After the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the countries that had fought in World War I turned to their own affairs. In the last lesson you read about the communist revolution in Russia. In 1922, the dictator Benito Mussolini and his Fascist (FASH ihst) party rose to power in Italy.
The Fascists believed in a powerful leader, totalitarian government, and an extreme form of nationalism. They supported a government whose goals they thought to be more important than those of individual people. This type of government came to be known as fascism. In some places fascism also came to mean hatred of certain ethnic groups.
After Italy took control of Ethiopia in 1936, Mussolini joined forces with another fascist dictator, Adolf Hitler of Germany. The people of nearby nations began to see that fascism was a serious threat to peace.