Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The times they are a changin'...
We see a rise in totalitarianism in the 1920's and 1930's: Spain (Franco), Germany (Hitler), the Soviet Union (Lernin/Stalin), Italy (Mussolini), Japan (Military Rule). First, in your educated opinion, which is the greatest COMMON factor that led to these acts of desperation? Second, what similarities, if any, can you identify between the world of 1933 (the year Hitler became dictator) and 2010? Third, were Germans to blame for the rise of Hitler?
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I think that people saw themselves and their country as being better than democracy, so they adopted new ways of thinking. From the reading, it seems that dictatorships were the way of the future, a promising future in a promising country. Devestating economic downturns led people to believe that radical change was necessary, and these dictators promised that very change people so desired. I definitely think that that relates to today. Though we're not in such a severe depression, the recession has made people call for change. Just look at the 2008 election. Obama's favorite word was change, so the country voted him into office. Without calling him a racist dictator, that situation is remarkable similar to Hitler's, the parallels are numerous. And to answer the third question, I do believe that the Germans are responsible for the rise of Hitler. No, not all agreed with his modus operandi, but the Nazi party was the largest ever by far. With support form many Germans, he assumed power. Pressure from many sides helped his ascention, as well as his own manipulation. He would have not become so powerful without the support of his people. Later down the road, of course, once he started attacking countries, is a different story.
ReplyDeleteDuring this time period there was lots of poverty and this led people to think that something was wrong with there way of living as it was. The easiest thing to do was to blame it on the governments. So instead of working through the hard times and pushing Democracy they went in a different direction. There are several similarities between 1933 and 2010. In both time periods people were unhappy and was/is poverty and unemployment, because of this people want radical change and will do whatever is easiest for them to do to change the situation. I believe that Germany was fully responsible for the rise of Hitler because in 1932 nazis were elected into 230 seats, after the nazis were elected it was them who convinced Hindenburg to make hitler chancellor. From that point on it was out of Germany's hands but orriginaly it was Germanys fault for electing Nazis.
ReplyDeleteI think the common factor that led to the rise of these types of government was the unrest of the people. At the time things weren't going so well and I think people didn't really believe in other forms of government anymore. Government actions were too slow and people wanted change now, so I think they were willing to turn to someone who promised better times without really worrying about what that person might do with too much power. I think we can see similar, if less extreme attitudes today. Like we talked about in class, some people today are upset with our democratic government because it's not bringing the changes they want to see. As to the rise of Hitler I'm not sure the Germans are totally to blame. They did make a lot of mistakes, obviously, I mean look at all the people who became Nazis and supported his rise to power, but at the same time weren't they just doing what every other country was- looking for security? Things definately went too far, but I think a the same thing could have happened elsewhere too.
ReplyDelete(<--After an embarrassingly long time i figured out how to change this name to Adrian and have the blog not be called Adrian) I think that the common factor in all rises of governments was they were human based. While that may sound sarcastic I mean to say that all governments were aided into getting power by the people. The leaders knew what the people wanted and promised to get them that. This is similar to today in how many things did Obama promise during his campaign? And now how many has he done? I think the plan to get public support is almost the same everywhere that has a democratic society. Point out a problem, present a solution, get some power. Point out a lot of problems, present a solution and a group/person to blame, get a lot of power.
ReplyDeleteWas Germany responsible for Hitler's rise. I think that to say Germany was responsible is deceiving. I think the only thing that can be blamed on Germany was they lost the war. If Germany had won then right now I would have a Nazi flag waving outside my house, and I would blame those darn Jews, Gays, Gyps and Commies. I think that we only blame the terrible humanitarian things on Hitler become he lost the war. Well now calm down, don't go saying "I never would say Hitler did nothing wrong. He did terrible things." Well to that I would have to say look at Andrew Jackson. He did similar things to Hitler. Both did good things for their respected countries economies and persecuted a people. One won their war, the other lost. (One last note, I was thinking of making my last title that quote from Bob Dylan.)
I believe that the economic situation all over the world was definitely a common factor that lead to acts of desperation. The people were suffering and as we were talking about in calss today, democracy is a lot of hard work and sometime results are slow- this is not what people wanted to hear when their children were starving and they were out of work- so they turned to leaders like Hitler. They weren't really focusing on his political policies, his personal beliefs and the way he lived his life. They just wanted someone who promised food on their table and a job for them to do. I don't think it was completely the German's fault, granted they were misinformed, much like America today, and they just wanted to believe in a similar cause, they wanted to have hope that someone with so many hopeful promises could actually exsist, much like Americans during the 2008 election. Hindsight is 20/20 and I honestly believe the Germans intentions were good, I mean what were their other options?
ReplyDeleteI think that the similarity between the rise of each of these dictators lies in their appeal to the common people. Each country was in a rough spot after World War 1 and each of these dictators offered something seemingly fantastic to the people. When Mussolini took control of Italy, it was because people were amazed by his ideas of restoring the glory of the Roman Empire, and they were supportive of his anti-communist sentiments. When Hitler took control it was with the promise of returning Germany to its previous position of power. He implemented successful public works programs and civil improvements to aid the economy. He started a rearmament program in Germany in 1936 and it seemed like he was getting the country well on its way to its former glory. Stalin gained power in Russia by promising to turn Russia into a powerful industrialized nation with his Five-Year Plan. All three of these leaders were, despite their SIGNIFICANT flaws, brilliant politicians who successfully took advantage of desperate times and promised fantastic things to their people. And actually, in some cases, they did follow through on these promises. Hitler's actions did help the German economy, Stalin did improve Russia's industrialization to the point of them being a military and technological threat to the United States. Mussolini, despite substantial losses, managed to recapture Ethiopia for the Italian Empire. He coined the term "fascism" and epitomized the idea of using propaganda to control the minds of a nation. This ability to brainwash millions of people is another trait that the three leaders shared.
ReplyDeleteSecondly,I think there are notable similarities between the world in 1933 and in 2010, but also, key differences. In both cases, people are suffering from economic hardships and the troubles associated with ongoing wars. However, many countries in Europe in 1933 were still in a time of political instability. Monarchies had just been overturned as a result of World War 1 and many countries were still trying to work out new systems of government. They were extremely susceptible to falling under the control of leaders who could give inspirational speeches and promise great things. Great things, as long as they were given the great power required to make them happen. This was the perfect setting for dictatorships to develop. In 2010, people are wary of radical leaders, we have learned from history and hopefully, wouldn't let this happen again.
Third, I think Germans WERE responsible for Hitler's rise to power. Hitler started out giving speeches, promoting the Worker's Party. His anti-semitic sentiments were no secret from the beginning, and he cited the Jewish population as a cause of Germany's problems as early as 1920. Nobody could argue that they weren't aware of what Hitler was up to, and he never would have become successful and powerful if there hadn't been those essential groups of people eager to listen to him in the first place.
I believe that the greatest factor in all of the rises to the totaltarialism is that the countries were only seeing failure in their country and the people that became totalitarians were the best solution they could see at the time. The peoples countrys failure in democratic parliamentary systems was causeing increasing worry and the people that were rising up were the only answer to the problem they could see. I think another reason people were accepting of the totalitarians was because WWI had brought upon them alot of trouble and the leaders that were comeing up were giving solutions and they were the only ones that looked willing to follow through with it. If I had been part of the 1930's and lived in Germany I definitly would have followed Hitler, I mean from the point of view of the people that were living then he was a pretty darn good solution to all the problems, and maybe I wouldn't have agreed with all his ideas but at least he was doing something and not just letting the country slide out of control.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the question of is 2010 the same as 1930 I could potentially see a yes to as an answer. Granted I don't think some totalitarian is going to come into contol in the next few days but seeing as our country is currently hitting a depresion we are giveing someone a perfect set up to be the ultimite ruler. I think that if something super chaotic was to happen and the US became torn and someone was to appear and had a great solution then we were start to put faith and trust into that person and if that person had the brains and tactics then they could definitly take over.
I agree with Alysa that people accepted totalitarianism because they weren't seeing successful democracy. They wanted their desperate economic situations to change, like Tess said, and it seemed that dictators could turn things around faster than waiting for representatives to debate and vote on things.
ReplyDeleteThe economic crisis was a key similarity between 1933 and 2010, but we seem to be more sheltered from it than the people of 1933 were. I know that everyone talks about how bad the economy is, but it doesn't seem to have drastically changed everyone's standard of living.
The German public wasn't to blame for Hitler's initial rise to power, but they supported him once he held high office. The idea of him rising from a lowly military rank appealed to the people. He understood how to manipulate crowds and gain support. The S.S. stood behind him and backed his decisions by arresting those who dissented. These factors helped him gain the support of the German public, but they also had reason to fear him.
The common factors that led to a rise in radical governments after WWI were, I think, poverty and desperation of people for a quickly changing world order. The bit about poverty is fairly obvious (it causes unrest, ect.) and has been covered pretty thoroughly, so I’ll move on to the second part. For a long time before this period, a majority of the people had been, if not oppressed, then not in any sort of a position of power. Then, this was fine. It was the way it was. But then WWI came, and people saw how easy it was to be sent off by a faceless, bureaucratic government and be slaughtered. They saw themselves as “only a pawn in [the government’s] game” (if we’re going with Dylan quotes). And they wanted something different, something RADICAL. In that position, it is easy to follow the personality who says that they can make everything better, that they can make everyone equal and happy- especially if you’re not someone with anything to lose. And the people who helped dictators and communist governments rise were those people. So why not take a risk?
ReplyDeleteI realize that the obvious connection to 2010 is Obama’s election and the Great Recession, or whatever we’re now calling it… but I also think that there is great unrest in America that has been caused by our government “losing touch with the people”. I think, to an extent, that this is what happened after WWI, but the reaction was revolution rather than the Tea Party and John Boehner.
And were the Germans responsible for Hitler’s rise? On the whole, I think not (and not just because of my deep and undying love for Mercedes). Yes, they helped him rise to power, but RESPONSIBILITY is perhaps too strong. The Germans had been having a hard time of it, and were looking for a way out. Hitler was charismatic, and I’m not sure that they really listened to what he was saying. He was, psychologically, the answer. I don’t think we can blame an already susceptible people for wanting to believe. Yes, what he did was horrible and revolting and simply terrible, but can we extend our hatred of the Nazis to a people who wanted a better life? They didn’t know what would happen. If we want to blame people, let’s blame the writers of the Treaty of Versailles. Not a downtrodden people.
The dictatorships that were formed at this time I think we due to nievety. After reading how Hitler came to power I dont really think it was due to the people going along with all his views. But more so just that he kind of used tactics to either turn teh public against former leaders or he would kill them. The public is going to believe what they hear, it is not often questioned. Like we said today in class and have said many times before I think through out history people are uninformed and do not dig for the truth. And think about it sixty years ago. We have the internet and journals constantly telling us the truth behind stories, yet we still are uninformed and do not go further into research. At this time the people did not have easy access to the truth so it was quite hard to establish fact from fiction. Also, kind of obvious, the people were not in a state to question options. I mean their economy is desinegrating! Who are they to not follow someone who is offering a new option and seems like they are making a difference. I dont think that they are in a position to debate and also as I stated did not have proper info to back up their opposition, that is why the totalitarian govts took hold.
ReplyDeleteCompared to today, although not as severe of times I think our economy depreciating is causing much of the similar actions as the time of Hitler's rise. By no means am I calling Obama Hitler, but I think his position for our country is the same. He is an answer to our problems, also the fact that he is an African American president it is a radical change. At the time of Hitler's rise there were radical changes in economy and politics as people were scattering for something to solve their issues. Although I think Obama's presidency is a positive for the United States and some of the events at the time of Hitler's rise were not, it is a radical change to have an African American in office as the President. The fact that we are receding has caused us to look to a solution and perhaps is why we chose a African American President, again trying something new! I think our consequences have been far more positive compared to Germany's though.
We all know my stance on Germany and once again I shall stand by that. GERMANS ARE TO BLAME! Like I said although it was not their complete fault due to their inability to be informed completely,they still allowed Hitler to come into control. It's like if you accidentally start a forest fire by maybe dropping a match, when the fire burns down you are still to blame for killing all those trees even though you didn't mean to do it. The German people never meant or even knew what was going to come, but after it happened, indeed it was their fault!
I think that the economic crisis was definitely the reason why totalitarian governments were able to take over so successfully in the 1930s. Everyone was pretty worried about what would happen to them, because their lives had changed so drastically. In Germany, Hitler promised reform and and safety for citizens, which gave them a sense of comfort and encouragement. He did actually help Germany; he developed public works programs and civil improvements to boost the economy. His promises, and the fact that he followed through on those promises, greatly aided his ability to become a dictator so quickly.
ReplyDeleteI think the main similarity between 1933 and 2010 is also the economic crisis. Although I don't think people's lives to day have been changed as much as the lives of people in 1933, citizens are still feeling the effects of the economic decline.
I don't think Germans were to blame for Hitler's rise to power. Yes, they were the ones who voted for him, but I honestly think that a large part of the population supported him out of fear. Yes, some Germans did support his thoughts about blaming the Jews for the war because they wanted to blame someone, but I think a lot of people did simply fear Hitler and the Nazis because they saw how horribly they treated the Jews. In the reading, it also talked about how he basically made any political party other than Nazis illegal. So obviously it would be hard to vote against him if there's only one party, which just so happens to support Hitler. So ultimately, I don't think that the Germans were to blame for Hitler's rise to power.
Firstly I believe that greatest factor that was the sign of desperation was because those countries were not flourishing at the time and the people needed hope. So in desperate times call for desperate measures they called upon a dictator who promised them that he would make things all right in the long run. Which is just like how it was back in 2008 when Obama promised change. People were desperate and so we as American people called upon a man who thought that would change our country, which in my opinion is not doing so well. Finally you can't blame the people of Germany of rising into power, they were so desperate after WWI that that when Hitler came up to the stand people looked at him like he was a god. He promised Germany that he could make it stop suffering. I mean what would any country do in that case? Look at the US with Obama, sure he's no dictator but the concept is the same.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main reason why all of these totalitarian governments were able to take control was the need for a leader during hard times. All of those countries, Germany, Russia, Japan, all were weak and needed a strong leader going forward. Therefore the people were okay with anyone that could provide stability. I think there are some similarities between the 1930's and today. Hitler was able to take advantage of a German people that needed change to rise to power. This is the same thing that is happening over and over in the Middle East. Extremist groups are able to control weak people, filling the void of leadership in these countries. I think the Germans were to blame for the rise of Hitler. They were so in need of a leader that they picked the wrong one.
ReplyDeleteI think the greatest common factor in the creation of all these totalitarian governments in the 1930s was that the countries were getting fed up with democracy. Democracy took too long, and at this time, the people were tired of war and tired of poverty (from the Great Depression.) Countries like Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, etc. were tired of the problems that had been plaguing their countries for over two decades now. They were getting desperate, so when leaders promised change, the people followed them because that's what they wanted the most. I think that some people are getting frustrated with democracy today - I've heard people complain about how long everything takes and about how complicated our government system is. Especially in America, people are frustrated that it's a democracy, yet their opinion doesn't always seem to matter, so when it's not followed they get mad. Third, I don't necessarily think this is a fair question....there were so many different factors contributing to Hitler's rise to power, including the first world war and therefore everything that happened to cause the first world war, which was NOT, in my opinion, entirely Germany's fault. I think the German people were losing faith and getting desperate, so when someone was willing to take charge and try to make things better, they listened to him. They were willing to try anything at this point. Also, if they weren't willing to go along with Hitler, he used intimidation and people's fear to keep them on his side. If not, then he found a way to get them out of the picture.
ReplyDeleteOne more appropriate Bob Dylan: Gonna change my way of thinkin'. Wow! Incredible insight from all comments! I have taught this class for several years and have given these topics much thought, but I feel more informed after having read these comments, thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI think that the greatest common factor between the different nations that brought corrupt politicians to power was the development of small yet powerful groups of people that were able to speak to the wills of the general public in their own countries. Additionally, the governments in these countries had to be weak enough to not stop these movements or hated enough to drive the vast majority of the general public to the opposite side. Germany is an example of the first (Hitler and the Nazis suspend a weak, powerless democratic government) and the USSR is an example of the second (Tsar Nicholas II's poor leadership drove the majority of the people to communism.)
ReplyDeleteThere are similarities between 1933 and 2010. In both cases, the people, disliking their current government, have switched to supporting another group, promising a change. However, because the democratic government in the United States in 2010 is so strong, and not enough people have passionate enough of a hatred for the government, there is no "extreme" government taking power. Such parties are being created (Tea Party), but they aren't in much power.
Were Germans responsible for Hitler? Yes, but they didn't have much choice. If any country at that time, including the United States, was in as desparate of a situation as Germany, they would have turned to a Fascist leader too. Even now, with our government and economy in a MUCH better position than Nazi Germany, there are still radical groups developing.
In my educated opinion I think that the leading factor that led so many nations to totalitarianism was the ultimate comfort level it gave its people. I think yes, they were looking for something to blame, but this was because they were so tense and needed to be told why what happened happened to them. Having the cause gives closure and it's comforting. I think the control comforted them as well. They were so unhappy and angry, but they didn't know where to go with it or how to change their desperate situation. So, when someone with such confidence stood before them, someone with a plan and knowledge of how to bring the norm back, they threw themselves at him. It isn't really right to blame them for it, it's simply human-nature.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to think of similarities between the situation of 1933 and 2010, because of how different the culture is now. I don't think any nation is so desperate as to allow such a leader. I mean, we are in the Middle East because the people fell to a suppressive government and then became unhappy and were dying so they had to turn against them. I think that is something that the people of the 1930's didn't have crossing their minds. Because of the failures of democracy. But now, even if it begins to fail, people stick through it to try to make it work; because it's what we've been told is the best way. Everything in that time period was new, the first-time for so many things. It's almost as if they had to try it just to see if it would work.
I am caught in the middle on whether or not the Germans were to blame for the rise of Hitler. I would like to lean torwards no because yes, while he made his hatred for Jews and other minorities prominent long before his position in power, to me the gap between saying that a group of people is polluting your "pure Aryan blood" and committing genocide against them seems to be a VERY big leap. But, if living in that time of being completely drained of dignity and left in crumbling despair and not knowing any other solution, if I could have resisted supporting someone who seemed to have all the answers and who, quite frankly, scared the livin' daylights out of me. It is a totally different mindset.
The greatest common factor in all of these totalitarian countries was that they had all just survived the devastation of WWI. I think the people of these nations were disoriented and needed someone to almost provide comfort. Someone who could lie to them and tell them everything was going to be okay, and someone who would provide an explanation for the war. But that wasn't the only thing that made it easy for leaders like this to emerge, the country was in total chaos and there wasn't nearly enough checks and restrictions for someone like that that come to power. They could manipulate their way through the chaos.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are a few similiarities between 1933 and today, but the majority of extreme factors don't exist today, such as the Great Depression or dealing with the aftermath of the war. Yes we had a recession and as much as people whine and complain about Obama and his administration, they did manage to avoid another depression, which is pretty major. We also haven't had a war nearly as devastating to the population as WWI in recent times, or a war that was as much of a shock. WWI was also a war that was not fully understood by anybody, nobody wanted it to happen and nobody fully understood why it did, we still can't figure it all out. This is different from today, where yes, there are wars, but they're a very different kinds of wars then they were back then. Personally I feel that there are more differences then similarities to today, at least within the main causes of the rises of totalitarianism.
Were the Germans to blame for the rise of Hitler? I believe that they shouldn't be. We can't think of these people as informed people who thought about what was best for the country, they were thinking about who would make their lives better as a leader, and this was what Hitler promised, through very persuasive speeches. Why WOULDN'T the Germans go along with him? Everyone wanted a scapegoat, and I'm saying that was right, but it was what the people wanted and Hitler supplied it.