Totalitarian Comparison Mussolini vs.

Hitler
An Nguyen
Due: 2/29/16
Period 1

An Nguyen
February 6, 2016
Period 1
Totalitarian Comparison- Hitler vs. Mussolini
Two of the most notorious dictators in the world were Adolf Hitler, and Benito
Mussolini. Though one is from Germany and the other from Italy (two very different
countries), they both shared some similarities. Their rise to power started from joining and/or
creating political units, and wanted the best for their countries. They might have gone a little
overboard when they got too much power, but in reality, they had good intentions to improve
the world. Hitler and Mussolini used some tactics during their reign that were quite parallel,
to rise to power, and create economic, political, and social changes.
Hitler was first recruited to join a little known group, called the German Workers
Party, which was an extreme nationalist party. He saw the party as a way to reach his
political ends, so his hatred of Jewish citizens became the organizations political platform.
Mussolini had created the Fascist Party in March 1919, and gained a lot of support of
unemployed war veterans. Both had a large influence on people through their new political
parties, but gained attention through different means. Hitler became the chairman of his party
in July 1921, and prepared to march to Berlin to rid the government of Communists and
Jews. He believed they were infiltrating and blocking the way to a perfect community, but
his opinions got him landed in jail for eight months, after a failed uprising called Beer
House Putsch. Mussolini had organized his supporters into armed squads called the Black
Shirts. These groups terrorized their political opponents, and when they got out of hand,
Mussolini claimed that only he could take power and restore order. Hitler imitated Mussolini,
as a determined admirer, and made his own squad with the nickname of: Brown Shirts.
When Mussolini got invited to form his own government, Hitler ran for Germanys
presidential campaign, and lost both times. He then decided to enter a coalition government
as a chancellor in January 1933. The Italian dictator claimed his title in 1925 as the German
dictator claimed his title when he was made chancellor. Both started their reign from political
parties, and prepared to make their countries great European powers.

The totalitarians had little to no focus on the economy, compared to making the
political changes. Mussolini carried out an extensive public works program. Hitler had
brought out the infamous concentration camps. Both had reduced the unemployment ratesHitler had even said everyone should work in Nazi Germany. He created new policies, like
how women were no longer included in the statistics, and the unemployed, non- Jewish men
only had two choices. If they did not do the work given to them by the government, they had
to be classified as work-shy and join the camps. Mussolini and Hitler had similar means
when they put people to work. They introduced public work schemes which included digging
ditches on farms (to assist irrigation), planting new forests, built new roads, and cleared land
to make it useful for farming. The German dictator had men do their time in the army, which
required weapons. The weapons come from factories, which gave people more jobs. The
Italian dictator also restored some of the purchasing power, by inflating the value of his
countrys currency. Though this change deemed unsuccessful, the agricultural industry
helped the economy. Mussolini had also introduced the Italians to an eight-hour work day,
which made him very popular to the working class and the industrial bosses. These two
definitely put much more effort into making political changes towards their state.
When it came to making political changes, Hitler and Mussolini obviously had
intentions to making their opinion and ideas into laws. Hitler banned all political parties but
Nazism, and eliminated the democratic, coalition government. Both leaders (and Stalin)
created totalitarian states, where the government was in absolute control of every activity.
After Mussolini was appointed prime minister, by King Emmanuel III himself, he had taken
complete control over politics. Because his constant boasting did not ensure Italys loyalty to
him, he needed to create good relationships with figures his citizens will trust. Hitler was
also an exceptional public speaker, by making promises to create a new Germany and
taking credit to making changes in his countrys economy. To get there, he made multiple
sets of laws, including the Nuremberg laws. These codes stripped Jews of their citizenship,
and the right to marry a German citizen. These authoritarians definitely kept their word, by
taking action, and making social changes.

The Italian and German dictator had made plenty of social changes, especially when
using propaganda. Hitlers Nazi party had created the Hitler Youth program, to train boys
from the ages of 14 to 18, so they can join the German army when they are old enough.
These teenagers are trained to be devoted to the only political party allowed in their country.
Mussolini and Hitler both used secret police forces to maintain order in their country;
Mussolinis force was called the OVRA, which stood for the Organization for Vigilance
and Repression of Anti-Fascism. Hitlers force was called the Schutzstaffeln, or the SS
for short. These groups openly used violence, and had the right to interrogate and arrest any
citizen. While Mussolini used censorship of the press, his fellow German ally took
complete control of the press, making it state-run. Both had taken advantage of propaganda,
and did anything in their power to gain support, even if it meant using terror openly. They
were successful, until they fell from power, Hitler in 1945, and Mussolini in 1943.
These two dictators definitely made a gigantic impact on the world, with good and
bad influences. From using repression to hush opinions that didnt match theirs, to improving
the economy by making jobs to lower the unemployment rates, they truly showed the world
what should be done to make their state better. Their nationalism was inspirational to all, and
their means to improve the world showed people every how to make the world a better placeeven if they went overboard with how they approached the problems.

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