After World War I and during the interwar years, countries such as Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union had to pay for their loss in war. This sent all these countries into poverty and their countries were looking for answers. In a desperate time, the people from these three nations put totalitarian leaders into power in hope for fast change. When in power these leaders became dictators and did everything they could to ensure stability and loyalty to their leadership. During the interwar years, leaders rose and maintained power through the use of force and manipulation to eliminate all opposing options. The leaders during the interwar years used secret organizations for the use of eliminating all political threats. In Germany, the Nazi government effectively blamed crimes on their political threats in order to denounce the others and make their government look stronger. For example, Nazi chief of police Hermann Goering blamed the burning of the Reichstag on a communist Marianus Van der Lubbe. “This is a communist crime against the new government,” said Goering. Apparently, Van der Lubbe was in the Reichstag and Goering ordered an SA officer to set it aflame. The Nazi’s effectively blamed the burning of the Reichstag on the …show more content…
Through the use secret organizations, these leaders were able to control the citizens under the government and earn their respect so they would not have to face consequences such as going to a concentration camp or death. By manipulating the youth, leaders were able to build a basis of respect from young kids for generations to come. Lastly, propaganda made leaders look more appealing and make other organizations look bad to get more votes for their party. In conclusion, totalitarian leaders were able to effectively gain and maintain power through the manipulation and termination of all opposing