Two authoritarian regimes that fundamentally shaped the first half of the 20th Century were the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini and the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler.  In this unit we will examine the rise and rule of each of these dictators and attempt to evaluate to what extent they achieved totalitarian control.  We will also take a look at a culminating event of their foreign policies on the eve of World War II, the Spanish Civil war.  Our unit will be focused around the below key questions:

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1. What were the conditions in post-war Italy that led to support for the Fascist Party?

2. How did Mussolini solidify his control by 1927?

3. What were the domestic policies of Mussolini and to what extent were they successful?

4. What were the conditions in the Weimar Republic that facilitated the Nazi party's rise to power?

5. How did Hitler solidify his control over the Nazi Party and Germany by 1934?

6. What were Hitler's domestic policies and to what extent were they successful?

7. What were the foreign policy goals of Mussolini and Hitler and to what extent were they achieved by 1939?

8. What were the causes, key events and consequences of the Spanish Civil War for Spain and the international community?

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Resources: We will be using a few resources for this unit that are available in the library as well as additional resources that will be available from the website.  The books to be checked out for this unit are:

Italian Fascism by De Grand

The Interwar Years: Conflict and Cooperation by Todd, Bottaro and Waller

The Spanish Civil War by Frances Lanon

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Assessments

1. Formative

   1. Class Discussions

   2. Short Answer Questions

   3. Essay Plans

   4. Source Analysis

   5. Homework Past Paper 2 Essays​​

2. Summative

   1. Italian Fascism and German Nazism = In-Class On Demand Essay

   2. Compare and Contrast Hitler and Mussolini = Essay Plan​​

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Unit Calendar

The Calendar outlines the plan for our day to day in class activities and the homework that will be assigned. The expectation is that students complete all homework assignments for the next lesson unless otherwise indicated on the calendar. While we would like this to be set in stone, unforeseen events and intriguing tangents might change the plan so if you are ever in doubt on what is due and when, please ask

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Something Interesting to Check Out: Documentary about Football (soccer) and Fascists

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