Why Student History: Why study the rise of Totalitarianism?
There are many reasons to study history many of them are for personal reasons but there are two reasons that I feel are the most universal. The first being how can you know where you are going if you do not know where you have been. This idea means how can someone know how to shape your future or the future of the society if you do not know what events took place to make these people who they are today. Second is those who do not study history are doomed to repeat the past. While history never truly repeats itself it can take on very similar events. If you do not know what has happened in the past and what works in certain situations and what does not then you are more likely to pick to option that will has already failed once. These are to guiding principles to keep in mind when studying history as a whole.
On a more detailed level however there are many reasons why someone should study the between the war period. This time sees many new ideas, new leaders, and conflicting view points for every event. After WWI and before WWII the players of the game work to take power and set of the events that will lead to fighting once again. Years of world racism and anti-Semitism starts to come to a head at this time and radical government style will begin its first real experiment. This time can also be seen as the rise of the dictator and during this time there are three men who shine above all the others.
The first man who creates a scene on the world stage is Benito Mussolini, the El Douche of Italy. He brings Italy under his control through the use of force, violence, and persuasion. He wins over the people by showing he can control the cities with his Black Shirts and keep the trains running on by using fear. He writes the book that Hitler the last big dictator will follow. At this point in history there is the first conflicting viewpoint that will be a common thread during this time. The people who support Mussolini see him as the savior of Italy but those who he is oppressing, removing, or killing, see him as the monster he will later show himself to be.
Second there is the rise of the communist party and the takeover of Joseph Stalin. Here is a man who worked from nothing to take over one of the most controversial government systems in the world today. After fighting in WWI Stalin joined to communist party and worked to bring this new government system to Russia. These ideas can be found in another controversial book called the Communist Manifesto. This work by Carl Marx, became the guiding light for this new system which established itself in Russia and became the catalyst for many future events.
Finally there is Hitler, the man responsible for many modern ways of thinking. In his personal work titled Mein Kampf, Hitler lays out for the world to see is struggles and then list how he will solve them. With this plan in mind he takes control of Germany and begins his campaign to take over the world and “ride the world of the Jewish question.” During this time millions of Jewish people are murdered and the world is forever changed. Feelings of superiority based on race start to change as Truman put it “we just fought a war effectively to end racism in Germany, it seems strange to still support it at home.”
Tied in with these men are many controversial events and ideas but there are also many positive items to come from this time surrounding these leaders. All of their secrets are locked away with in their history.
On a more detailed level however there are many reasons why someone should study the between the war period. This time sees many new ideas, new leaders, and conflicting view points for every event. After WWI and before WWII the players of the game work to take power and set of the events that will lead to fighting once again. Years of world racism and anti-Semitism starts to come to a head at this time and radical government style will begin its first real experiment. This time can also be seen as the rise of the dictator and during this time there are three men who shine above all the others.
The first man who creates a scene on the world stage is Benito Mussolini, the El Douche of Italy. He brings Italy under his control through the use of force, violence, and persuasion. He wins over the people by showing he can control the cities with his Black Shirts and keep the trains running on by using fear. He writes the book that Hitler the last big dictator will follow. At this point in history there is the first conflicting viewpoint that will be a common thread during this time. The people who support Mussolini see him as the savior of Italy but those who he is oppressing, removing, or killing, see him as the monster he will later show himself to be.
Second there is the rise of the communist party and the takeover of Joseph Stalin. Here is a man who worked from nothing to take over one of the most controversial government systems in the world today. After fighting in WWI Stalin joined to communist party and worked to bring this new government system to Russia. These ideas can be found in another controversial book called the Communist Manifesto. This work by Carl Marx, became the guiding light for this new system which established itself in Russia and became the catalyst for many future events.
Finally there is Hitler, the man responsible for many modern ways of thinking. In his personal work titled Mein Kampf, Hitler lays out for the world to see is struggles and then list how he will solve them. With this plan in mind he takes control of Germany and begins his campaign to take over the world and “ride the world of the Jewish question.” During this time millions of Jewish people are murdered and the world is forever changed. Feelings of superiority based on race start to change as Truman put it “we just fought a war effectively to end racism in Germany, it seems strange to still support it at home.”
Tied in with these men are many controversial events and ideas but there are also many positive items to come from this time surrounding these leaders. All of their secrets are locked away with in their history.