised school leaving age of fourteen.3 It further dealt with the protection of peace, amounting mainly to a defence of the League of Nations, and of collective security; and also the economic sphere through a reduction of the working week, repeal of the deflationary laws of the Leval government and various financial reforms.4 It was a period of significant change in France, with according to one reckoning some one hundred and thirty three laws being passed in seventy two days.5 As a result a historical debate has emerged regarding the reasons behind the rise and subsequent fall of the Popular Front government in France. This essay will attempt to identify these reasons through the analysis of contemporary literature from prominent political figures;
To what extent did the Second World War herald a period of social change for women?
To what extent did the Second World War herald a period of social change for women? The Second World War only created social change for women to a small extent. Although, many women occupied professions traditionally held by men such as working in the factories and on the land, women did not experience social change and did not really benefit as this is seen not only through the roles played by women where there was an inequality and lack of equal pay within the workplace, but also the role of government intervention. The Second World War did not bring about social change for the roles of women as this is seen by the inequality in occupations where women who worked on the land, such as the female workers and those women enrolled in the Women's Land Army. There was inequality amongst female workers, especially where their clothing was concerned. This is particularly seen in the case of Hebditch, a farmer from Stoke-under -ham who had commented on the treatment of his own women land workers compared with those who served in the Women's Land Army, as he had said that : I have three daughters, the oldest is 24, they have all worked on my farm since they left school. Because they are working for their father, they are not eligible for the Land Army. I would like them to have rubber boots, and strong warm clothes for winter work on the fields, but you simply cannot find these
Trace the development of the Soviet Union's nationalities policy and discuss why it failed.
Trace the development of the Soviet Union's nationalities policy and discuss why it failed. For a large part of the twentieth century many informed commentators regarded the Soviet Union as a highly stable country with little prospect of change and even less of domestic strife. That this had been achieved over seventy years; with a heterogenous population of nearly 300 million people; over a hundred distinct nationalities; scores of languages and five alphabets, was truly remarkable. Was the proud boast of the Soviet's really true? Had they managed to solve age-old national rivalries and antagonisms among peoples with very different religious backgrounds, traditional cultures, historical experiences and standards of living; and constructed a 'friendship of the peoples' through socialism. This facade of tranquility and harmony was finally shattered by the reactionary coup in August 1991. On the eve of the signing of a new Union Treaty, the conservatives in the Kremlin tried to turn back the clock and, essentially, reimpose centralised party control over the USSR. This ill-advised and ill-conceived coup only succeeded in hastening the end of the Soviet Union and replacing it with the Commonwealth of Independent States. In this essay we will trace the development of the nationalities policy in the USSR and identify why these polices ultimately
HENRY FORD DURING WORLD WAR II
HENRY FORD DURING WORLD WAR II The name Ford had been imbedded in the minds of people all over the world. Images of vintage black cars and the latest models being produced today by the Ford Company will still make some feel envious and dream of buying and eventually owning one. Who is the owner of these globally-known cars? What were the highlights in the owner's life in terms of pursuing dreams, particularly those that pertain to the automobile industry, and what was done to achieve the phenomenal and astounding achievements of the company? This paper will briefly narrate the life of Henry Ford and pinpoint major events in his life that made great impacts to the American society, particularly during the World War II. Henry Ford, one of the greatest inventors in the world was born on July 30, 1863 at Greenfield, Michigan. He was known in the whole world through his invention - the Model T car. Ford has become one of the most successful inventors of all time and his works revolutionaries the lives of Americans and the world as a whole. His inventions, ideology and principles in doing business and in life had affected the way people view things. Henry Ford was instrumental in the socio-political and economic development of the United States, particularly during the World War II. As a brief backgrounder, Ford was born on 30 July 1863, on a farm next to a rural town west of
Propaganda in WW1 and WW2
In times of war, men are often told they cannot understand the complexities of it, but "must have faith", do their duty and not to question the righteousness of the government.1 But war times were stressful times, and citizens were asked to sacrifice their sons and daughters, land, properties and rations to supply for total war. Thus propaganda, the "attempt to influence behavior...[and] manner in which a mass audience perceives and ascribes meaning to the material world... through the use of mass media" was regarded as an imperative military device and used aggressively in World War II to battle for confidence and support on the home front. 2 Of all propaganda mechanisms, audiovisual technology was considered most crucial because of its availability and its ability to appeal to both senses of sight and sound at the same time. These abilities, consequently led to film's significant capacity to "mobilize emotions and immobilize the mind" through the creation of "overpowering illusions" while captivating audience in an entertaining manner. 3 During World War II, both the enemy- the Nazi Germany, and the hero- the United States recognized the influential quality of propaganda films and utilized the medium to gain support from the public. However, convincing American and German citizens into believing in the Second World War was no easy task. Both countries embarked on their