Benito Mussolini Totalitarian Leaders Essay

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Thatcher Grenby
Mr. Dyer
Period 4
25 May 2023
Totalitarian Leaders, Take Two
Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Mao Zedong were all totalitarian leaders who rose to power after World War I. They used their limitless authority to control society and make drastic changes through methods like nationalism and propaganda. Benito Mussolini, known as ‘Il Duce’ or ‘The Leader’, ruled Italy as a nationalist dictator who founded fascism along the way. Adolf Hitler took great inspiration from Mussolini and rose to power in Germany as a dictator and the leader of the Nazi Party which caused World War II and the Holocaust. Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China, utilizing advanced propaganda and disinformation to spread Maoism which established …show more content…

Italy’s economic disaster happened due to inflation which was caused by overprinting money in order to pay for arms. This made the people desperate, and when met with propaganda that contained messages promising the return of Italy’s greatness and prosperity, they were instantly persuaded and fell under Mussolini’s rule. Mussolini’s image in Italy was favorable towards his persuasion: he was seen as a strong leader who vowed to restore Italy’s greatness by ending the economic struggle and job crisis among countless other promises. Due to the worrying situation that came as a result of Italy’s economic crisis, Mussolini was able to take advantage of the population’s desperation and make himself very persuasive by promising to guide the nation to …show more content…

When Mao rose to power, China was in a situation that included widespread economic and social challenges. The economic challenges stemmed from weak industrialization and agricultural struggles, while the social issues came from an elitist dynamic which led to discrimination and unrest. Mao took these conditions in China as an opportunity to make himself more persuasive. The people, who were desperate for change, received promises of land reform and social equality from a man who represented himself as a hero. Not only was Mao making himself seen as more favorable towards his existing supporters, but also to supporters of opposition. Mao’s critiques of the current government at the time which highlighted corruption and their lack of humanitarian support proved successful in flipping supporters of the other side into backing him. Taking advantage of the negative conditions of economic and social unrest in China, Mao made himself more persuasive by guaranteeing the people solutions to these

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