World War 1 Fascism Effects

World War I was a war unlike the world had ever seen before, and ushered in twenty-first century warfare. Its effects were devastating economically, militarily, and in terms of property, but also in terms of the harm it caused in the national pride of the citizens of nations that soon turned to fascist ideology, such as Germany and Italy. The consequences set forth in the Treaty of Versailles coupled with the nationalist sentiments rising in Europe since the nineteenth century led to a rise in fascism as a hope of regaining their nation’s former glory after the humiliation suffered in World War I.
Over the course of World War I, the new concept of “total war” killed much of a nation’s population and engulfed the entire population in the war …show more content…
In the Russian Revolution, one of the most previously prevalent European powers moved to a communist system after Lenin’s revolution in 1917. This indicated a potential shift in the economic policies of Europe, and when it joined with other European nations in 1922 such as Ukraine, many farmers and factory owners grew nervous due to the control economy that communism necessitates. Therefore, leaders like Hitler and Mussolini rose to power off of anti-communist rhetoric, like when Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, “that the problem of how the future of the German nation can be secured is the problem of how Marxism can be exterminated." The fear-mongering and language led to people seeing fascism as a viable solution so as to not have their ways of life changed by …show more content…
This shift was caused by the terrible effects of World War I and the harm it caused to both these nations’ economies and pride to diminish, which made the promises of fascism seem beneficial. Anti-communist rhetoric was used to gain support for the fascist cause, but ultimately, the predominant reason for the rise of the idea was the war and the Treaty of Versailles’ scapegoating