Fascism In The Twentieth Century

"Fascism is a religion. The twentieth century will be known in history as the century of Fascism" - Benito Mussolini Whether or not Fascism was seen and followed as a religion is debatable, however there is no denying that the twentieth century is famously known as the birth and progression of the fascist movement. Having originated in the twentieth century and spreading from its place of origin, in Italy, to other countries such as Germany, Romania, and Hungary, certain conditions which led to the fascist movement were apparent in some countries and weak in others. This paper will analyze significant events and aspects of Germany, Italy, Romania, and Hungary in order to convince the reader that Paxton 's argument in which …show more content…
In order to answer the question of if these conditions were indeed strongest in Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary, it is important to first take note of the similarities that existed between these countries. First off, before the start of World War I, all of the powers specified were great. They each had powerful militaries which broadcasted their superiority and portrayed them as a force to be reckoned with. Each great power also had a thriving sense of nationalism within its people. Germany and Austria-Hungary were all a part of the Triple Alliance, also known as the losing side in World War I. They were all respectively affected by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Italy was the only country not on the Triple Alliance and whose military was not downsized and whose territory was not distributed amongst other powers. What makes Italy comparable to the others is the fact that she was cheated out of land she was promised, causing her people to lose confidence in her government and demand for a change. It was the statutes of the Treaty which infuriated the masses in Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. The massive debts these countries acquired after the end of the war resulted in a loss of trust between the masses and their government causing nationalism to boom. The masses were exasperated with intellectualism, rebuffed the thought of any compromise, and were indifferent towards the societies in which they lived