The Rise of Totalitarianism and the Holocaust

Totalitarianism
-Government establishes complete control of all aspects of the state (political, military, economy, social, cultural)
-highly nationalistic (flags, salutes, rallies, uniforms)
-strict controls and laws
-military state (secret police, army, military)
-censorship (opposing literature and ideas)
-propaganda (media-radio, newspapers, posters)
-one leader (dictator); charismatic
-total conformity of people to ideas and leader
-imposes terror and fear to citizens

Communism
-LEFT WING
-based on theory by Karl Marx
-revolutionary idea of a political, economic, and social system that creates a "classless society"
-state ownership and control of the means of production (no private ownership)
-Soviet Communism or "Stalinism", was more of a Totalitarian and military state combined with elements of Communism

Fascism
-RIGHT WING
-intense nationalism and elitism
-totalitarian control
-interests of the state more important than individual rights
-maintain class system and private ownership

Nazism
-extremely fascist, nationalistic, and totalitarian
-based on beliefs of the National Socialist German Workers Party
-belief in the racial superiority of the Aryan, the "master race"
-belief that all Germans should have "lebensraum or living space in Europe
-violent hatred towards Jews and blamed Germany's problems on them

Policy of Appeasement
-willingness to surrender to an aggressor's demands to avoid war
-reduction of international tensions through removal of causes of friction; concessions to disgruntled nations to lessen their tendency to take aggressive actions
How was it used before World War Two?
-acceptance that Hitler could not be stooped and needed to be negotiated with (even at the expense of smaller independent countries)
-accepted because of sympathy and guilt felt by Britain and US of unjust Treaty of Versailles
Reality
-blindness to true nature of Hitler's agenda program for Eastern Europe
-positive and negative reasons of appeasement

Causes of World War Two
-treaty of Versailles
-harsh terms on the Germans
-failure of the league of nations
-policy of appeasement
-increasing influence of new political parties that emphasize state control
-Communism, Nazism, Fascism
-total control of a state by a dictator

Nazism
-was similar to fascism, could be a particular form of Nazism
-Nazism is anti-communistic and is opposed to democracy
Life in a Fascist State
-rejection of happiness
-Women were made to make babies (new soldiers)
-youth molded into soldiers
1 ethic group is important
-1 ethic group to be target
The SA or "Brownshirts"
-The Nazis set up a private militia called the Sturmabteilung meaning "stormtroopers"
-they were called "Brownshirts" because of the brown uniform they were
-The SA was mostly made up of working class Nazis
-they were prone to street violence

What Makes up a Military State
Gestapo: German Secret Police
SS (Schutzstaffel): Defense corps "black shirts", an elite guard unit formed out of the SA
SA (Sturmabteilung): Stormtroopers "brownshirts" early private Nazi army that protected leaders and opposed rival political parties
-Lebensraum (living space): concept that emphasized need for territorial expansion of Germany into east
Wehrmacht: German Army
HJ (Hitler Jugend): Hitler Youth
Einsatzgruppen: Nazi Death Squad; mobile killing units
Volk: all inclusive concept of nation, people and race, implying the superiority of German culture and race, led to the polkcy of appeasement

The Beer Hall Putsch
From November 8 to November 9, 1923, Adolf Hitler and his followers staged the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, a failed takeover of the government in Bavaria, a state in Southern Germany
-Hitler was convicted of treason and sentenced to five years in prison
-he spent less than a year behind bars
Mein Kampf
-Written during the nine months in prison, Hitler served in prison
-the book set forth his beliefs and goals for Germany
-he asserted Germans were a "master race"
-he expressed his outrage over the treaty of versailles
-he declared Germany's need for "lebensraum" or "living space"

Hitler becomes Chancellor
-The Nazis were the largest political party in Germany by 1932
-Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor in January 1933
Hitler's Totalitarian State
-Hitler banned other political parties
-Hitler created the SS and the SS arrested and murdered hundreds of Hitler's enemies
-the Gestapos were established as the Nazi's secret Police
-strikes were made illegal in Germany
-millions of people were put to work, building up the German military
The Night of the Long Knives
In German history, was a purge of Nazi leaders by Adolf Hitler on June 30, 1934
-fearing that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, Hitler ordered his elite SS guards to murder the organization;s leaders such as Ernst Rohm co-founder of the SA

The Fuhrer is Supreme
-Hitler used the press, radio, literature, painting, and film as his propaganda tools
-churches were forbidden to criticize the Nazis or the government
-ministers were required to sign an oath of allegiance
-the Boy scouts were abolished in Germany
-school children had to join Nazi organizations like the Hitler Youth
Hitler makes war on the Jews
-Hatred of Jews, anti-semitism, was a key part of Nazi ideology
-Jews were used as scapegoats for all Germany's troubles since the end of the war
-Violence against Jews grew
On November 9, 1938, mobs attacked thousands of Jewish owned buildings and businesses
-this was called the Night of the Broken Glass

Nuremberg Laws 1935
-Prohibited marriages between Jews and German citizens
-Jews were permitted to have German females as domestic servants under the age of 45
-Jews were forbidden to display the natural flag or natural colors, but could display the Jewish colors identifying them as Jews
-punishment for violating these laws includes hard labor or imprisonment

Pre-Blitzkrieg and the Phony War
-Adolf Hitler wanted more land and was not going to take no as an answer
-The Germans decide to invade and take over the rest of Czechoslovakia
-They were not satisfied with just taking over Czechoslovakia, and decided to take over poland in order to expand Germany
-Germany's actions caused the beginning of World War Two

Blitzkrieg
-Blitzkrieg means "lightning war" and was used to describe the style of warfare Germany took to invade Poland
-September 1st, 1939, Germany attacks Poland by surprise, pushing hard for a quick victory
-This style of warfare shocked the poles and did not allow the poles to stand a chance against the German army
-Britain and France declared war against Germany to help Poland on September 3rd, 1939
Blitzkrieg Combat Strategy
Air force- attacks front lines, rear positions, air fields, and communication centers
Tank Units, break through front lines
Infantry- attacks flanks to encircle enemy
Mechanized groups-spearhead further to disrupt lines and defensive positions
-based on concentrating weapons in short, fast, surprise attacks

The Phony War
-the phony war was a period in World War Two just after the invasion of Poland
-without warning, the Germans invaded Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France
-Germany did not follow the same strategy as in World War One, they instead attacked France through Sudetenland and trapped the French and British troops

Germany versus Britain
-Britain was the only country left in Germany's way to take over Western Europe
-Germany had to face a strong and naval force
-The Royal Air Force because Britain is surrounded by the North Sea
-to compete with Britain, Hitler created his own Naval and air force called the Luftwaffe
-Canada was used as a safe place to train the air force soldiers through the British Commonwealth Air Training Program

The Battle of the Atlantic
-Canada provided supplies to Britain through the Atlantic Ocean, which helped Canadian, French, and British soldiers in Europe
-this directly attacked Hitler and it began the Battle of the Atlantic
-Germany's main weapon was the U-boat and was used to fight against the Canadians
-many Canadians served to protect the Est Coast of Canada with the help of the Royal Canadian Air Force and new ships such as the corvette
By the end of the battle, more than approximately 2000 vessels laid in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean

Total War
By 1942, Canada was committed to a policy of "total War", which meant that all industries, materials, and people were put to work for the war effort.
Government and Economy
-the war launched Canada out of the depression and into an economic boom
-Canada became an industrial power: new factories were built and old ones adapted war purposes
-factories produced thousands of guns, ships, fighter planes, and military vehicles

Labour
-with so many men enlisting, Canada faced a labour shortage as early as 1941, mainly in war-related industries
-one of the main strategies of the Canadian Government was to recruit women for the work force
In 1943, there was approximately 225,000 Canadian women working in munitions factories
In the army now...
In 1941, for the firs time in Canadian history, women were able to enlist in their own divisions of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
-Women were not allowed into combat during World War Two, but participated in everything else
-Women served as nurses, stretcher bearers, drivers, machine operations, cooks, and secretaries
-they also flew Canadian built planes to bases in Britain
Rationing
-stable goods were rationed, prices were frozen and wages were frozen at modest levels to ensure there was a large enough food supply to meet both military and civilian needs

Paying in the War
-the Canadian government raised taxes during WWII to help pay for the cost of war
-the government conducted nine victory bond drives between June 1941 and October 1945
-these campaigns raised nearly $12 billion by the end of the war
Conscription Crisis: Part II
-In 1942, King decided to hold a vote for/against conscription
-79 percent had answered yes out of the nine provinces, but 85 percent of Quebec said no
-Prime minister Mackenzie king was determined not to bring conscription during World War II
-In 1944, after he attempted to avoid it, heavy losses lead to the introduction of conscription
-very few recruits from the conscription campaign fought in World War II
However, many Francophone Quebecois felt betrayed by PM King

Social Support
-In 1940, the government passed the unemployment Insurance Act
-when facing unemployment, workers could collect insurance
-In 1944, the government introduced Family Allowance and in 1945 the first "baby bonus" cheques were mailed out
-BC citizens were traumatized by the Pearl Harbour war and wanted the government to make them feel safe again
-the Canadian government used the war measures act
-the act passed in 1914 would allow the government to have sweeping emergency powers in times of war, invasion or rebellion
-however, it severely limited the freedom of the Canadians
Internment Camps- Japanese Canadians Experience
-Japanese Canadian non-citizens had no rights and could not legally refuse to obey
-Japanese citizens were treated as enemy aliens, and also had no rights
-22,000 Japanese Canadians were taken from their home and scattered through BC; 75% of them were born in Canada
-they were forced to choose between relocation to Japan or relocation east of the rocky mountains (out of British Columbia)

Camp X
-Camp X, which operated in Oshawa, Ontario from 1941 to 1946, was a training camp responsible for training recruits for the Special Operations Executive of the British Security Coordination during World War Two

Hitler and Nazis called for the deliberate murder of millions of European Jews during WWII
-Hitler and the Nazis tried to eliminate millions of other people that they considered undesirable including communists, disabled people, Africans and political prisoners from other countries
6 million Jews were murdered and 10 million total people were killed, murdered, or burned to death