In the 1920s and
1930s, authoritarianism arose in three important countries: Russia, Italy, and Germany. Each of
these countries turned to a charismatic leader who became a dictator. World War I (1914€“1918)
played an important role in undermining the traditional governmental structures in these three
nations. Economic collapseespecially in Germanyfacilitated the rise of Nazism in that
country.
The first country to succumb to authoritarianism was Russia. Russia,
which had been ruled by the Romanov family for three hundred years, suffered terrible losses
during WWI. The country simply could not handle the demands of a modern war and fell apart under
relentless German military pressure. Also, the evil monk Rasputin personified the widespread
corruption that the Russian people loathed. The Czar's government fell in 1917 and it was
eventually replaced by the world's first Communist regime after a civil war.
Italy had fought on the winning side during WWI, but most Italians believed their
country had not been rewarded sufficiently for its sacrifices. After the war, Italy was plagued
by social and political unrest as well as labor strikes. Benito Mussolini, a veteran and former
Socialist, took advantage of Italy's turbulence to seize power in 1922. Mussolini's Fascists
eliminated all political rivals, and he became dictator of Italy for two decades.
Germany emerged from WWI a defeated and humiliated country. It had to accept the harsh
Versailles Treaty, and it had to pay reparations to the victorious powers. Germany also
experienced severe economic problems, including hyperinflation. By the early 1930s, there were
pitched battles in the streets between Communist and Nazi forces. Like Mussolini a decade
before, Adolph Hitler sensed his opportunity and became chancellor in
1933.
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