My Group!

Grace mentioned that the success of the Russian Communist Revolution was based on the already weakened Russian political state and on the gathered support of the "enraged peasants' and workers. Mass support is key in any revolution or take over of power because without numbers- it's hard to have success. Fascism and Naziism also depended on mass national support and that is why both Mussolini and Hitler advocated for nationalism. Mussolini also spoke about militarism and statism, whereas Hitler spoke about racial nationalism, improving the economy by stopping inflation, giving people jobs, stabilizing the currency, and sealing Germany off from the world economy, and by using a lot of violence. Of course Mussolini used violence as well- but Hitler was even more brutal because he had a very powerful hatred for communists and especially for the Jews. In order to gain national support, any leader needs to give the people what they want. But if you give the people everything they want- then there is no reason to continue giving support. So basically, just give the people a taste of what they want and they'll follow you until the end. Zak also talks about this in his post when he mentions that the fascists were "good at rallying people, to make them feel spirited. They are like a huge sports arena, full of energized fans that have no role in the game itself; however, they are made to feel like they are part of the team." Therefore, we all agree that this mass popular support is incredibly important to succeeding in a rebellion. Obviously- in order to gain this support propaganda is also important and instilling fear in your people can be helpful too.