Catherine C. answered • 05/17/22
Adolf Hitler was a fascist dictator. A fascist is an ultra-right-wing nationalistic system of government that is run by an authoritarian leader. Nationalism is kind of like patriotism but is taken to an extreme and often justifies mass genocide of different people groups. Adolf Hitler used tactics to gain power through films, radio, and newspapers. But he gained power primarily through the radio. He had one of his inner circle members, Joseph Goebbels take control of all the media in Germany. They even had an evening radio program that they had to listen to in order to be considered German---and if they did not they were ostracized. The Nazi party completely took over the radio system and tapped in to make sure that no Germans were listening to London radio systems. Those who were caught listening to radio systems that were not from the Nazi radio programs were sent to concentration camps. Hitler maintained power through the media by punishing those that opposed his rule and by keeping the Nazi propaganda system going.
Benito Mussolini was a dictator of the National Fascist Party. He was often called ‘Il Duce’ which means The Leader. He allied himself with Hitler during World War 2, though at first, he was hesitant to he later grew to also agree with Hitler’s antisemitism. In 1922 he became prime minister of Italy and in 1925 he changed his tactics to turn Italy into a totalitarian society. He was a Nationalist that wanted to unite Italy and because he already was the prime minister it became very easy for him to seize complete control. He was able to hold onto power because many Italians wanted the unity of Italy and to put aside their class system. He appealed to the people. Similar to what had happened in Germany---the Italian people were dissatisfied with the way their government had handled World War 1. Many Italians had lost much as a result of World War 1 and they were looking for someone to fix some of the issues the previous government left behind. Nationalism was the primary driving force that kept Mussolini in power.
Joseph Stalin was a Communist dictator. Communism is different from socialism. Communism is a system of government that tries to make amenities and products equal to people regardless of what job position they attain. Stalin also used some propaganda that much of the Red Army or Bolsheviks had used. However he went a step further to keep his power. During the 1930s, the Purges as they were called, were a scary time for many party leaders of the USSR. To curb his paranoia, Stalin ‘purged’ many of his high-level party members---those that were closest to him that he saw as plotting against him. He tortured them to the point of confession---where they had admitted to betraying him and their country. He sent many of them and their families to the gulags or forced labor camps where people did not last more than a few years before they had literally worked themselves to death. The Purges were a terrible time in USSR history and one that should not be overlooked.