The Rise to Power: A Comparison of Hitler and Mussolini

The Rise to Power: A Comparison of Hitler and Mussolini Hitler and Mussolini achieved absolute political and social power through the manipulation of the people of their countries and circumstantial events at the time of their ascent. Mussolini rose to total dictatorship more than ten years before Hitler's first failed attempt to 'conquer' the failing Weimar Republic government and both achieved this total rise in power in very similar ways such as the glorification of emotion. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler realized that the way to a rise in power was through the people and their opinions/support therefore imposing their own ideals through incredible propaganda techniques and speeches, and in Hitler's case, introducing a scapegoat to blame. It is possible that Mussolini came to power ten years before Hitler because the Weimar government was in control and the Nazi party hadn't been organizationally formed yet; only a small group of men which included Hitler were inspired by Mussolini's rise and motivated to achieve the same. Both Italy and Germany were the victims of a series of economic and social problems caused primarily by World War I. The harsh terms and conditions of the Treaty of Versailles (prohibition of rebuilding or financing an army and heavy reparations), unemployment, and inflation caused extremely hard times in Germany. The German people were fed up with the government and on the verge of a revolution. They needed someone who could pull them up out of poverty, restore their faith in Germany and help them rebuild their lives after WWI. After Hitler's Mein Kampf, in growing numbers, people started to listen to Hitler's ideas. He promised the people a way out of the economic slump Germany was in, to restore pride in themselves and their country, and presented a scapegoat to blame for all of Germany's social, economic, and political problems: the Jews. Hitler was a skilled user of propaganda techniques and therefore used his words to manipulate the minds of people into believing what ideals he was imposing as the absolute truth. Hitler appealed to a wide variety of people by combining an effective speaking style with what looked like absolute sincerity and determination. As economic conditions worsened, the appeal of the Nazis was far more effective than that of other parties; the nazis were the one group which claimed to have all the answers. The nazi party offered simplistic but appealing solutions to their problems and was not bound to one class or interest group. He found a large audience for his 'program of national revival', hatred for France and Jews (and other non-German races), racial pride in Germanic values, and disgust for the Weimar Republic. Hitler believed that only a dictatorship (himself as dictator, of course) could rescue Germany from the pit in which it had fallen. This was not at all unlike Mussolini's ideals and techniques he imposed upon Italy. Mussolini was a supposed opportunist and his rise to power was a 'combination of parliamentary manoeuvre and radical pressure'. The Italian people welcomed his authority. They were tired of strikes and riots within Italy, responsive to the trappings of Fascism, and ready to submit to dictatorship, provided the national economy was stabilized and their country restored to its dignity as promised. Mussolini seemed to them the one man capable of bringing order out of chaos. At rallies Mussolini caught the imagination of the crowds due to his impressive physique and his staccato and orderly way of speaking. His attitudes were dramatic, his opinions contradicted themselves, his facts were often wrong but his words were strong and moving, and his gestures repeated often with so much vigor and were so effective, that he rarely failed to impose his mood or ideals to the Italians. From 1919 to 1922, Italy was torn by social and political strife, inflation, and economic problems; this was very similar to Germany's condition in 1923. Armed bands with a strong nationalistic bias, known as the Fascisti fought socialist and communist groups throughout Italy. On October 24 1922, Mussolini, with the support of conservatives and former soldiers, demanded that the government be entrusted to his party. He threatened to seize power by force if his conditions were refused. As the Fascisti readied for a march on Rome, Prime Minister Luigi Facta resigned. On October 28 Victor Emmanuel called on Mussolini to form a new government. Here some differences