H6C-p3

De Anza College

History 6C

Paper #3: Totalitarianism

Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile, “What is Fascism?” 1932.

Benito Mussolini, Address to the Italian People, October 2, 1935

Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, Proclamation to the German Nation, February 1, 1933.

Josef Stalin, “A Year of Great Change,” November 7, 1929.

Anonymous, History of the Purges, 1948.

Why did several European states abandon democratic ideals and adopt “totalitarian” regimes in the 1920s and 30s? Compare the three totalitarian regimes—Fascist Italy, Communist Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany. How did they gain power? How were they similar? How were they different? What were the regimes’ goals? To what extent did they succeed in achieving their goals? Is “totalitarianism” a useful tool of comparative analysis?

Using these five documents, your textbook, and knowledge gained from lectures, write an essay on totalitarianism in Europe during the interwar period.

You must cite your sources, and list them at the end of your paper as a List of Works Cited.

Typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides (this is usually the default for most word processing programs), formatted according to MLA guidelines, approximately 800-1000 words, to be submitted to the Canvas website. The paper must be submitted by 11:59 pm on the date due. . Note: before sending the assignment, you must rename the file in the following format: LastnameFirstname-papernumber. Example: JacksonChristopher-paper1. If the file is not properly named, it will not be accepted. Please do not “borrow” material from the web without providing proper citations and enclosing direct quotations in quotation marks. Otherwise, it will be considered plagiarism, and the penalties will be severe.

For help with MLA formatting, consult the Purdue Owl (on-line writing lab).