This book is a valuable resource for understanding the character, development, and consequences of fascist dictatorships.Approximately 60 million lives were taken during World War II. This book serves to explore the ultimate cause of it-fascism-and to educate readers on the history and motivation behind this complex political movement.This historical exploration includes many helpful educational tools, including a timeline, an encyclopedia, and excerpts from primary source documents. Using primary document sources, the author provides a direct account of the origin and evolution of fascism. This text analyzes the rise of fascism in Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain from 1919 through 1945. Readers in high school and college will not only learn the facts surrounding World War II but also understand the cultural environment and events that led up to the devastation of the Holocaust. This text is crucial for educating students about the beginnings and extension of the fascist movement in Europe in the early 20th century.

The origins of World War II were rooted in the rise of fascism decades earlier.

Alphabetical List of EntriesTopical List of EntriesHow to Use This BookPrefaceTimelineHistorical Overview (1919-1945)The Rise of Fascism: A to ZPrimary Documents"The Futurist Manifesto": Written by Filippo Tommaso MarinettiClarification Speech: Benito Mussolini"Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions": Written by Benito Mussolini and Giovanni GentileThe Twenty-Six-Point Program of the Falange EspanolaThe Greater Britain: Written by Sir Oswald Mosley, Leader of the British Union of FascistsProgram of the National Socialist German Workers' PartyClosing Speech from the Trial of Adolf HitlerThe "Enabling Law"The "Nuremburg Laws": Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor Passed September 15, 1935The "Hossbach Memorandum": Notes Taken by Colonel Friedrich Hossbach at a Meeting of the Nazi High CommandThe Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Italy and Germany or the "Pact of Steel"Memorandum: Written by Colonel-General Johannes Blaskowitz, Commander of the Ober-Ost Military Region, PolandNotes from the Wannsee ConferenceTestimony of Rudolf Hoess at the Nuremburg TrialsKey QuestionsQuestion 1. Was Fascism Primarily a Modernizing, Revolutionary Movement, or Did It Represent a Violent Reaction Against the Process of Modernization and Revolutionary Change?Question 2. Were Racism and Anti-Semitism an Essential Part of Fascist Ideology or Were Such Priorities Restricted to a Few Particular Cases?Question 3. Was Fascist Ideology Based upon Military Conquest and Expansion, or Did Fascists Equally Advocate Withdrawal and National Insulation?Selected Annotated BibliographyIndexAbout the Editor and Contributors